Although being an artist in New York City offers heaps of opportunity and inspiration to expand one’s craft, a creative block can happen to any creator at any time. Creative blocks are defined as a period in which an artist, most commonly thought of to be a writer (think “writer’s block”), struggles to access their stream of creativity thus hindering their artistic process. Creative blocks (or perhaps we should just call them blocks) happen to people from all walks of life though and can range from feeling as though your routine has become too mundane to feeling lost as to how you can progress within your college life or profession and so on. Blocks are especially easy to fall into during the winter months. Fortunately, there are many steps that can be taken to get you out from behind a block! Below I’ve laid out the ways in which I get through funky headspaces and start my creative juices flowing during times of low inspiration and productivity.
First and foremost during a creative block, I do a brain dump which entails making a detailed list of everything on my mind at the current moment. After I spill out the contents of my mind onto a piece of paper or document, I then sort each thing on the list into a category. There’s no incorrect way to do the organizing part; sometimes I find it best to figure out what on the list is most important in terms of time sensitivity (getting homework finished before work, picking up groceries, scheduling appointments etc.) while other times I will arrange my list in terms of what I need to do health/emotional fulfillment wise (thinking about which art projects I’m currently pursuing, going to the gym, making time to go out with friends etc.). It may come off as a silly thing to do, but I find that especially during a block, it helps me to prioritize important aspects in my life that flow directly into my creative process. My most common questions for myself during a block are, “What do I create?”, and “How am I going to create this?”, so to go through my brain and figure out the best means for me to get going once some inspiration hits is very helpful.
Another important thing to ask yourself during a block is how you’re feeling. Are you stressed? Bored? Overwhelmed? Intimidated? Asking yourself how you feel about your current situation can help you get to the bottom of your block. Once you understand how you’re feeling, you can take steps to get yourself out of an unhelpful headspace and get new motivations brewing. Personally, I find that I feel very scared to create sometimes, as being an artist in New York City can be an extremely intimidating profession. Although I’ve learned throughout the years to worry more about myself and how I go about creating my art in terms of personal style, it still can be difficult sometimes to separate yourself from the experiences of others and their creative journeys. This brings me to the second part of this tip: Don’t sacrifice your integrity for your inspiration. It can be overwhelming seeing those around you flourish in ways that seem impossible to you during a block. You may ask yourself why you haven’t developed a style as distinct as someone else’s or why it’s so difficult to start a new project when the materials are laid out in front of you. You may feel so spun up that it becomes more important to you to create art like another artist you’re interested rather than delving into a project personal to you. Feeling inferior to your peers can translate into all professions. What’s important to realize though, is this: seeking inspiration from your creative community can be a helpful tool but it’s important to keep in mind that you must also exercise great restraint and patience when observing the works of others so not as to sacrifice your own creative integrity. In short, don’t recreate the art of other people (it’s plagiarism; if you’re worried it’s too similar to an idea to someone else’s, then you probably need to cite the idea or better yet, create your own arguments) because in the long run, it’s unoriginal and you won’t gain any traction in discovering what you’re meant to create which brings us back to why you may be feeling blocked in the first place.
In most cases, it’s safe to assume people want to move up in the world. Sometimes something that causes a big ol’ block and hinders progress is confusion in terms of your goals. Before we delve into sorting through your goals, however, it’s first important to actually establish a few if you haven’t already. Perhaps you just completed a current goal of yours and need to jot down a new one for yourself. My point is, set goals for yourself! This can be anything from adding an extra hour of sleep into your schedule to speaking more at company meetings, or in the case of an artist, staying motivated to create! A personal goal I’ve set for myself is to sit down and brainstorm twice a week and to create (or continue) three pieces of art in a week. Sometimes my schedule doesn’t always allow for three fresh, Presteigne pieces off of the easel, but what matters is that I’m continuously working towards improvement and am making room for a higher sense of motivation for myself when creating. When creativity seems to be at an all-time low, sometimes it’s necessary for me just to make an effort to create something new, even if it isn’t something I’m excited about. Don’t be afraid to create things or come up with ideas that you dislike. What’s important is that those ideas and creations are your own, and you’re one step closer to figuring out what you do or don’t want to create. Pushing through a block in this way might not be the best way for some people to conquer whatever has them stuck, but it’s certainly worth a try!
