How to cure or deal with Creative Block
If you’re reading this, chances are you either have experience of, or are currently struggling with, creative block.
To save you time, I’ll immediately point out that I don’t have an answer or a cure. I’m not - in all honesty - actually convinced creative block even exists. So it seems only fair to immediately say that if you’re here for some magical cure you’ll likely be disappointed and/or angry with me and should probably just stop reading now.
If however you’re here because you think it might help to hear another human sharing their experience of something familiar, you’re in the right place. As I said up there, I don’t entirely believe in Creative Block (I just used the term to get you here, sorry) but I do know what people mean when they refer to it. I’ve had it loads of times, including very recently. From what I can gather, pretty much every person who expresses themselves through creativity experiences it, and that’s something I personally take comfort in. But I don’t think there’s one cause, or one solution. I think it’s more nuanced than that.
I’ll talk about myself, because that’s the only topic I’m an expert on. For me, ‘creative block’ can be a feeling of heaviness, frustration, guilt, tiredness, resistance, anxiety and even fear. It can be sitting down in front of a page and freezing up as to what to do with it. It can be avoiding my desk, feeling slightly panicked at the idea of sitting down there. It can be looking at others’ work and feeling despondent, maybe even a bit jealous. It can be feeling so tired from the weight of self-disappointment that I’ll just scroll social media endlessly and sleep lots. It can be productive in it’s own way - suddenly I’m inspired by housework and my tax return - but it’s always uncomfortable, frustrating and very unwelcome.
I had this recently (and I’m still teetering on the edge to be honest) after I worked hard for months on a big project, went on a little holiday, and then got quite ill on my return. When all that was done and I really wanted to get back to work, I found I had nothing to give. It was the worst bout of ‘creative block’ I’ve had in a while. And even though I could guess what was causing it, and that it wouldn’t last forever, I still struggled. I still am a little.
Obviously when we’re feeling like this, we just want it to do one; to wake up one morning to find the fog has dispersed and the sunshiney path towards creative glory is ahead. But so far that’s never happened to me. Getting myself back on track is always a gradual thing, and something I don’t notice happening until I look back and realise the spell has been broken. I want to at least try to give you some practical help, so though I’m sure it’s different for everyone, here’s a few things I find useful to either chase the clouds away or at least make life more enjoyable in the meantime…
Spend time outdoors. Sitting around inside mournfully looking at an empty desk is pointless. Being out in the garden, or even better visiting somewhere pretty or exciting helps get me out of my own head for a bit. This is probably my number one.
Good food. Staying healthy by eating good stuff is important and it can be a nice safe way of being creative. I can be a bit bad at this, because I lose motivation to eat when I’m not feeling well mentally and I feel like I’m ‘not worth’ making an effort for. But it’s a bad habit. It’s ok if you just want to eat cereal for three days first, but then try some vegetables ok?
Sleeping. I bloody love sleep. I know I have a Chronic Fatigue hangover, so I need more than most, but still I just think it’s a marvellous way to look after yourself.
Talk. Whether you talk about how you’re feeling with art friends who understand, or about nonsense with people who don’t, both are good ways to keep from obsessing too much about what you’re not doing.
Help someone else. This might be a me thing, but I’m always much more keen to solve someone else’s problems than my own. An hour working through a friend’s problem, or physically lending someone a hand with a task helps me to feel productive and useful at a time when I’m struggling with piles of self doubt. Plus it makes you popular. Bonus friend points.
Reading. If your concentration isn’t completely shot, reading is a nice way to disappear from the scary world for a bit, whilst also potential filling your head with pictures, inspiration and new information. Also reading is cool.
Pinterest boards. Don’t look at other peoples’ art, but rather inspiring source material, reference images, beautiful colour palettes and photographs that make you feel things. You can also return to these next time you feel stuck so it’s time we’ll spent. If you really do want to look at other peoples’ art, try looking at illustrators from the past (I enjoy old Soviet illustration for example) rather than contemporary ones you might be tempted to compare yourself with, or inadvertently copy.
New art materials. This is my favourite one. Sometimes a new kind of pencil, or a new shade of paint will be enough to spark some curiosity that can help me find my way back. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or expensive, and you could possibly borrow something from a friend if you have artsy pals. If you happen to have loads of money, feel free to buy something swish, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Just a new crayon or type of paper can help remind me of the joy of being creative rather than fixating on an outcome.
Draw outside. This is kinda like the first idea, but with art. Drawing out and about in any location that appeals is a nice way to mix it up, to interact with your environment, to feel like you’re on holiday, and also look really enigmatic and interesting to strangers.
Set a timer. When doing anything is hard, start with the tiniest amount of it. Set a timer for two minutes, and just put the pencil (or whatever) on the paper (or whatever). When the timer beeps, stop. Congratulations! You did a thing! Of course if you want to carry on for longer, that’s fine I guess….
Be patient. I know this is boring, but it’s really the most important tip of all. Beating yourself up about being ‘unproductive’ is really unhealthy, pointless, useless and just mean. It doesn’t help, it just makes you feel crap and probably not a great person to spend time with. Instead - and this takes practise I know - try to be patient with yourself. Be kind. Like you would to a friend. Chances are your desire to create WILL return, just like it always has before. You just need to give it a little time.
That all I’ve got, I’m afraid.
Basically it’s just quite hard work being creative, and we can’t do it all the time. Like anything, we need downtime and periods of rest. I do hope I’ve said something helpful here, or if not, maybe you just feel a bit reassured to know you’re not alone in having these feelings. And if you have any further ideas or tips to add, or want to share your experience to help others please do leave a comment or find me on social media.