Back to Art after a Long Break - 10 Tips to Come Back BETTER than EVER

Hello everyone and welcome to this video, my name is Florent Farges and I’m a professional artist working and living in France. Not a lot of people know that but my path to becoming an artists has not been a straight line. I didn’t just choose to be an artist as a kid and went straight for art education after high school. Actually, I was a very creative child and drew a lot as a teenager but I didn’t go to art school, I chose not to because, at the time, there wasn’t anything I was looking for in France, it was all contemporary BS, so instead I decided to study philosophy in the University. Eventually, art came back, I could say that it forced its way back into my life after a long Hiatus. Something like 9 or 10 years. Sure, I was still drawing here and there on the side, because it’s something I have been doing all my life, but I never took this very seriously up until a certain point because I was too busy with other things. That’s life ! Priorities. And yet, here I am now, making art every day.
No matter how long the period of interruption, art always forces its way back up in your life. It’s like an existential need, something that can only be pushed to the side momentarily but never completely forgotten. I know I’m not alone in this situation, I’ve received countless testimonies of people who came back to art after a long break. Very often, this second coming is like a personal Renaissance, a new hope. For some, it takes 40 years, after they retire, some people decide to suddenly quit their job after a 10 year career and a burnout, some people try to dig themselves out of long episodes of depression. I also received many testimonies of doctors and nurses struggling with the pandemic finding art again as a way to blow off steam after years of studying and hard-work, 5 years, 15 years, 25 years... It doesn’t matter how many years have passed, making art feels like a new way out, a new beginning!
In fact, since I know so many people are in this situation, if it’s your case, if you went through a long hiatus without making art because of life circumstances, please share your story in the comment section. It’s inspiring, people need to know they’re not alone. I’m pretty sure that a majority of people making art went through a long hiatus at some point, 10 years, 20 years or 30 years, it doesn’t matter. It’s never too late. And that’s what we’re going to be talking about today!

Chapters :
00:00 Intro
03:20 It's like riding a bike
06:49 There's never been a better time to learn
08:28 Your life experience is your strength
12:16 Accept being Rusty
13:19 Accept to take a step back
15:01 Keep track of your goals
17:24 Daily Drawing Exercises
19:03 Painting practice for returning artists
21:02 Challenge Yourself
21:58 Make patience fun !

Resources :

-Drawing Course, Charles Bargue
-Figure Drawing for all it's worth, Andrew Loomis
-Drawing the Head and Hands, Andrew Loomis

Teach Yourself to Draw Playlist :

➡ LEARN OIL PAINTING - A 7 HOURS VIDEO COURSE :

➡ ADVANCED PAINTING COURSE ON COLOR AND PAINT - A 9HR COURSE :

➡ Free Resources for artists :

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About me (bio) :
Website :

I am an artist living and working in France. I learned the techniques of the Atelier of the Nineteenth century and now I try to share some of my knowledge with the rest of the world, because I think that beauty still has an important role to play in artistic creation. I do mostly drawing and oil painting, and my goal is always to provide techniques, thoughts and explanations that can be useful to anyone, from beginners to more advanced artists.

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#art #painting #inspiration
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Thanks for watching !

[FlorentFargesarts]

I know so many people are in this situation : if you went through a long hiatus without making art because of life circumstances, please share your story in the comment section. Keep the Inspiration going !

[ianviviTV]

I had a huge art break when I was dating my ex. I was really depressed and had almost no desire to paint or even draw. I broke up with my ex and Its been a few years and I have come back to art again, painting, drawing and even making polymer figurines. Its sad how a person can suck the life out of you so much that your desire to learn and make art is completely gone. Making art nowadays is so refreshing, amazing and I feel like a kid again. I love learning about painting and art in general. It makes me feel alive and gives me purpose.

[mahmoudelbiltagy]

Iam 33 now, almost all my life suffering anxiety and having some sort of depression ..the only time that I remember felt pure happiness and peace was when practicing pencil drawing back in my sixteenth..I started oil painting just 8 months ago and by all means it's as I have a new wonderful life again ...also it turned out that my back ground of studying accounting, mathematics and reading about light physics was very helpful in practicing art ...thank you for your inspiration 🙏🙏

[mindym.]