We visited the idea of getting organized a bit earlier in this article with the idea of a brain dump, but another way in which I get organized and motivate myself in a more creative way is through creating a mood board. My version of a mood board is essentially still a brain dump, but rather than organizing your list into categories, you instead think of them in a more goal oriented artistic sense represented through pictures. Seek out creative sources! Searching for pictures or even taking your own pictures gets your brain flowing and makes you contemplate your goals through a more aesthetic lense. After you collage your photos onto a cork board or even just hang them around your room in a designated area, you’ll feel inspired to get going towards whatever goals and ideas you’ve set up. You’ll be more inclined to beat your block because you’ll be inclined to work towards an aesthetic goal.
Another common problem when facing blocks is knowing when to be active versus knowing when to take a break. Especially during busy times, it can be hard to pull yourself away from your work. It’s even harder to take a step back when you feel like you haven’t reached a certain level of productivity or you aren’t proud of the work you’ve done. Although pushing through a creative block by means of creation can help many people, sometimes it’s more important to take a break from creating, rather than pushing yourself way past your limit. Taking a step back from your frustrations can give you the space to reset your brain, see your situation in a new light, and take action in a more thoughtful, objective way, especially when creating. Although the cause of someone’s block may be a fear to create, there’s also the strong possibility of a creator working too hard over the fear of not creating enough.
You’ve probably heard of this method before, but during a block, it could benefit you to try a change of space. New York City is one of the most diverse places to be in the country and in the case of a creative block, this can be a blessing! Whether it be your studio, office, bedroom, or the cafe on your block, returning to the same spaces over and over can lead us to feel like our routines are becoming mundane. Sometimes what’s stopping a person from creating is a lack of perspective. Being uninspired by your place of work is certainly grounds for developing a lack of perspective. Luckily it’s easy to fix! Taking half an hour to research a new place you’d like to visit and making a plan to get there can do wonders. You may have just enough time to clear your headspace and get some inspiration from your journey that day or you could end up finding a new favorite spot!
My last tip for you is to retrace your steps. Regardless of goals and professions, it’s easy to get caught up in what the right and wrong ways to create are. Truthfully, your style and efforts are valid as long as you stay true to your artistic integrity (DO NOT PLAGIARIZE) and remain active in your pursuits.
Something I find helpful during a block is to visit mediums and techniques you’ve enjoyed in the past! Experimenting with new techniques can be interesting and helpful in many cases, but oftentimes a block can hit when you stray too far from what you’re truly inspired by. A recent example in my life where I found this to be true was when experimenting with line art through silkscreening. I knew I enjoyed silkscreening but something about the art I would create was a bit off and I couldn’t put my finger on where I was going wrong. When going through some ideas of what I was hoping to create with my professor, she noticed a couple of my watercolor paintings that had gotten mixed up in my sketchbooks and commented that I had a true talent for watercolor, and should consider some of the principles I think about when painting and incorporate it into my silkscreen prints. I was a bit confused as to how I could combine two mediums that aren’t very similar but eventually came to the conclusion that I should try to use the thought process I use when watercolor painting while silkscreening. In the end, I realized that taking time to look back on old techniques helped me to create my favorite prints via silkscreen yet and since discovering this new process based on old process, I’ve come up with dozens of new ideas from the inspiration!
In conclusion, creative blocks can be difficult to work through but all hope is not a loss! Blocks, like most struggles in life, shall pass and in the ways highlighted above, I’ve been able to work through blocks of my own and come out of the situations more inspired and ready to create than ever! Although this article was put more into the context of working through blocks as an artist I assure you that the tips above can help anyone get out from under a funky headspace! So without further ado, on your mark, get set, create!