The Secret to Writer’s Block: Art - Post Two

To Paint or Not to Paint:

Using a Paint and Wine Party to Provide the Necessary Distraction to Writer’s Block

So far, this blog has focused quite a bit on different ideas for inspirations to help break through writer’s block.  This post will be a little bit different.  The other main way to break through writer’s block is distraction.  Nowadays, it has been especially challenging to find a positive distraction through all the negativity and sadness surrounding us.  However, I find it’s just as (if not more) important to find ways to distract yourself every once in a while.

One great idea for a distraction is to host or attend a paint and wine (or other beverage of choice) get together.  Essentially the idea is that you and your friends meet up and paint a step-by-step work of art while enjoying good food, great drinks, and amazing conversation.  It’s something fun, a little different, and it also allows you to explore your more creative side.  (Added bonus, it can be done safely while abiding by social distancing guidelines.)

One of the main ways this can act as a distraction from writer’s block is just by pulling your mind to something else entirely.  There is an element of planning and a little bit of shopping that has to be done before you get to all the wine (oh yeah, and the painting too).  It’s a nice way to distract yourself.  The one thing that I found frustrating though, was researching how exactly to put on a paint and wine party yourself.  So that’s really what inspired this post - to share what I learned.  

I found that if you hire someone to host the party at your place then it’s extremely expensive.  I also found that there are companies out there that will send you all the supplies you need - one stop shopping, but again - expensive.  Basically, I wanted the ability to buy a template with instructions as well as the option to buy only the supplies that I couldn’t find elsewhere.  I finally found a company that offered what I was looking for:

https://social-artworking.com/

The site allows you to browse through different template options.  It then gives you a list of everything that you will need.  You can either buy everything through them or just what you would like to purchase through them.  I chose to buy the instructions, the stencil for the painting, and all the paint colors directly through the company.  The rest I found online at Michaels: a pack of 16x16 canvases, small easels, paint brushes, and graphite paper.  Before the day of the party, I used the graphite paper and the stencil to transpose the painting image on to the canvasses.  I had also grabbed a paper table cloth, plastic cups, and paper plates for each of us from target.  That was it, we were ready to go! 

So, overall we had a great time.  We also learned a couple of things along the way:

• If everyone buys their own supplies, you could totally do this over a webcam.  The host of the party could share the instructions/steps with a screen share feature.  You could put together a list of things for people to buy and from where (especially paint colors) or buy everything for each participant and send it their way (they can just Venmo you the funds back).

• Pick a template that includes a low number of colors to start with.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  First: time and skill level.  More colors to paint take longer and also require more blending, which can be challenging.  Starting out with a few colors can put new and skilled painters on a more even playing field.  Second: cost.  Simply, the more paint colors you need, the more expensive it becomes.

• Plan your party ahead of time.  Most of the supplies took a week or two to get to my place.  You could pay for more urgent shipping, but again, more expensive.  You also want time to use the carbon paper to pre-trace your canvasses before your party.

Overall, I had a great time and loved seeing what my friends came up with too. It was a great way to take my mind off of writing for a little while, get my creativity flowing, and clear my mind. So, if you are looking for a distraction from your writer’s block, try picking up a paintbrush … and maybe some wine as well.

I hope that these ideas help you to break through! 

Found a great source of inspiration that worked for you?  Let me know!

Still getting writer’s block?  Tell me how I can help!