Overcoming Creative Blocks: Blast Through Them!

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Breaking Free: Tips for Overcoming Creative Blocks as an Artist or Designer

A creative block Portrait demonstrating the frustration that comes along with the feeling.
This "Creatively Blocked" Portrait demonstrates the frustration that comes along with a creative block.

As an artist or designer, you’ve likely experienced creative blocks at some point in your career. Creative blocks can be frustrating, disheartening, and even cause anxiety. However, the good news is that they’re not permanent, and there are several ways to get past them. 

What is creative block? According to Joy Harjo’s Tips to Overcoming Creative Block: “A creative block is a phenomenon best described as an overwhelming feeling of being stuck in the creative process without the ability to move forward and make anything new. You may find yourself staring at your computer screen or the blank page, struggling to take the next step.”

 

Here are some tips on how to overcome creative blocks:

Take a break:

Sometimes, the best way to overcome a creative block is to take a break. Step away from your work for a little while, go for a walk, or engage in a different activity. This can help to clear your mind and provide you with fresh inspiration.

Explore new ideas:

To get past a creative block, it’s often helpful to explore new ideas. Look for inspiration in different places such as books, magazines, online, or in nature. You can also try new techniques or experiment with different mediums to spark new ideas.

Collaborate with others:

Collaboration can be an excellent way to overcome a creative block. Working with other artists or designers can provide a fresh perspective, new ideas, and a different approach to problem-solving.

Set deadlines:

Setting deadlines can be a useful tool to overcome a creative block. Deadlines can help to focus your mind and provide motivation to work towards a specific goal. They definitely do help although for me personally, deadlines can sometimes add to the stress of a creative block. It really depends on the project.

Keep a journal:

Keeping a journal or a sketchbook can help to overcome a creative block. Writing down ideas, sketches, or even just jotting down random thoughts can help to stimulate your creativity and inspire new ideas.

Another helpful way to gather ideas is to use a visual planning tool like Trello which I have a review for. It’s been a huge help in keep my post drafts, ideas, notes and links for the blog in one place.

Change your environment:

Changing your environment can be a powerful way to overcome a creative block. If you’re used to working in the same space every day, try working in a new location. It could be a coffee shop, a library, or even just a different room in your house.

Seek feedback:

Seeking feedback from others can be a valuable tool to overcome a creative block. Ask friends, family, or other artists or designers for their opinions and suggestions. Feedback can help you to see your work from a different perspective and provide new insights.

Creative Blocks aren't Permanent

Hypothetical TNT blasting through creative blocks.
The good news is that creative blocks are temporary. You can definitely blast your way through them. Side note: I was stuck on the captions for the images in this post. But I got through it!

To Conclude, creative blocks can be frustrating, but they’re not permanent. With some effort, patience, and experimentation, you can overcome a creative block and continue creating amazing work. Remember to take breaks, explore new ideas, collaborate, set deadlines, keep a journal, change your environment, and seek feedback. These tips can help to stimulate your creativity, provide new inspiration, and ultimately help you get past a creative block.

What are some of the most effective ways you’ve found to overcome creative blocks as an artist or designer? Share your tips and tricks in the comments below!

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Categories: Art and Design InspirationUncategorized
Digital artist and graphic designer, Teresa Cowley

My name is Teresa Cowley, and I'm a digital artist and graphic designer from Vancouver Island, Canada. I focus on abstract and fantasy art as well as digital collage, and like to utilize AI art tools as part of my design process to create new, innovative pieces of art. I strive to create new, unique designs that tell imaginative stories, and I am eager to push the boundaries of what can be expressed with art and technology.

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