Years ago I was leading a comics workshop at A2 Inkubate (a pre-conference for the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival). I joined the participants in the hands-on activity where we all made zine-style minicomics. Minutes passed and everyone was drawing away. But a good friend next to me sat and stared at the blank page, pencil tip circling inches above. I whispered to him, “just make some marks and respond to them.” He did, and minutes later he was drawing along with the rest of the group. He told me afterwards how helpful that nudge was.
The paralysis inflicted by the blank page is something we’ve all experienced. But what’s behind that? I thought this bit from a recent episode of This Jungian Life captured it pretty well.
I run into this a lot with students. Each one has their own words for what that moment of staring at the blank page is. They might be a perfectionist. There are too many good ideas to choose from. There are no ideas. We freeze up under the pressure to do it right. But sometimes the best move is to just make something. Even if we don’t like what we draw, the momentum will help us get to the good drawings. Instead of letting hesitation jam our energy, make some marks and respond to them.