Overcoming Creative Blocks || Guest Post

Imagine yourself deep in your work, with all the creative juices flowing and giving birth to something amazing. It’s a phenomenal feeling, isn’t it? Are you smiling right now? Sure you are, probably thinking about your latest piece of art.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the rush stops and, for no reason at all, you find yourself entirely blocked for inspiration with no focus or brainwave to live on. A rush of frustration overpowers you as you feel the drive boiling within and yet – no result is visible. To most of us, this feeling is close to something resembling a stroke (at least by what they’ve been telling us a stroke feels like). Your whole body becomes numb, you can barely move and you keep gasping for air; you are getting extremely hot, almost sweating, your tongue is swollen and your thoughts confused. It’s terrible!  

Creative blocks just hit you, and they hit hard. The good news is though - you can pull yourself out of the feeling we all have so many times, but you have to trust yourself that you can make it. Overcoming any form of creative block will be tough as nails, and sometimes, it can be scary and might take, seemingly, forever.

Get Rid Of Personal Problems

You just can’t believe how much your personal problems can inhibit your work, especially if you’re trying to focus on creativity. It’ll be nesting in the back of your brain, mocking and taunting you until you can’t take it anymore. The sooner you resolve any pending issues, the sooner you can get back to work. If resolution isn’t an option at this point, try setting the problem aside while you’re working. Pretend it’s not there, at all. Make your work your primary focus. Channel the frustration behind the problem into the work. Make it your drive.

Step Away For a Brief Moment

Being involved in a project can be a bummer if you’re stuck because it’s going to drive you nuts. What works for most is taking a step back and taking a look at the project a bit later, with a fresh pair of eyes. Maybe all you need is a good pep talk from yourself or changing the angle of your approach. No matter how, just try to boost your confidence in order to finish that last bit. Don’t run away or you’ll be haunted by that thought of not finishing and it’s not going to be easy to live with it. Sometimes, diving head first is what can get you out of the rut.

Are You Ready For Anything?

Expecting the unexpected is a pretty simple oxymoron that might just be what you need to overcome your creative block. Don’t take it too literally, though; instead, try to train yourself to be more open-minded. Notice simple things you haven’t before, look at things from different angles, and let inspiration come on its own. Countless nights have we all spent searching for the creative spark with little success. However, as soon as we let go, boom! Inspiration hits (us) immediately. Let your muse speak to you. Still, don’t force it or you’ll miss it.

Write Everything Down

Being organized means easily tracking what you’ve been planning to do and what seems to be next on your list. Sometimes, being organized appears to be the hardest thing on earth with all the work that needs to be done.

In order to avoid getting lost in a sea of paper, use a bunch of highlighters to point out what is important, and what can wait. This way you can ensure that your work will be done on time, and you won’t lose your wits along the way. Remember, doodle your feelings and let the colors run wild as it can help you get rid of pent up stress. This might as well be key to letting your creative juices flow.

Once you get out of your creative block, make sure to follow what you were doing so you can stay on track and avoid future blocks as much as possible. One piece of advice: do what you love! That way you’ll be able to avoid any obstacles in your work. Yes, there’ll be some hurdles, but, with a strong determination and a will to work it out, you can overcome virtually anything life throws at you. 

This post was written by Zara Lewis, freelance writer and mom of two. A fitness and yoga enthusiast, who is passionate about travelling, hiking and cycling; Zara contributes articles to High Style Life, and other blogs.