Overcoming the Ugly Stage: Tips for Frustrated Artists and Writers

Call it the ugly stage, struggle bus (my sister’s term), or just plain frustration. Often art in process goes through undesirable stages. 

My recent painting, “All God’s Children Great and Small,” was coming along nicely until I got to the people. Then yuck! I’m used to painting large portraits not tiny ones. The ugly stage seemed to go on day after day as I tried different ways to make them look human. 

Finally, I had to walk away. When I returned the next day, I saw that the woman and man’s eyes were off. So, I took a photo and sent it to my sister, and she confirmed my suspicions. 

“Their eyes are too big for their faces,” Gina replied. 

She also pointed out several other features that needed adjustments.

I had lost perspective, which is very common when I get engrossed in a painting. Now my lettering is going through the ugly stage.

Every artist goes through those times when what you envisioned just isn’t working. Whether painting, writing, sculpting, or any number of other creative pursuits. 

Here’s a few tips I use to get back on track:

Walk away for a day and return with fresh eyes.Take a photo and compare what you’ve painted with your reference photo. I overlay the photo of my painting over my reference photo using Photoshop. Then I slowly reduce the opacity of my painting photo to see what’s off. Ask an artist friend for feedback. Celebrate progress not perfection: I have a “Favorites” folder for each of my paintings. I save progress photos in this folder so I can see improvement over time. For Writers

I also must walk away from my writing. The mind often corrects errors spontaneously, so it’s easy to miss mistakes. I’m grateful for the review features of spelling and grammar checks. I also struggle with how to improve my writing.

 Wordpress websites now have an added AI Assistant that is helping me with improving blog posts. Check these out: 

WRITE BRIEF WITH AI (BETA)

Improve your writing with AI.

Write to see your grade level: This feature helps to keep text readable for the majority of viewers. My years in public education as a literacy teacher and then literacy coach opened my eyes to an important fact. I learned that the average reading level in the United States is 7th-8th grade.

Show suggestions: The AI Assistant offers suggestions:Complex words: This feature is so helpful for my academic writing self. After 25+ years of working in the field of education, I tend to use complex words. Long sentences: Another habit of mine. The AI editor breaks up my run-on sentences.Unconfident words: I “might” becomes “I try.”

AI FEEDBACK

Get feedback on content structure: Here’s the feedback generated for this post: The content demonstrates a relatable experience for artists and writers. They face the “ugly stage” of their work. The tips provided are practical and valuable for overcoming these challenges. The use of AI editing features appears to be beneficial for enhancing writing quality. These features include the writing grade level and suggestions for complex words, long sentences, and unconfident words. Consider exploring more AI features to improve key details of the post 

OPTIMIZE PUBLISHING

Use AI to optimize key details of your post: My original title was: When to Walk Away from your Art. I decided on the AI generated title: Overcoming the Ugly Stage: Tips for Frustrated Artists and Writers

AI FEATURED IMAGE

Create and use an AI generated feature image for your post: The AI Assistant generated this image:

Boy did it capture how I feel while going through the ugly stage.

We creatives focus so much of our energy on painting what we envision onto canvas or into words. We need the support of fellow creatives as well as AI editing features now available.

Don’t give up when your art or writing goes through the ugly stage. Walk away and then return another day with fresh perspective.

If you’re a creative in need of ongoing inspiration, check out my Artistry Unleashed: Inspiration and Resources for Creatives. You can download editions from this page: https://jodeelunaart.com/artistry-unleashed-inspiration-and-resources-for-creatives/.

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Subscribers also have access to free DIY arts and craft lessons. You get inspiration you can print and frame. You will also get my free “Chosen to Create Workbook, a printable pdf.“