“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.

 Lucian Greene

For me, I just have to stay positive. I’ve never been able to really sit down and try to write a song. I have to feel inspired. But I know that inspiration will come, so I just have to try and not get down on myself when I go through those rough patches where I’m not feeling creative. Read more>>

Alexander Buyanov

My work is closely related to creativity. It all started when I launched my first business project – an online store and a chain of retail stores selling manicure products, which became one of the top 3 in Europe. Even at university, studying economics, I began to take an interest in marketing and saw it as my calling. I succeeded in coming up with simple yet unconventional marketing solutions that allowed us to stand out and achieve results. Perhaps this skill is what helped us become one of the leaders. Later, I shifted to another project, IT Arti, where we began selling creative kits, and eventually started inventing them ourselves. One of our most unique products became the String Art Kit. Read more>>

Tony M Fountain

Sometimes, the space you create can become so familiar that it stifles your imagination. When I go for a car ride or travel new roads, I usually come up with my best lyrics or thoughts about a blog post versus sitting in front of a laptop. Read more>>

Marcus Brodin

I was running up and down the hall stairs at my father’s house in the small village of Moliden, gathering items for a three-month backpacking trip. In my mind, the most important things to bring were my notebook and blank sheet music paper. I envisioned finding inspiration for my big album debut. Visualizing the unknown ahead made me so inspired that I wanted to start writing immediately, but I stopped myself to save paper for the journey. My goal was clear: I wanted to find something worth writing songs about. Read more>>

Victoria Lino

In times that I don’t feel energized or feel a lack of motivation what reignites my passion is usually my community. I get so inspired by the people in my circle who are passionate and hungry and eager to create. On days that I can’t see things super clearly, they can. I believe in them sometimes more than I believe in myself; so when I see that they can do it I’m like “oh yea let me get up and make it happen too.” Read more>>

Gabrielle Archambault

There are so many factors that go into creativity. I’ve discovered that my health strongly impacts my creativity. Recently, I went through a huge slump where I felt like I could not generate energy or ideas at all for months. I found out that quite a few of my vitamin levels were low and after spending a few weeks getting those levels back up, eating healthier, and adding in some exercise, I was able to find my creativity again. Read more>>

Reno Staples

I beat writers block with brute force. It’s easy when an idea just pops into your head. The song writes itself. But when that doesn’t happen, I open my computer and force myself to get something down. An idea can always be tweaked later on so I entertain anything no matter how silly or derivative it sounds at first. Read more>>

Jennifer Lee

Unfortunately, as an artist, it’s easy to get burnt out and get artist blocks so often, especially when you feel like you have a pressure to create something perfect every time you draw. One way I overcame the feeling of artist blocks is to stop trying to force myself into creating a perfect piece in one go, and to just start with creating something simple. I know it sounds easier said than done, but think of it as a way to stop forcing yourself to come up with a perfect piece on the first try, whether it’s art or writing. The more you just sit and try to force your brain to come up with an idea, the more likely you’ll be stuck all day not creating anything at all. There’s nothing wrong with taking a step back and start with something simple to warm up your creative mind. For example, before I begin a new illustration, I prefer to start drawing simple sketches and loose, gestural shapes with a pen or lasso tool (for digital art) to get a feeling for my process. The loose drawings don’t even have to relate to the illustration you want to create, start warming up by drawing inspiration from what you like and don’t think too hard about getting everything perfect. Draw your favorite character from a show you like, or draw loose blobs and see what you can create out of it. Read more>>