Let’s be honest - even when you absolutely love your art, sometimes the inspiration just disappears. You stare at your paints, your studio, or your latest pour… and nothing’s clicking.

As a fluid artist, I’ve been there more times than I can count. The colors feel off, your hands feel stiff, and the joy you usually get from pouring is nowhere in sight.

And that’s exactly when I know - it’s time for a reset.

Over the years, I’ve built a list of go-to practices that help me shift out of a rut and back into a space of joy, experimentation, and fresh ideas. These tips aren’t just for beginners - they’ve helped me find new direction in some of my biggest creative blocks.

So if you’re stuck, burned out, or just feeling a little meh about your latest Dutch pour, here’s how I reset as an artist.

1. Declutter, Clean Up, and Reset Your Studio for Fluid Art

This is always my first move. I clean. I sweep. I reorganize. I get into every little corner of my acrylic pouring space and start clearing things out.

There’s something incredibly therapeutic about restoring order to your creative environment. It’s like your space exhales - and so do you.

2. Take a Break from YouTube, Instagram, and Everyone Else’s Art

Yes - I’m even telling you to take a break from watching fluid art tutorials (mine included 😉).

It’s so easy to fall into comparison when you see one incredible pour after another on your feed. But what most people don’t show you? The failed canvases it took to get there.

When I need a reset, I stop consuming art online.
Instead, I let the world around me become my gallery.

I take a walk and observe color palettes in nature.

I flip through paintings by artists I admire (in books, not reels).

I visit a local gallery and notice what pulls me in - and what doesn’t

This is one of the best ways to reawaken your own sense of color, composition, and intuition, without the noise of trends and algorithms.

Let your own senses guide you, not someone else’s edit.

3. Put All of Your Current Paintings Away (And Don’t Look at Them)

This one might sound odd, but it works every time.

Put all of your current paintings away and don’t look at them. Funny how it works, but it clears up my internal space just as much as the physical one.

When you’re surrounded by unfinished work or paintings you feel unsure about, they tend to quietly clutter your thinking. Every time you glance at them, your brain re-engages with decisions you’ve already made - and it blocks space for new ideas to come through.

By physically removing them from sight (turning them away, covering them, hiding them in a closet), you give yourself mental and emotional permission to start fresh. Without visual reminders of what you “should” be doing, your creativity can start exploring new directions again.

4. The Color Storyboard Exercise

Here’s a creative color reset that doesn't involve painting at all:

Pick a feeling or mood - something you want your next painting to express - and create a visual color storyboard to match it.

You can do this with:

• Paint swatches
• Cutouts from magazines or art books
• Natural elements like leaves, stones, or dried flowers
• Or digital collages if you prefer working on screen

The point is to explore how colors feel together before you ever touch a canvas. It helps train your eye to spot harmony, contrast, and emotion in unexpected combinations.

If you want to dive deeper into intentional palette building and avoid common color mistakes that ruin your paintings, I created a FREE guide just for that! You can download it here: "7 Costly Color Palette Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Fluid Art Paintings."

5. Paint Without a Plan (and Just Have Fun)

Sometimes the best way to reset is to forget everything you think you’re supposed to be doing.

On those days, I put on my art clothes, turn up the music, and give myself permission to play. No expectations. No final outcome in mind.

This playful, pressure-free painting is often when my most authentic creative ideas start bubbling up again.

Let go of perfection, and you might just find your next breakthrough.

After about a week of slowing down, unplugging, mixing for fun, and avoiding pressure to "make something good," something inside me clicked. I came back to the studio with a completely new concept - a style and painting series that turned out to be one of my most fulfilling and exciting bodies of work yet.

Here’s what that reset helped bring to life - a brand new series of paintings and effects that is one of my favorites to date!

Watch the first painting from this new inspired series:

Have you ever hit a creative wall? What helps you reset and come back to your art with fresh eyes?
Let me know in the comments on YouTube - I always love hearing from you!

Take care, let your creativity rest when it needs to! 

Colorfully yours,
Olga Soby