35 years of being "a responsible adult" and doing all of the things the people I trust most in my life expected me to do. I have done small bits and pieces of art along the way, but now I'm throwing myself into it 100%. I have not lost a step, it all came back instantly, in fact, I think I'm better at drawing and painting than I ever was. More relaxed, more free. It is as though everything I've always tried to learn has finally clicked. I think the difference is the self acceptance I have now and the lack of self-judgement that comes with the years. It is a beautiful homecoming!

[grill]

i stoped making art 10 years ago, im 30 now, the reasons are very deep, i fell into a profound depression after i felt i never got the validation form my family or my friends then on that time i was also very attached to my older sister who was an artist i was being smothered by the society i lived in because my drive for art was falling off because of my depression i also was not able to get a boyfriend or any type of meaningfull relationship that didnt made me feel like i was some sort of psycopath, after abandoning art i tried defernt things in the art industry but nothing felt right, my older sister passed away and i felt like my whole life went in to the gutter, last year i met the love of my life he is a very dream like human and he likes to inspire me to look for creativity and know im looking for new ways to recover my love for art and i feel like im getting back slowly but i think im finly able to be happy

[edwardgribben]

I used to do a lot of drawing up to my early 20s, an England international footballer asked me to do a caricature of him for his home after I asked him to sign one that I had done. Anyhow, I let that drop in my 20s and picked up oil painting at about 30 for a year until my 2nd son was born and I stored everything away. Now, 30 years later, Ive got the oils out again. Have tried some alla prima (following Bob Ross and Bill Alexander) and realised I needed to go back to square 1 and start afresh.

[marieleahy]

So encouraging as usual, Florent. I lived and breathed art through high school until I allowed a negative comment to kill the dream. Fortunately, that gift never truly dies. After 40 years of rearing children and a satisfying nursing career, I wondered if I could still draw. To test it I sketched a figure that will always be an inspiration and reminder for me to keep going. That was seven years ago and even though I have lapses from time to time (life still gets in the way), I continue to sell, donate, and gift my art, including portraits. I’m so grateful for the availability of education today that was never there when I was young. What a wonderful time we live in for anyone passionate for art. Thanks once again for your contribution.

[ruthilano]

About 10 years ago, I was an art student diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Needless to say, my focuses in life completely changed and making art became less and less of a priority... But the other day I picked up a pencil and found that I can still draw. Not as well as before, but it's still there. It hasn't been that long for me but I really appreciate what you had to say in this video. Thank you, it's very encouraging, and I can't wait to make more art.

[johnhernandez]

Thank you for this video. 40 years... Life just got in the way. I had a couple of careers... 23 yrs in the military, a couple of wars. Then I went back to college and became a chaplain at hospitals. During my college time, I took some art classes gen/ed classes. I figure art would give me an easy A. I got a lot of encouragement as an older student. So I went into my chaplain work. COVID burned me out, and I retired altogether. In the late 70's I told myself that I would return to my art after I retired. I retired at 63, and I kept that promise. I came back last year.
I made a few oil paintings, and my friends saw them on Facebook. They wanted me to do some commissions. After I sold some, and I was shocked, I've made 5 or 6 portraits Each one, I worked on technic on things I thought I could do better. I a few landscapes, and they sold. I did an action figures painting and used my practice landscape technics. I just keep building on learned technics. I watch Youtube videos on art if I get stuck on something. Now I am making my own art studio in my basement. My friends and family were stunned. They all said, "I didn't know you were into art? We have known you for years, and you never spoke about being an artist." I have at least 8 or nine ideas for more paintings. I spend 8 to 12 hours a day playing my music while doing 3 or 4 paints simultaneously; I'm so happy that I'm back. You hit on so many of my critical thoughts on how to get around.

[ayabaheera]

Your story hit home with me. I've always been very creative an drew and painted until my sophomore year of college. I didn't major in an art-related subject due to objections and pressure from my parents. I majored in psychology, which in hindsight wasn't much better, in my opinion. I eventually loss inspiration to draw or paint. About 8 or 9 years later, I'm drawing and painting again, and I feel my style has really matured. In high school and college, my drawing style was heavily inspired by anime. Now, that style doesn't interest me anymore, and I've found I do much better doing more realistic subjects.

