You finally found some time in your schedule. You prepare your desk. You get all of your supplies in order. A fresh white page gleams up off the surface of your desk. You have absolutely no idea what to do with it. After much frustration and a few failed attempts, you start to run through all of the possibilities. “What is blocking my creativity?” Not only that but “How do I overcome this creative block?”
Whether you’re a creative professional, a hobbyist, or George R.R. Martin taking 9 whole years to write the real ending to Game of Thrones, figuring out how to conquer creative block can seriously change the game.
Crisis Mode: Creative Block Problem 1
After the year we’ve ALL had, I think we can agree that crisis mode has entered our vocabulary at least once. A global pandemic, quarantine, protests, riots, a presidential election that’s never been more divisive? That’s enough to make the best of us crawl under our beds and cry for our moms, who are all busy crying under their beds.
If you’re in a situation that’s piling health issues, finances, and your new-found hatred of your roommates on top of all of that it can seem like a mountain you’re never going to climb. No wonder your brain doesn’t want to be creative. What the actual hell are you supposed to draw that could possibly carry more weight than any of the things going on right now?
Take a break among the stars with a holographic print in outer space.
Solution
I don’t want to be the one to seriously tell you the answer to fixing Crisis mode creative block is under your bed, but I’m going to do just that. Take a BREAK. I don’t mean from creating. I mean take a break from the news. Put down the social media, drop the tablet, block the aunts, uncles and 3rd cousins twice removed that won’t stop ranting until well after November. The world isn’t going to crumble because you took a few weeks away from the noise.
If you do realize the only escape is the little corner under your bed, then dive in and imagine the world you want to see. If you could be anywhere what would it look like, who would be there? The beauty of creativity is that you get to create your own world each and every day. No one can poison it with their opinions and fear-mongering.
Over Feeling: Creative Block Problem 2
Does staring into that fresh, white piece of paper send you into a cold sweat? Are you terrified you won’t be able to do that brilliant idea justice? Do you know deep down inside the only way to get your art in front of people is to submit to the brain shattering devil that is social media and all you want to do is draw not become a caricature of yourself wowing audiences and begging for likes? Are you wondering if, without that, anyone will ever see your art, let alone want to pay money for it, and rent is due, and maybe you should just get a desk job, even though you know it will crush your soul and your spirit day by day until you’re a shriveled up raisin of despair who doesn’t even have the energy to be added to delicious cookies?
Yeah, have you traveled that rabbit hole once or twice? Me too. Actually, I do this every day at 3:57.
Solution
Make some shitty art. On purpose. Scribble, doodle, cut out a paper snowflake, then crumble it up and throw it away. Make a pile of shitty art crumbles. Make a mountain. Now that we got that out of the way, take a deep breath. Reach deep into the pile. Pull one of the crumbles out and use that for inspiration. Push through the distress and just create something. Worst comes to worst, it was trash art to begin with, it will just jump back into the pile. Sometimes the only way through the forest, your feelings, or overcoming a huge creative block is just pummeling straight through.
Overthinking or Over Planning: Creative Block Problem 3
I’ll let you guys in on a little secret, this one right here is my Achilles heel. I LOVE a plan. I’ll plan the ish out of anything. It will have multiples steps, timelines, options, details down to the crosses of the T’s, and dots of the I’s. Then I’ll realize that I made something so complicated it would take the rest of my life to execute.
Say we decide to go for it anyway, but a new idea strikes! This one is brilliant. The ideas are pouring out. Call Cardi, because you need some buckets to start collecting them and save the carpet. So we edit the plan to account for that. Until we scroll through Pinterest on the toilet and find 10 other brilliant, incredible, amazing ideas that have to get done right now. Not to mention, you’ve been dying to organize your closet for the longest (maybe that’s just me.) So tell me. Which one do you choose? They’re all so amazing. Can you do them all? (No) How do you know which plan is THE plan? You have once again hit the creative blockade.
Solution
Mess up that perfect page, go ahead, just do it!
Get a hat.
Not your favorite hat.
Get your third favorite hat.
Write all of these brilliant ideas down on little pieces of paper, fold them up, and toss them in. Now, once again, stick your hand deep into the hat and pull out a piece of paper. Make it. Do it. Create, for pup’s sake! If you’re a tech person Google “Random Generator,” fill in your ideas and hit go.
This works in all different parts of life too. Can’t figure out what to wear? Random generator. Don’t know what to make for dinner? Random generator. Too many freaking shows on Netflix? Random generator. The more little decisions you can eliminate from your day to day life, the easier it will be to focus on the important ones. Which brings me to the introduction of my series...
101 Doodle Makeovers: Before and After
I photographed all of my old drawings and schoolgirl doodles, put them in my Google Drive, and numbered them. I wrote the numbers down on little pieces of paper and put them in a jar.
I had absolutely no skills when I created these. I was just doodling to keep my hands busy in class. But, as I looked at each piece I could visualize what I was going through and the idea I was trying to bring to life.
So, after about 10 years of practice, skill-building and training, I’m going to pull numbers out of a jar and randomly, one by one, reimagine and recreate each of my original doodles. Just like that, the huge wall of the crippling creative block as been conquered!
Let me know how are you going to beat your creative block in the comments!
Take a look at my print shop for some inspirational magic!