Creative Block, Memory, and the Lonely Work -- with Eric J. Drummond (Part 3)

Creative Block, Memory, and the Lonely Work -- with Eric J. Drummond (Part 3)

From War with Art by Eric, George, & Sheldon

April 1, 2026 · 26 min

About this episode

The episode explores the challenges of creative block and the relationship between memory and portraiture with artist Eric J. Drummond.

Part 3 of our conversation with Eric J. Drummond begins in a place most artists avoid talking about directly: not inspiration — but blockage. After finishing a major piece, Eric finds himself stuck. The ideas are there — murals, allegories, portraits — but they won’t translate. They exist as a kind of “fog,” just out of reach. What follows is a clear look at how work actually resumes: Study leads to a new direction. Portrait evolves mid-process. One idea hands off to the next. The process isn’t linear — it’s iterative and reactive. From there, the conversation shifts into portraiture and memory. Not just capturing how someone looks, but whether the work feels like them. Eric shares the experience of painting his grandfather from memory — and the moment it was recognized as true through a single detail. That opens into a broader set of ideas: Art as a way of preserving something intangible — presence, gesture, memory — and carrying it forward. The final stretch turns to the bigger tension: How to build something meaningful with your skills How to draw from the past without being trapped by it And how to make work that feels rooted in your own place and time We close on the reality…

People in this episode

Host: Eric

Guest: Eric J. Drummond

Topics covered

  • creative block
  • memory
  • portraiture
  • art process
  • isolation

Keywords

  • art
  • inspiration
  • process
  • presence
  • gesture

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Creative Block, Memory, and the Lonely Work, The Last Judgment

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