What to do when you're creatively stuck
Every creative person knows the feeling: you sit down to make something and nothing happens. Here's what to do with those moments.
It doesn’t matter if you write, paint, draw, dance, or create macrame textile art. As long as you make something, you understand that the creative life is a roller coaster.
There's no steady progress when it comes to art. Some days, everything flows with ease. Then come the stretches where everything you do just feels hollow and forced. Or worse, the art doesn't happen at all. As if the creative language you once spoke fluently suddenly starts feeling foreign and strange.
We treat creative dry spells as something to correct. But learning to embrace them as part of your artistic journey is a skill in its own right.
Here's how.
3 things to do when you’re creatively stuck
The worst part of the lows is the self-doubt: Am I even really a writer? A painter? A maker of anything? You tell yourself to give up. Abandon your art.
I'm here to tell you, please don't. Your art matters. The creative blocks you experience are part of being an artist. Just as we experience difficulties in life. It's not a reflection of your ability.
Creative blocks are a point in your journey to remember: Being an artist isn't just about your technical skills. It's a cultivation of your attitude towards art itself.
1. Take it as a sign to breathe.
When you're stuck, the impulse is to press on. But when it comes to art, it's a sign to pause.
Use the time to expose yourself to more art. Not with the direct purpose of gathering inspiration or ideas—that's just another form of forcing creativity. Instead, simply enjoy your art for its sheer beauty. Its innocence and purity. Read the essay without trying to break down the narrative structure. Simply read because it moves you. Stand in front of the painting and let it just be a painting.
Breathe.
Just like love, the more you grasp at inspiration, the more it eludes you.
Discover how to regain your creative momentum when you're feeling stuck or uninspired.
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