It’s possible for someone to master something while continuously learning, but it’s impossible to master something without ever putting that knowledge into action. This isn’t one of those team no-sleep, grind nonstop posts, though. It’s more akin to don’t burn out before you even start, and it has a lot to do with having too much inspiration and not doing enough application. I imagine action without inspiration is like a drought, and inspiration without action is like a flood.

From a creative perspective, this could be a huge stumbling block. The more free-flowing your process, the more productive you are—and productivity is definitely the name of the game because artists actually make art. I don’t really think I’ve ever seriously had art block…more like art constipation (Bear with me here. I know how that sounds). Here’s how it goes: I’m scrolling on The Gram or Pinterest, I see something dope, I save it to my board, and (265,978 saves later) my board is full of dope things and likely no new art to show for it. This is what creative overload looks like.

productivity is definitely the name of the game because artists actually make art.

Just one more tutorial. Just one more video. Pretty soon you’re making a cameo on Dragon Ball powering up for an entire episode (IYKYK). The urge to keep learning and gathering without applying it (in this artist’s case) can be related to fear of failing due to to feelings of inadequacy. The truth is, success isn’t guaranteed no matter how prepared you think are—and you’ll never be fully prepared, but “‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.’ -Wayne Gretzky” -Michael Scott.

“V. Tyson, you courteous courier of creative clarity,” I hear you asking, “how do I get things flowing?”. Here’s what’s been helping me: 1) Only use the things that inspire you as an immediate reference when you create (because it lowers the risk of it becoming just another file in the abyss, never to be seen again). 2) Trust your natural creative tendencies while also applying what you learned, and hopefully, you’ll see that your new skills are like second nature. 3) It’s not about how much you produce, it’s that you produce anything to begin with.