Symptoms of a creative funk may include: a stagnant imagination, profound blankness, and a brain that feels like its key purpose is to waste away in front of back-to-back episodes of “Sex and the City.” Ring any bells? (Okay, that last one might just be me.)
Nonetheless, creative ruts tend to take form right under our noses: a lack of the necessary gusto in your fingertips to type out that essay due at the end of the week, the white canvas in your room, still unfamiliar to a single brushstroke, or the blog you would’ve published months ago if only you knew where to start. And, without fail, each day spent not crossing off your creative checklist can easily make an otherwise productive day suddenly feel fruitless. To a creative mind, feeling like you have to scrape the bottom of the barrel for any remnants of originality left can be incredibly disheartening, and this can even push you deeper into an uninspired abyss.
But I come bearing good news! Despite how it might feel in the moment, creative dry spells don’t last forever, but they also won’t go away without some concerted effort on your part.
Overcoming creator’s block ultimately boils down to how friendly you are with your comfort zone. When we hit a plateau (not just artistically but in other facets of life), we often jump to the toxic conclusion that every ounce of our potential has been milked and that our only option is to claim our place at rock bottom. But don’t be so dramatic! If you feel your motivation leveling off, more often than not it’s an indicator that you need to redirect yourself down a more stimulating or challenging path that will test your capabilities instead of one that merely praises what you already know you’re good at.
So, to help you navigate through any of your future funks, here are some words of advice that have helped me grab inspiration by the horns and successfully break free from the trappings of my own creative lows:
- Well Begun is Half Done
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Starting a project in a conducive headspace will always make following through a lot less difficult. As an expert at putting things off, I can speak from personal experience that creativity and procrastination are a dangerous duo. Starting something from scratch is much easier than trying to evade a creative rut, simply because moving forward from square one doesn’t require the same navigation that working around a mental block does. Biting off more than you can chew is the primary vice here, so approach your ideas with confidence, consider your capabilities, and keep your expectations realistic. Bigger isn’t always better.
- Slow Your Roll
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When it comes to manifesting a creative vision, any sort of deadline or restrictive time frame can put a damper on things. Your imagination needs the freedom to wander and ruminate at its own pace in order to be effectively expressive, so if the ideas already aren’t flowing as they should be, the pressure of a time crunch certainly won’t help. While embracing a slower pace can be especially difficult in our fast-moving culture, toning it down a notch allows for proper reflection and may even help you pinpoint the obstacles that are clogging up your thought processes.
- You Are What You Eat
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I cannot stress this one enough: your consumption of art is of equal importance as your creation of it! Immersing yourself in the artistic expressions of others will allow you to become subconsciously receptive to inspiration without having to pursue it so directly. Explore a local art museum, discover a new genre of music, or listen to a podcast that you wouldn’t normally gravitate toward. Broaden your horizons, and, in the meantime, just allow your creative thoughts to incubate on their own.
- Variety is the Spice of Life
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Writing is my creative outlet of choice, so writer’s block and I are age-old friends. When I feel myself hitting that wall, it’s imperative to my productivity that I take a few moments to myself and step away from my work to regroup. To disconnect from that previous headspace, I’ve found that delving into another art form is a foolproof way to take a break without completely throwing in the towel. Lock yourself in your room and dance. Try out a new recipe. Experiment with a new art medium. Anything that stimulates blood flow to a different part of your brain helps keep the creativity alive.
Creative processes are by no means linear—they have ebbs and flows just like any other form of personal expression. And, despite the impediments that creative lulls may pose, try to refrain from frustration by considering them as a cue to center your self and recognize your obstacles for precisely what they are: something to move past.