Do you ever get stuck staring at a blank page? Or start a painting and it's just not working for you? Here's one of the tricks I use:

Creativity Exercise

Write each of these on a slip of paper & keep them in a jar. When you are stuck on a painting, or the idea is just not working, pull one out & do whatever it says.

Exaggerate the lines

Exaggerate a shape

Exaggerate contrast between light & dark

Exaggerate the colors

Increase the size of one object

Decrease the size of one object

Change the contrast in focus (sharp vs. blurry)

Exaggerate the texture

Expand the center of the image

Expand the sides

Expand the top

Expand the bottom

Expand the corners

Remove the center

Remove the sides

Remove the top

Remove the bottom

Remove the corners

Tell a story with a metaphor

Introduce a humorous element

Superimpose layers and images

Repeat an image

Repeat a pattern

Add more patterns

Remove any repeated images/patterns

Add your own random alternatives. You may interpret each of these slips any way you wish. ‘Expand the center’ might mean starting a new image that focuses only on the central object or pattern of your previous work. It might also mean blurring the edges around the center to make the viewer focus on the center. It might also mean increasing the size of the center of your image and layering it right over the top of the existing work. Your choice – your interpretation.

This is a quick way to break through some of the habits and patterns that are making your work seem stale.