How to Overcome Creative Block

Creative block is universal. It doesn’t care about your experience level, studio setup, or how many followers you have. Sometimes it’s a few hours of fog, sometimes it stretches into days or even months. The good news is that it’s not permanent and there are practical, gentle ways to pull yourself back into making work you care about.

Permission to rest

First and most important: give yourself permission to stop. There’s a lot of pressure in creative communities to be “always on,” but rest is part of the process.

• Full stop: power down for a day, weekend, or longer. Hibernation can reset your brain.
• Change the medium: if you paint, try a pottery or metalsmithing class. Be a beginner again, humbling yourself opens new neural pathways.
• Reset with travel or immersion: a new landscape, culture, or color palette can jumpstart fresh ideas.

Go for a walk (or move with intention)

Walking is deceptively powerful. It gives space for thoughts to distill and invites observation: sounds, colors, textures that you can bring back to the studio.

• Notice details: color palettes, lighting, patterns in nature or architecture.
• Bring a sketchbook or phone to capture quick ideas.
• If walking isn’t enough, try running, lifting, or another intentional workout to shake loose stagnant thinking.

Create with constraints

Limits breed creativity. When options are narrowed, choices become clearer and momentum builds faster.

• Color or tool constraints: only two colors, one pen, or one brush.
• Time constraints: set a 10-minute timer and make something within it.
• Daily or 30-day challenges: short, repeatable practices build skill and habit.

Steal like an artist

Imitating work you love is a time-honored way to learn. Artists used to do master copies for training, today it’s fine to emulate and remix.

• Analyze what draws you to a piece: palette, composition, brushwork, chord progressions, or rhythm.
• Copy for study, then mix those influences into your voice. Don’t reproduce verbatim; transform.
• Recommended reading: Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon for practical ideas on creative borrowing.

Use AI as a creative buddy

AI can be a useful prompt generator when you’re stuck. Treat it conversationally: ask for idea lists, limitations, or concept starters.

• Ask for color palettes, short project prompts, or five-minute challenge ideas.
• Use outputs as launch points (not blueprints)to keep your voice in control.

Doodle and do a nonpressure brain dump

Start small. Fill a page with squiggles, shapes, lines, or quick thumbnails. No judgment, only movement.

• Fill shapes with patterns, lines, and dots.
• Give yourself permission for bad drawings. Often one small mark leads to an interesting idea.

Make to music

Pick a soundtrack and let the energy guide your marks. Music can give work a mood: calm, chaotic, jazzy and help you make decisions quickly.

Clean, organize, and tend to your materials

Cleaning brushes, organizing supplies, or inventorying broken tools is a therapeutic, active way to reconnect with your practice. It’s a low-pressure way to be with your materials and often leads to inspiration.

Journal or voice memo your stuckness

Unload the worry. Say out loud or write: “I’m stuck because…” You don’t need to listen back, sometimes naming the fear is enough to loosen it.

• Traditional journaling helps structure thought.
• Voice memos capture immediate feelings and can be faster than writing.

Be gentle and keep making

Everyone experiences creative block. Meeting yourself where you are and being kind about the pace matters as much as any tactic.

Key mindset: you are not behind or broken..you’re in a cycle that most creatives move through. Rest when needed, choose one small action, and return when you feel ready.

Quick action plan

1. Pick one method from this list (walk, doodle, constraint, or clean) and commit to doing it today.
2. Set a tiny goal: 10 minutes of sketching, a 20-minute walk, or a single-minute voice memo.
3. Repeat for 7 days. Track small wins and stay gentle with yourself.

Creative block is temporary. Use these approaches as tools - mix them, adapt them, and above all, keep making. The world needs your art!