How To Break Through Creative Block
It’s happened. Dreaded, feared and incredibly frustrating. The creative block you’ve been warding off has officially dug itself into a canyon and you can’t find a way around it. I’ve been battling my own block for several months (coupled with functioning depression and anxiety) so, trust me, I empathize greatly with this problem. I’d like to use this post to discuss a few ways I’ve managed to claw out of my own creative funk and start making again.
Symptoms of “Creative Block”:
Self doubt
Fear of Failure
Undercurrent of Anger or Frustration
Exhaustion
Plentiful Excuses
Blank Canvas Syndrome (aka Procrastination)
I’m finding that, for me, the “Creative Block” is just another manifestation of all the little things in life that bog me down. It is built up of my insecurities, fears, projection, procrastination, messy-perfectionism, anxiety, depression, ALL OF IT. It is also my sneaking suspicion that this is true for everyone who experiences a wall to their creative process. Especially considering how our art is so often a direct extension of ourselves – of the “self” brewing just below the surface that defies words and relies on gesture and emotion. This is what artists tap into so uniquely and also why so many of us experience blocks and pitfalls to making our work.
How to Break Through
How to self realize If my sneaking suspicion is correct, there is probably a whole slew of unrealized junk clogging up your brain and eating into your creative endeavors. It may be helpful to take some time and really listen to your thoughts and identify what’s taking up space. Do you feel constantly overwhelmed by something? Is your day to day frustrating you? Maybe there is a looming event that is making you nervous? Or a new material you need to use? Have you been feeling especially sad lately? Did something happen that threw you off your game? This might take a few days or a few weeks (or, in my case, a few months) but try to take the time and find these thoughts. Really question yourself and listen to what your answers are, they may help you identify what kind of creative block you have. 99u has a really interesting break down of a few types of creative block and offers up some ideas for working through them. Maybe you’ve learned through your reflections that it’s actually your studio schedule that’s burning you out and making it hard to create? Or maybe there is a loss that has been affecting you more than you thought? I’ve always found that giving a name or identity to something makes it seem more manageable and less like a Boogey-Man.
How not to force things I mean this. I really, really mean this. It sucks and it’s crazy hard to sit with creative block (no one wants to fall into that pit, and certainly no one wants to stay in it for any length of time) but think of it like a sprained ankle. If you push yourself to run before your ankle is fully healed 1. You won’t get far and 2. It’ll take even longer to fully recover. If you run before you’re ready you’ll only be unable to meet your lofty self expectations. This can lead to frustration, self pity, anger and, ultimately, the spiral back down into that pit you just tried to escape from! Try your best to give yourself some designated “time off” from making. Maybe even treat it like a vacation, cutting yourself off at a week, two weeks, one month, etc. Just make sure you actually take the time to breathe and relax – you’re allowed to relax while on vacation! The hope is that this helps your brain reset and removes the persistent stress of knowing you’re stuck in a creative block. You’re turning it into your choice to take time off and that brings the control back to you.
How to Percolate Just like the coffee that fuels our days let your mind percolate! During my creative block I’d have all these great ideas during the workday (away from my studio) but by the end of the day I’d always be too exhausted to even THINK of my studio. This was a major source of frustration to me and I couldn’t figure out why on earth I was acting this way. After talking about this apparent “new normal”, it was suggested that maybe my brain was actually lying fallow and that these ideas needed time to themselves before becoming reality. I realized that it’s OK to do more mental work than physical work, even if my first instinct was decide I was “being lazy” or “unproductive”. What is our craft without our ideas and concepts anyway? Maybe your ideas are the reason why you’re in this funk in the first place and it’s time to rethink what you’re doing.
I am incredibly bad at writing down ideas or sketching thumbnails so my solution was to create a Pinterest board as my visual notepad. I started cataloging images I felt represent my ideas, interests and goals and this created an amazing library of inspiration for me to reference! There is an intention behind each pinned image so, even if I’m not ready to execute an idea yet, it’s there and I know why. Percolating, sowing seeds, ideation, concept creation, this is all mental heavy lifting that doesn’t need a physical product...yet. You’re working your way up to that. It’s that running start before the jump, the warm up to prep your muscles for the real work ahead. You’ve got this! You’ve got this!
How to Dabble & doodle (Small steps & achievable goals) Skip the big projects and the ambitious deadlines for a little bit. Take this time to do things that are fun and remind you why you create in the first place. I used my watercolors for the first time in a long time, sketching little illustrations and studies that played with things I’ve been interested in from my Pinterest board. Getting back into something that I used to do all the time brought me back to a comfortable place and that allowed me to do something different with what was familiar. I also got back into knitting and focused on one project, beginning to end. I was able to feel creative and *gasp* productive without clay as my vehicle! I realized that emoving that pressure from my main medium was super important to me. It gave space for me to think about clay as something other than a means to an end and served as a reminder of my creativity. When I did go to use clay I made little things I’ve always thought about like pins and spice bowls. These low-pressure, quick projects felt so removed from what “I do” and lent a different feeling to the clay that was such a source of anxiety for me. Looking at your medium with a different intention can really help clear the blockages of what you think you should be making and doing. That might just be the spark you need to get around that creative block...
How to Recommit Juices are flowing, things are starting to feel comfortable again, you might even say your creativity and you are back on speaking terms. Now is the time to set an intention and recommit yourself to your craft. Try defining your purpose (or your work’s purpose) with the new insights you’ve gained from thinking, watching and exploring within your creative block. Maybe it reminded you that you love creating for exhibitions? Or maybe it let you see that tight deadlines aren’t as helpful as you thought? Maybe it’s helped you see your content in a new light and you want to dedicate the work to develop something new? While the train is steadily chugging try to define your new parameters and goals to recommit yourself to your practice. The time is now and I think you’ve proven to yourself that your spark is still there, that you’re creative enough to find a way around that canyon of Creative Block.
It is so hard to work through a creative block, especially one that seems to be dragging on. The weight of this kind of slump takes a toll on your confidence and can, as in my case, really spiral out of control. The suggestions I’ve made here are not the end-all-be-all from climbing up out of a creative block but they may help. There are so many different resources for working through one (a quick Google search will give you a lot of tips) and don’t hesitate to let me know what has worked for you! Every creative goes through this slump in one way or another so we have much to share with one another for what has worked in individual studios and situations. Please comment below to share your experience and personal advice.