“The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.” – John Maynard Keynes
Sometimes, getting out of a creative block requires escaping from the gravitational pull of old ideas, other times it might require diving into them to get re-inspired. Below, we’ve shared a variety of perspectives, insights and advice on how to overcome creative blocks.
Paul Kiger
I like this question because it is something so many of us struggle with and it often comes up with clients of mine in counseling and life coaching. I am going to defer here a bit to Mark Manson, the author of the book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, who talks about the “Do Something” principle. Read more>>
Kenneth Lui
“Writer’s block/Creativity Blocks” in my humble opinion are super subjective and different for every person, that said, here are my thoughts regarding “the blankness” that happens when you stare at a white page or when ideas seem to just run out. It happens, it’s gonna happen, in a way it has to happen to point you towards a new direction. Anyone who tells you it never happens is LYING. Read more>>
Michael Ascencio
My creativity is everything to me. I used to feel like I always needed to be creating something or working towards some goal I had in my head. Overtime this burned me out and I felt I couldn’t express myself creatively anymore. For the past 10 years my passion has been beat-making and when I hit this creative block it was hard for me to get out of it. I feel the way I was able to overcome this was by doing things outside of making beats. I was really sucked into the hustle of making and selling beats and it was all I was doing and thinking about. Read more>>
Dante Maes
When I’m faced with Writer’s Block, I find that giving myself time is the best way to overcome this reoccurring obstacle. What I mean is just letting the thought sit. There’ve been plenty of works – co-writes and personal, original works alike – where if I just let the idea simmer, I’ll usually be able to come at it from a different angle. Read more>>
Ocho
have found that the best solution is to honor all the ideas that I have. If a lyric or a bit of a melody comes to me, I do my best to write it down or record it. I’ll do the same thing with a concept for a business plan or a marketing idea; those can be creative too. If I have a simple thought that amuses me, I’ll tweet it. Read more>>
Kimberly Lavon
My personal favorite ways to overcome creative/writer’s block are: Read more>>
Essence Nelson
“Creators block” is one of my biggest life challenges. The main reason is because creating is my source of happiness and the block takes it away. How do I overcome the blocks? Hmm…Honestly, I take breaks from creating and find sources that inspire me such as: music, avant-garde imagery, and now this funny thing called life. Once I start getting in the groove A.K.A a creators reset, the mind never stops creating crazy ideas. Read more>>
Dr. Stephanie Davis
Oh wow! So I just recently dealt with the “BLOCK”! I entered a new friendship recently and it kicked off pretty well. So well in fact, I allowed it to become a prioritized friendship. Yet I didn’t feel that energy reciprocated in the way I expected. So my creativity went into the friendship and not my work; my passion right…. Read more>>
Kayce Laine
Before I moved to Nashville, I lived in Brooklyn, NY, where I worked as a full-time musician: writing and playing in a ton of bands. My schedule was super flexible and I was able to write and work on music almost whenever the inspiration hit: whether I was on the subway or even walking down the street by making voice memos and taking notes on my phone. Read more>>
