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First, I want to talk about art block. This one is a Killer in the art community, and also ties into art motivationa s well. It needs its own section to deal with, though. Here are the things I do when I find I have hit Art Block. It is mostly about Burn Out. They may not work for you, and often take a lot of willpower, but try them out.

1) Stop Drawing. Artblock is your brain being tired out, squeezed dry, Exhausted beyong belief, Negative MP in your mana pool. If you feel like artblock is oncoming or are currently experiencing it, you need to stop drawing immediately and expect to not draw for at least two weeks if you already have it.

2) Leave your house/Art Workplace. Your brain is dried up and needs to be refreshed. Go out with friends, go shopping, stare at clouds, eat at a resturaunt, do anything except be at home in your art work place. Avoid drawing as much as possible for about two days.

3) Create Rules for yourself to Help Prevent Artblock. To prevent artblock, you need to will yourself into setting boundaries for yourself. You need boundaries to prevent anxiety, fear, and overwork. When I draw, it is a rule for me to not draw seriously two days after the day I drew. This will help prevent Burn Out. Next, set a VERY strict rule to only accept X amount of commissions/trades and not accept more unless you finished the last. Prevent Anxiety, dread, and panic. I usually only take around 3 commissions at a time. Any more than that I often start to feel really awful about doing art and fearing my projects.

4) Concerning Commission Block. On occasion, cmmissions can become very stressful and cause artblock. The biggest hurdle is finding the cause of your commission block. There are five things I will cover. First, I already mentioned limiting your Queue. Having a list to work on day after day is not healthy, and it would be best to make sure you actually have the ability to clear it. Prevent the Endless Despair. Second, sometimes you feel like drawing personal art instead and feel bad about not doing a commission? DO the personal art. It's just personal art and is actually very healthy to work on a private piece for yourself. It is a way for you to practice naturally. Next, speaking of practice, if you feel like things aren't looking right or you are inadequate, then Do PRACTICE art instead for a short while. Do 15 minute sketches and no more and study some anatomy or structures for a little while and come back to the commission a bit later. Second to last, if you are not enjoying a commission, fearing the commissioner noting you, or having nightmares because of a commission, think about giving them a refund. You are obviously struggling with this work more than you should. Finally, if you have a queue, but the Coms are fine, just take a Two week break.

There is one thing that I feel is my Absolute Motivation. I have given myself something to look forward to into the future, and this is in the form of the yearly recap meme. (2019 example: http://fav.me/ddmneyk ). I suggest to Start NOW and do 2019's if you haven't. Even if you have months missing, That is VERY okay. Then, in the description you should write this: A Note to Future You and a Note to Past you.

When I write to past me, I tell past me how I am doing now and how I feel now. If past me wrote anything to future me I would answer Past me as to how things went. When I write to future me, I tell them my plans and my fears and struggles. This helps me give myself goals, and helps me see my growth after every year. The trick is to give some relatively small goals like "I want to do more art trades this year".

It is theraputic, I can see my progress, and I give myself clear goals all in one go. The more you do it over years and years the better. It may be a slow run for the first two or three years which is why I suggest you also do 2019 if you haven't already.