Where's the inspiration?

So.... hopefully this thread belongs here but anyways.

I am going through a many year rut drawing-wise. I've drawn very few things that I'm proud of, and basically I don't know where to go next. I feel a lack of creativity, and I'm not really sure how to get my groove back. Or how to improve anymore. Of course, I'm not saying that I'm so good I don't need to improve. Goodness no. I am just having difficulty improving. :cat_fly:

Basically.... I am asking what gets people inspired? What makes you want to draw? And where do you draw ideas from? And when you start to hit a brick wall in your drawing, what helps you get over it?

A lot of people are going to tell you "music", "tv", and other medias, also "go outside". But those doesn't solve the problem, is more like waiting the problem to solve them self.

What you need to is work in a introspection of your work and scout others peoples works, but not only the things that are inside your comfort zone, but add the things you less expect. Go and find some weird style, while trying to figure out what your work does lack.

yeah just look into arts of people. atleast that helps me get inspired.

Art books for inspiration, daily life sketchbook for reference, and drawing exercises for when you've no idea what to do. It really depends on how much time you're willing to give, after that.

Sit in your room drawing boxes and practicing different perspectives and shadows over and over and over again. Eventually one of those boxes will evolve into the coolest drawing of the month..seriously.

try watching anime or watching your favorite shows.. after you see something so cool that your heart almost burst!
try drawing that.
just stick to what part you enjoy the most in drawing

I've tried every method mentioned here so far. Clockhand's is the one I'm most fond of, though most "beat art block NAO" methods work for me to some extent. If you hit a block, it's sometimes because you've bumped the edge of your comfort zone. So, what's left but to expand it? I've always been an organic artist, so one day, I sat down while waiting for a ride from school and drew the first car in front of me. Then I started working on perspective and such, incorporating a ruler into my backgrounds.

I still do organic art as my main "thing," but after practicing in other areas, I get less art blocks.

That method aside, I find that sometimes, like with anything else, you just need a break. Video game journalists sometimes encounter video game burnout and will barf at the idea of playing games when they get home from work. Is art much different? Taking a walk, watching a movie, and playing a game all count as breaks, but like Clock said, that feels like waiting for the problem to solve itself. I also find myself stressing out during longer breaks, thinking, 'I should really be drawing right now--there's some 17-year-old Japanese kid in the same position as me who's gonna get my job if I don't keep practicing.'

Throwing all the glitter and gloss aside, just try to think into the future. Does the thought of washing dishes for fourteen hours a day for minimum wage appeal to you? Wouldn't you much rather make money doing something you love?

I never considered the possibility of being bored to death before I started washing dishes. Never again. Just the thought of going back to that keeps me from most art blocks.

Well I actually haven't considered art as a career option for me personally. It's more of a hobby. And I like washing dishes...

I've tried many of these idea. I guess what I really need to do is sit down and work things out.

Meh. Replace "washing dishes" with whatever type of job you despise but is always available.

There's no single end-all solution to art blocks, loss of passion, loss of inspiration, etc.

Just remembered another one that might help: think back and try to remember exactly why you started drawing. Where did you want to go with your hobby? What made you want to go there? I accomplished my own goal years ago, but kept drawing because I loved the process of creation.

Recently, I read one of my dad's self-help books that talked about all these quick-fixes to life problems, saying that things like taking walks, looking for art you admire, or watching anime are all secondary solutions, and that the primary solution to any problem should come from you and only you. Simply, if you want to change something that's hard-wired into your personality (periods of laziness/art block), you have to change your personality. I didn't read far enough to know how to do that just yet, but I suppose it's worth a shot.

I know most of the stuff I do probably wouldn't help you, but I hate the feeling of having no inspiration and wouldn't wish it on anyone else.

I have a very weird way of putting myself up
. . .I think of my crush who will never be my girl. . ^^