What a wonderful idea!

I experienced that mental block several years ago when I moved to a new house. Our previous lot had a variety of built-in challenges which, upon reflection, gave me a handy set of guidelines. I didn't understand why some people seemed to have such problems in getting started. After all, don't you just dive in and start sketching?

Until we moved. Suddenly, I had a rectangular back yard as flat and featureless as a football field... and I was completely stymied. It took about a year and a half to find a landscape designer I "clicked" with, and she pulled me along until the basics were in and I re-gained my bearings.

I'd love to hear what others do/have done in that situation -- just in case I find myself with another blank slate some day!

Oops, posted too soon. I suspect that, as catkim says, there are definite parallels to the processes used by the artist/writer.

Have we anyone here who's talented in several creative fields who can weigh in on this?

Maybe we first have to define art vs Art. If Picasso doodled on a napkin to garner a free dinner at a fancy restaurant, is it Art or merely a doodle? If I plant a techny arborvitae at the corner of my house, is it landscaping or simply planting an evergreen?

The problem as I see it (and feel free to argue) with blank canvas questioning in some instances, though certainly not all, is the immediate need to "get ideas without effort". And to expand - someone else's ideas with no effort expended on the questioner's part.

The fact that a poster poses a question indicates the "seed" of something is there; be it an awareness of an empty space that needs something because nature abhors a vacuum; be it that all the neighbors have stuff in their yards; be it that this is the first time having a space of one's own to do something with and wanting to do it right. Yet it's always somewhat baffling to me that the "seed" doesn't always result in some self- participation and independent research as to peferences, size, zone, and site requirements, what local nurseries and garden centers have to offer in the way of appropriate material, assistance, design and install features. Or failing all that, the willingness and budget to hire a professional to work with them on a plan.

Absolutely nothing wrong in asking for help in pulling ideas together or overcoming a particular stumbling block; but the wellspring of creativity can be tapped by your own resources without reliance on others; you can wait for a bolt out of the blue which usually comes at the least expected moment, or be more pro-active and listen to music, walk through the woods or along the beach, visit an arboretum or public garden, walk around the neighborhhood to see if others have yards you admire, then come home and stare at your blank canvas with a different eye.

Hey! who are you calling "veteran"?
Although writers block is most manifest when looking at a blank page in need of filling and a painter will suffer the same when presented with a blank canvas, 'blank canvas' often means starting from scratch with no idea how to proceed and the approach is therefore different. Artists often work alone and can be stirred from this solitary struggle by sharing and this is where an internet resource such as this can be useful, witness a recent thread here where details about planning vs doing were non specific but encouraging. If indeed you have a blank canvas with expectations this can be very intimidating so perhaps the approach should also be empty. Conversely, a very wise person once told me that any decision is better than no decision because,she said, even if you are unhappy with the result at least you don't have a blank canvas and you can always make another decision. Personally I like to listen to what others say and this often works as a catalyst which is the reason why I think we should throw out thoughts here even if some can't handle it. So, what do you do with a blank canvas? Throw something at it.

I'm Ms. Practical. I would start doing all the basics: sun angles, wind directions, micro climates, views to keep views to screen, what do I want to do, what do the codes say I can do, etc. And pretty soon you realize if you want a patio out your back door you are going to have to plant a shade tree in a certain spot and there you go. Course, you still don't know what kind of tree, or what material the patio will be.

If I am looking at a pristine sheet of paper to draw on, the only confines I have are the edges of the page, and the pressures I put on myself or that I allow to cloud my creativity.

I can't relate to an un-landscaped property as a blank slate, at least not like a clean sheet of paper or a new artist's canvas is blank. With landscaping, there usually a driveway, walks, windows and doors, the shape and style of the house, symmetry or lack thereof, utilities, etc. Then there are other things to consider like the direction of the sun, ordinances, covenants, neighbors, ugly views. To top off the confusion, it is known by most posters that there is a right and wrong way of doing things.

I've experienced a few ah-ha moments by taking a photo and messing around with it on the computer using the software that came with my digital camera, or one of the free programs available on the internet. Take photos of the area from multiple angels, then use the software to make the photo black and white, which sometimes is enough. It's surprising how clear something can look when you remove the color. Make other adjustments to soften the photo. If that isn't enough, print out a copy and draw on it and print out more if you mess it up. While this won't help with all of your problems, for those of us who are visual creatures, it can help see the landscape in a new light.

I start with some big-picture function that needs to be performed by the landscape. A mud-free path may be needed or screening a view is desired. These major design goals start the populate my landscape design vision or sketch, and serve as a catalyst for further inspiration. That and just staring at the lay of the ground, the surrounds, house, and what I would like to see when I pull up after work help me the most.

The little details like smaller perenials or annuals I add in over time.

My favourite way to overcome design block: go shopping! When it's landscape design I never have a void as I have a whole mess of plants in the waiting zone that create my vision for me, screaming "Plant me, plant me!"

KarinL

I wish I could record and play back to you the music, conversation, and laughter on our patio tonight. Guests are here tonight who were here when this was a 'blank slate' (altho not entirely). But I can remember saying to Gina's mom, "this is our future tropical garden" when it was raw dirt and a low retaining wall.

Tonight, a few years later, Gina, my daughter, son, and other friends are here. Dinner was delicious from the barbecue, the salad so fresh, the vegetables so crisp, the sun a bit low and in our eyes, but the weather forgiving. The small grass area beside the dining patio was cool and fresh from yesterday's rain, the bougainvillea pouring out it's blood red color, the little pot fountain giving a soft whisper of sound, and the tropical plants making everyone feel very lucky to be here! --precisely here! with orchids and gingers and big leaves nodding in the breeze.

Can you just imagine it? Ukelele music behind the scene...

My father used to tell me that if I run into a mental block, to do something - anything. Once you do that, it gives you something to react to even if you remove that which you put in for inspiration. It works amazingly well both on paper and in the field.

Sounds like a lovely evening, and lovely relationships, Catkim!

And Laag, I love the way that's worded. That was why I told Grullablue to just go buy a plant and stick it in the ground already, but I couldn't have explained the principle behind my advice - but that's it.

KarinL

I once had to build a rock garden around an inverted broom that my father stuck into the ground to represent a top grafted weeping cherry that we had not yet received. I thought it was about building that garden, but now I know it was part of my schooling.

Not an artist, but sew costumes, some from scratch, make individualized prayer shawls with elaborate hand embroidery based on a theme, and dabble in water colors, cook from scratch, as well as garden.

My approach to any of these "problems" is pretty much what laag says--start with something--if it's cooking I look in my cupboard--what would make this chicken special? If it's a costume from scratch (no pattern), I bring up pictures on the computer and then use geometry and paper to create a pattern. Same thing with the prayer shawls--what does "air" look like and how can I represent it in two dimensions using only color and pattern?

In the yard, I start with use, defining spaces, wander through nurseries, looking at color and texture, height and density.

I know that I can define myself as a "visual" person, but what if you're not? Can you teach yourself to be, and how do you do that?

I so love reading these philosophical vs. practical posts. There is poetry as well as wonderfully provocative..as in thought provoking...themes here. One awhile back kept me enthralled into the night as I read laag, saypoint, etc. I don't recall all the names of those who have wonderful ways with expressing thoughts on design, and share their knowledge that is not specific to one issue, but presents a wider view.I mostly lurk here and just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate these deeply thoughtful posts.:>)