>>4183343I think I can help. I've seen a lot of dry things from artists at what I'd
consider the "top" of their game that suggest they suffer similarly.
I'll tell you what I think it is in one form or another. It's being too cold to your work(which could stem from being too cold to life- no small part of why I take umbrage with ic's ideals). Think about the artists that are the most colorful, and routinely expressive, what do they have in common? They "play" with it. They fuck around. For some it's a sense of irreverence, vs say in another a sense of cherishing something. But in all cases it's a feeling, derived from a passion. Is your passion in art entirely derived from technique? Doubtful it's even close unless you're hyperrealist or something.
What do you need for imagination? You can only take a concept as far as you can see it, and you can only see it as far you appreciate it. How do you tailor things to what you appreciate? You have to be "warm" to them to begin with. It requires at least a certain amount of sensitivity, which thankfully, like all the rest of this can be exercised and improved.
You can see this in one hit wonders, who after a success, all of a sudden start chasing history, instead of the passion that led them there. You can also see it in the artists I'd call permanently stale.
What can you do in practical terms? For a start, get rid of the extraneous stuff, maybe take a break from a social presence for a while(if you have one), and leave the weight of it behind in so doing. Try being open to your own character and what it's comprised of. Are you too serious? Try just shitting a joke out. Are you too technically focused? Maybe try scribbling some stuff over on /i/, or a drawpile type site. The idea is to find something to play with and embellish it to the point it's really really fun. Like layers on a painting. I think it's also worth pointing out, openness can be exercised irl too, with people, experience, etc.
Waffling on, but hth