How to Handle a Creative Block: 10 Fun Solutions!

Overview

Have you ever felt stuck in a creative rut? Me too! And, it’s the absolute worst feeling! Creative blocks can be the bane of an artist’s existence. Imagine staring at a blank screen/paper/canvas with an equally blank mind and an overwhelming desire to be artsy fartsy. It’s like you want to create something but you just can’t summon up energy or motivation to get started… or, you lose your spark and go through a period of not creating for some time. If you’re an artist, hobbyist, writer, creative, or you’re looking to improve your artistic skills, you’ve likely faced this struggle. So, how do you overcome these periods? This post will explore why creative blocks happen and provide 10 easy strategies for conquering them. Grab a cuppa and read on!

What Causes Burnout and Blocks?

I find that creative blocks are often caused by a lack of inspiration, anxiety, fatigue, and physical/mental health issues – at least in my own case. They mess up your confidence, delay projects, and diminish your productivity and work quality. They can also extend project timelines (which is incredibly stressful if you have a business) and weaken confidence, affecting current and future tasks. Figuring out what causes your creative blocks is the key to fixing the problem. It may not be an easy fix, but if you work at it enough it’ll get better!

Whether it’s lack of inspo, anxiety of creating good things, tiredness, or physical/mental health issues there is still hope! Implementing a couple of these suggestions can get you back on track to getting your spark back!

10 Ideas and Tips To Reignite Your Spark!

1. Change your Environment

I’ve found that changing my working environment or experimenting with new creative mediums significantly boosts my creativity. If you usually work at a desk at home, consider moving to a café, a park, or a co-working space – like a library! This small shift in scenery can bring fresh ideas and inspiration. Trying out other hobbies and art forms like crochet, pottery, or painting can also open up new opportunities for creative expression. It’ll also expand your skill set and provide a therapeutic break to allow your mind to wander and get lost in new ideas and inspiration. Extra tip: Go with a friend and “body double” – a fancy term I recently learned… it’s when you and a friend work together silently. Apparently their presence helps you maintain focus and productivity.

2. Engage in Some Fun Activities!

Make horrible, no good, very bad art!! Sometimes you have to fail to thrive! Creativity thrives when you allow yourself to play and experiment without the pressure of results. Here’s how you can add some good ole fun into your routine:

• Try new mediums – Stepping outside your usual habits can open doors you never knew existed – whether it’s using acrylic paint, yarn, or magazine clippings and glue… go for it, and start creating just for the fun of it.
• Don’t fear mistakes – View them as part of the process rather than failures. Happy little accidents, remember? These most likely lead to unexpected breakthroughs. Until they don’t. And, then you rinse and repeat!
• Engage in playful activities – Doodle, junk journal, write poetry, or even try some new crafts that allow you to relax and create freely without strict rules.

3. Set Small Fun Goals

Setting small, achievable goals and deadlines for yourself also helps to maintain motivation and focus. Break down those larger projects that seem to be “too much” into smaller, easier tasks. Remember getting stickers on our school tests when we got them back? Or those treasure chests at the dentist? Start a reward system which will give you a sense of accomplishment with each completed task! This slow but steady progress reduces the feeling of being overwhelmed and keeps you moving towards your larger goals/tasks.  

Celebrate small wins to boost your confidence in your projects. If you don’t start you won’t progress.

4. Take Breaks and Rests

Taking breaks is oh so important to combat burnout and give you some much needed inspiration. Trust me, after starting my business I quickly learned what burnout was… Short breaks between creative sessions can refresh your mind and enrich productivity. Whether it’s a quick chat with a friend, a cup of coffee, a walk in the park, a short reading break, these moments of rest can quickly boost your creativity. 

5. Establish a Creative Routine

Establishing a regular creative routine can definitely boost productivity for creatives in many ways. Figure out specific times for creative work and stick to them consistently – work at it for a few days until it’s a habit. This gets the creative juices flowing and can often make the doubts and fears go away.

Choose a time that suits you best… early morning – if you’re an early bird or late at night if you’re a night owl (like me!) and make it a habit. Over time, this will pay off and you’ll get your mojo back!

6. Check in with Other Artists/Makers

Sometimes, inspiration comes from helping others and creating a support system. On Instagram I’m in a Local Artist’s DM group where we encourage each other, and keep up to date on local happenings. We share tips and tricks of the trade. (No gatekeeping allowed!!) We also share our current projects and cheer each other on! All this has sparked my creativity, over the past year.

If you’re in doubt of how to make fellow creative friends join some workshops or classes. Follow creators you admire (and slide into their DM’s – they just might reply!) Diving into their work can provide fresh perspectives and techniques you haven’t considered.

During a particularly stuck period, I immersed myself in an old hobby I sort of put aside: collaging! I followed some collage artists on Instagram and Behance and gained some inspiration – before I knew it I was cutting up magazines, children’s books and whatever else I could find! My collage skills vastly improved after this dive of faith.

7. Consume Other Creative Things

This one’s easy – pick up a book, watch a TV show, go outside and immerse yourself in nature… Maybe even go to a local museum and take a look at their current exhibits – something just might pop out at you! Go to local cafes, walk around some alleys with murals – just go for a walk! There’s beauty out there in the simple things!!

8. Try Mind-Mapping

Mind mapping is a visual way of organising your ideas. It allows your thoughts to flow freely and can be a helpful way to see things in a new light. Here’s how to do it:

• Start with a general theme – Write down your main idea or project in the middle of a page. I usually circe it.
• Branch out – Create branches for related ideas, concepts, or elements connected to your general theme. (ex: colours, patterns, fabrics, etc!)
• Keep going – Allow your mind to wander… Add more branches and details as they come to mind without diminishing them.

A similar concept is making a vision board or moodboard. I’ve made plenty of these for my fashion illustrations and various other projects.

9. Collaborate with Friends

Collaboration is a great way to kick creative blocks to the curb and unlock new potential. Spark your creativity by calling up a peer, mentor, or other professionals in your field. This will expose you to new ideas and perspectives as you work together to create something unique… Even just a simple coffee date to brainstorm together will help bring about a variety of new ideas – and some of them could even be absolutely genius!! As you work together and combine both your strengths and skills the end result could be better than you’d imagine.

Another plus of collaboration is that it builds community and support – by collaborating now you’ll have a community to fall back on during other creative blocks. There’s value in opening up and sharing ideas through teamwork. After all, teamwork makes the dream work!

10. Embrace the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is all about breaking your work into manageable chunks. It can help reduce the pressure you feel while creating. I recently found an amazingly cute game called lofi.town which utilizes this technique plus other fun features… If you want to play it with me just ask for my referral code!

Anyways – here’s how the actual technique works:

• Set a Timer: Choose a task and set a timer for 20 minutes.
• Work Diligently: Focus entirely on that task until the timer goes off. No distractions – just pure focus! Put on some lofi music of your choice to get into the mood.
• Take a Break: Once the 20 minutes are up, take a 5 minute break. Stretch, grab a snack, or go for a quick walk.
• Repeat: After four “Pomodoros,” take a longer break, 10 to 15 minutes.

This technique helps prevent burnout and refreshes your mind, allowing creativity to flow more freely. Give it a shot – it’s a game-changer!

Well, that’s it!! If this helped in any way leave a comment below? Also, let me know how you get rid of a creative block?