“Creativity takes courage.” – Henri Matisse
Even with all the courage in the world, every creative will eventually run into a creative block, so we asked some of our favorite creatives to share how they overcome creative blocks.
Nicole Sanders
The biggest block I’ve had was pretty early on. I officially kicked off Sanders Hat Company right before COVID hit, and right after the tornado knocked around my neighborhood, so I was forced into a break. With everything going on, I wasn’t able to work on hats, and when things started to normalize, it was after almost a year. Read more>>
Arthur Wang
I maintain a fixed amount of time to compose music daily. No matter what project I am working on, I want to keep things moving. As a practitioner of the music industry for years, I discovered that ‘inspiration,’ discussed by many people as a crucial creative factor for composers, is a relatively nihilistic concept. Read more>>
Dillan Kenyon
Well, whenever I have beat block or writers block, I like to go out on walks, go on a drive, talk to my roommates, just really step away and clear my mind. If that doesn’t work, I don’t try to force it. I walk away for the rest of the day and come back when I have an idea. Read more>>
Pamela Grau
After practicing art for five decades, I’ve had to navigate and comprehend my creative journey. Initially, I believed that merely showing up in my studio daily was the key to artistic inspiration. However, I used to be extremely critical of myself when my creative well seemed dry. I’d paint and repaint, faithfully appearing in my studio, yet the magic was elusive. Read more>>
Bruno Oliveira
Being a composer for more than 20 years I have experienced many moments of creativity block in my journey. Sometimes, there are moments that life hits hard and factors that are out of our control may impact our creativity. For this type of creativity block there is only one solution: time. The other type I realized, after much observation in myself and in my fellow musicians, come from the lack of self-confidence. Read more>>
Anthony Palmer
I love this question because every artist or creative, no matter who you are, goes through this. The way I find my way out of the dark depths of creativity blocks is to put all my attention towards something completely different. I first acknowledge I am just not feeling the creative juices and need to distract my mind. Read more>>
Brandon Oldenburg, Limbert Fabian
We overcome creative blocks with other mediums. Seeking inspiration in music and art serves as a mental vacation needed to recharge the creative juices. Secondly, a change in scenery allows us to find new perspectives and discover the hidden answers just around the corner. Read more>>
Dusty Saunders
Creativity blocks for me are a sign that the gas tank is on empty, and I need to fill it back up. Usually that means taking time away from whatever I am working on and trying to satisfy other parts of my life. I will go surfing, try and find new music and new artists, go do something social. In doing those things 9 times out of 10 I will be inspired by something that will fill my tank back up. Read more>>
Shagufta Khan
Every artist faces the darkness of a creative block. I, however, have begun to understand my creative blocks as the time where inspiration is going through a synoptic synthesis – a state of pause where newly perceived ideas, impressions, feelings, and thoughts are making connections with each other – and with that which already exists in my mind, to eventually come into form as painted expression. Read more>>
Adrian Clarke
I stopped comparing myself to others in my field and accepted that my journey is different from everyone else’s. Quality of what I put out is more important than quantity, but it’s nice to have a balance. Read more>>
Mikey Jay
I’m probably not the best guy to be giving advice on this, considering I’ve spent over two years working on a comedy special that I grew extremely fatigued with. Although, I’ll say that I try my best to stay inspired. When it comes to writing, if I feel I’m about to hit a wall, I tell myself to chill and watch a movie, especially if the movie is in the genre of the thing I’m writing. Read more>>
YT SUNS
For us, there are two prominent ways we have dealt with writer’s block over the years. They may seem counterintuitive, but taking breaks, while also having the ability to push through your block has proven to be the most effective for us. There is a difference between taking a break and flat-out giving up. Read more>>
Ulka Simone Mohanty
I had a mentor once tell me that If you’re blocked creatively in one area, switch to a different medium and the juices will start flowing again. Sometimes it’s painting something on a canvas (regardless of your level of talent), watching a movie or going to a museum to look at art. Also, it’s no joke how clean the fridge can get when you have a piece of writing you need to get done. Read more>>
Nicole Soul
Writing a one-woman show was the most rewarding, cathartic experience of my life, and also, the most challenging. Overcoming self-imposed limitations like writer’s block wasn’t so horrible once I implemented these 3 tools: Read more>>
Brittany Jean
With a new album (“Colors & Covers”) releasing in a week or so, this is interesting timing for this particular question. Because here I am on the far side of the question, about to share a collection of new songs that are finished—that have been written. However, if we rewind to the beginning of the album-writing process, writer’s block is something I certainly deal with. Read more>>
Tyler Ham Pong
I wouldn’t wish writer’s block on my worst enemy (say that ten times fast). Read more>>
Cat Thompson
That’s a great question! It’s something every creative person experiences from time to time. I know how frustrating it can feel. I’ve heard of many different approaches to dealing with writers block but as a songwriter, I find these four steps really help. Read more>>
Ambjaay
When I’m having a writers block. I just stop and do something else. Then I would go back to it. Sometimes I need a distraction or motivation. Read more>>
