Inspiration by the Numbers?

"101 ways to beat drawer's block" reads the headline of a post to Boing Boing by Mark Frauendfelder. Dani from Dani Draws, Frauendfelder writes, has compiled a nice list of 101 ideas for illustrators needing a creative spark.

Well, not exactly. What Dani Jones actually posted on her blog was something different:

101 Projects for Artists and Illustrators

Don’t know what to do with your extra time? There are plenty of odd jobs and tasks that an illustrator can do in between assignments. If you’re looking for some inspiration, here’s a long list of projects, ideas, and necessary chores to help make your free time more productive....

In other words, Dani Jones offers suggestions for What to do with your time when they aren't paying you. Or maybe Use these ideas to practice working on assignment when you don't actually have an assignment.

Is Frauendfelder saying that they can be used for breaking through creative blocks as well? If that's the case, then if I were him I would have said something along the lines of "It seems to me that these time-filling and productivity-boosting excercises can also be used to jump-start your creativity." As it is, it looks as if he simply missed the point.

Dani Jones's 101 Projects look very useful indeed to illustrators with a particular set of problems, such as portfolio building or simply needing practice. An artist trying to work through a creative block often needs a different sort of medicine entirely.