[catherinecervas]

After 35 years as a graphic designer, I returned to fine art and was inspired by your intro video Oil Painting for Beginners. Now the time between sessions becomes less and less, and I love it so much. I still watch that video when I want to feel that excitement of renewal. Many thanks for sharing your story.

[Mongo-uill]

You know i am a 3x stroke survivor and it has messed me up a bit, i am doing my level best to retain and remember the basics and practice often. I use to paint and draw full time, now i feel i am always practicing.

[Ebruskaya]

After many many years thinking of myself as talentless in drawing, I realized that it was an etiquette I put on myself when I was 13. When I realized this I was 38. As soon as I realized it I began to draw, then went to an academy in Florence. It was the best realization I had. I recommend everyone the YouTube channels you recommended. Thanks for this beautiful touching video. ❤️

[josephtermeer]

I had been married 19 years to a woman who was an abstract expressionist teacher. I love the renaissance art. My drawing skills were more advanced than hers. She had a great jealousy so, to keep the peace, I kept with music. The marriage ended in divorce. I gave my guitars away. I now live in Italy, paint like my heroes and continue to refine my techniques and further my education. It's a blessed journey. It takes dedication and commitment on a daily basis. I even learned how to make my own sketch books. Thanks to "Crafty Loops" videos.

[rachaelcross]

What a beautiful, wise and encouraging video. I used to draw and paint all the time as a child and wanted so much to go to art school. It was my best subject at school, I thought. Unfortunately I failed my art O' level when I was 16. Which meant I was unable to do A level art and had to give up on my dream. I felt so embittered by what had happened I didn't draw or paint for 40 years.However during the pandemic there were a lot of fantastic art shows on TV, and I felt a strong yearning to paint again. I decided to find a real life art class, which I did. My goal was to be kind to myself, not to judge myself and just to learn.

So I was thrown into the world of oil painting, which I had always assumed would be really difficult, but found that I loved it! I feel like it's brought me back to life and given me a new purpose. Watching your incredible videos and videos of other artists has taught me so much. This term we are going to do portrait painting which I am very excited about! Thank you for sharing your skills so generously, I love your exquisite works. Merci beaucoup!

[ladygwarth]

I always loved to draw, but never thought I was good enough to pursue it as a career. After marriage, raising a family etc, I was in my 40s and I borrowed my daughter’s pastels and drew one of our horses, the fire was relit, that was 20 years ago and I haven’t stopped painting since, other than a couple of times when I have had to care for loved ones. Getting back into it is always exciting. I can’t live without painting now.

[alisonball]

Well, when I started 4 months ago, I hadn't drawn anything for the 40 years in between being 12 and 52 years old. I am learning something from EVERY move of the pencil, charcoal, and every brushstroke. And I am seeing things in a totally new way, it is incredible. Thank you to everyone who shares what they learn, their knowledge, and their skills. It is a generous gift and I am an appreciative recipient!

[nancykunik]

The Andrew Loomis book is a treasure...my artist parents used this book in the 1940's and I often took it off the shelf when I was a child ...studied and made drawings...still have that same book and has served and continues to serve me well 60 yrs later

[berndr.burgmaier]

This really spoke to me. I was a classical ballet dancer, and retired from the stage years ago, but the urge of creating art never went away. Two years ago I started picking up paint brushes, and painting is now filling my life with the artistic joy I have been missing for almost a decade. Thanks for this and all your other videos 🙏

[sussu]

Thank you for your videos, they are poetry to me. 💜
You, Alpay Efe, and Andrew Tischler were my biggest inspiration to get back painting. I binged watched all your videos. They were the fuel I needed to get back drawing and painting.
I stopped doing art for more than 15 years, do to life circumstances.
I wanted to make art again, but I thought I didn't even knew how to pick up a pincel or a brush anymore, and didn't knew where or how to start.
But I knew I really wanted to make art again.
So in the beginning of 2020 I started just doing studies on cheap paper, old sckecthbooks, no pressure, just learning and practicing.
And I came back stronger than ever. I got requests for commissions right from the first works I posted.
I am working a full-time job and 2 part-time jobs, and have stopped for a while, a few months, but always thinking of making art, always wishing to find time to do it.
In the meantime I was able to fit time for art in my schedule. So if I can, so can you!