On Being a Blocked Creative
Calling all my writers, my artists, my singers and dancers, my knitters and crocheters and needlepointers, my macaroni crafts connoisseurs, my calligraphers, my graphic designers, my fashion moguls, my—well, you get the point. Calling all my creatives, even those hesitant to ascribe the title to themselves. This one’s for you.
I can’t speak for you, but some days, trying to be creative has me feeling bluer than the ubiquitous high school English teacher’s curtains. How do I keep moving forward when I just don’t want to?
Accept the Days It Just Isn’t Going to Happen
Let’s get the biggest and hardest piece of advice out of the way first: accept that not every day is going to be a Good Creativity Day. As much as I’d love to say that as a writer, I sit down every day and write or edit my way into creative bliss, the reality is that some days I’m too tired. Some days I don’t have time. Some days I just don’t want to.
And that’s okay!
Whether you self-describe as a creative or it’s your profession or it’s a title other people have given to you, it’s impossible to not sometimes experience an art block. In my experience, the sooner I’m able to embrace that it’s just not working out and take a break for a day or two (or even a week or two!), the sooner I’m also able to come back to my work feeling rejuvenated and ready to create again.
When Breaks Aren’t Available
Okay, yes, sometimes we have to be creative. Maybe it’s because our work necessitates it or because we have an assignment due or because it’s our friend’s birthday and we really wanted to go the creative route and, well…
On the days when breaks aren’t available but creative blocks are in abundance, here’s a few things to try:
Read a piece or excerpt from a longer work that you love. Sometimes, engaging with work that moves you will inspire you to work on something yourself. If you’re not a writer, then approach this step in your preferred medium instead.
Approach the process in steps. It can feel like we have to write a whole piece or paint a whole artwork or finish designing a whole social media post in one go, but if you have the time, it helps to break the process down. Start with an outline or a base. Work with what comes to you first, then start adding details. You’ll get there in the end!
Take a quick walk. Alright, time to call out the elephant in the room—I’m writing to you from my living room couch because we’re still in a pandemic. But trust me, whether you work from home now or still go somewhere, taking a few minutes to walk around the block (masked-up, of course!) will help clear your head and make you feel more ready to approach creative work.
Phone a friend. Whether from the comfort of calling a loved one or from inspiration triggered by something they tell you, a quick conversation with a friend or family member can offer inspiration and make creativity feel more welcome.
Follow a prompt. I have mixed feelings on prompts as much as the next person, but guidelines are guidelines, and they help a lot if you don’t know where to start. Plus the internet is full of them!
The (Un)Answer to Creative Block
Here’s the thing, there’s never going to be a perfect answer for how to approach a creative block, and some days it’s going to feel easier to move past them than others. In my experience, all we can do is listen to our creativity and work alongside it.
Being a creative is a partnership between you and the part of you that has to create, and respect goes a long way in that relationship as much as any other. Honoring my creative boundaries and nourishing my inspiration has helped my creativity rebound on days it just isn’t clicking, and hopefully it’ll help you out, too.