7 Tips to Overcome Creative Block

Have you ever had a creative block? Creative block can be a challenging hurdle when you normally love to be creative. We've researched some tips on how to spark your creativity and overcome creative block. Read on for 7 Tips to Overcome Creative Block. 

What is Creative Block?

Also known as an artists block, writers block or a dry spell, creative block can happen to even the most creative people! It's that feeling when it seems like you've run out of ideas and being creative doesn't feel too fun. It's looking at a blank page and feeling really stuck! We're here to tell you that you're not alone! Creative block is part of the creative process and sometimes it can even last for weeks, or months at a time.

Can You Cure Creative Block?

Creative block can be a hard thing to overcome and can be related to difficulties in your life, how you are feeling, the time that you have available or your financial situation. There's nothing worse than feeling like you're stuck and can't think of anything to make! Especially if being creative is part of your identity and is your main stress release.

We know it can be hard, but you're not alone and many famous creatives have experienced creative block during their careers! The good thing is that creative block doesn't last forever and you can still find ways to be creative, even if you aren't feeling it to start with! It's all about knowing how to use your time during creative blocks and how to embrace the creative flow when it comes to you!

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” — Maya Angelou

7 Tips to Overcome Creative Block:

Look for the cause:

There can be many causes for creative block and none of them are to do with you running out of creativity! Creative block is more often about your personal situation and headspace that is affecting your creativity.

Do some soul searching. Is there something causing your creative block?

- Time: Creative block can come from not having enough time, such as a change in your schedule, taking on extra work, or having a new baby.

- Mood/Feelings: Our headspace and how we are feeling can really affect our creativity. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemies. Feeling like we are not good enough, perfectionism, imposter syndrome and comparing ourselves to others can all impact our ability to create. 

- Finance: Your financial situation can affect your creative process, if you are struggling to afford supplies for your creative process. It can be hard comparing yourself to other creatives that have all of the new and latest products.

- Life Situation: Going through a big life change, hard times or illness can really affect our ability to feel like being creative.

Finding the cause can help you focus on making changes that encourage your creativity to return!

Try a new medium:

If you're used to using the same materials all the time or the same technique, why not step outside of your comfort zone? You may find that stepping outside of your box, challenges you to make new creative choices. For example, if you normally use stickers and washi tape in your bullet journal, try water colour, stamps and doodling. Experiment with a new pen!

If finances are tight, try out some recycled materials. Play with materials in nature, or use your phone to take photos. Trying different mediums can inspire you to create something new!

Learn a new skill:

While you're waiting to find your creative mojo again, why not learn a new skill that will help boost your creativity? If you love bullet journaling as your creative outlet, learn hand lettering or how to use water colours to enhance your bullet journaling. We have so many great books on how to draw, journaling, hand lettering and using water colours! Learning a new skill can reignite your passion for creativity, leading you to new types of creative outlets. Plus, it never hurts to learn new skills! It's great for your brain and you may find a way to incorporate it into your creative practice, giving it new life.

Set yourself a challenge:

Challenge yourself to 30 days of creativity, 100 days, or even 365 days!! Having a timeline and a deadline can be a way of motivating yourself to create and complete something. It's a great idea to do a challenge that includes per-determined prompts or use a guided book, to take the pressure away from you needing to come up with the ideas.

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” — Pablo Picasso

Setting yourself a challenge helps to hold you accountable for creating. It doesn't matter what you're making, as long as you're creating. By doing an activity every day, you will eventually form a habit. By continuing to practice creativity, you will get better at it through repetition.

Check out our range of art books, filled with creative prompts and challenges to spark your creativity! Try a 365 day challenge, Draw Every Day, try 100 Days of Drawing, use the Poketo Creativity Journal, try a Sketch Book Challenge or The Sketchbook Idea Generator.

Create without pressure or perfection!

Perfection kills creativity. Sometimes we're so worried about making a mistake, that we don't create at all, because it's never good enough in our own minds. “Have no fear of perfection, you will never reach it.” —Salvador Dali

That's so counter intuitive, because the more we create and the more mistakes we make, the more we learn and improve our skills! It's so freeing to create without pressure or perfection. Make mistakes and own them! Try creating with the idea that nothing is "wrong" and see how that changes your practice. 

Are you feeling pressure to share your work on social media or with other people, are you feeling pressure to be the best? Try creating just for you and with a twist - it's ok to make mistakes. If there's a mistake on the page, keep working with it. Fill a whole page with doodles and drawings, even if they don't look how you wish they looked. By training yourself to live with imperfections and mistakes, you will become less precious about your work and find joy in the creative process.

Another type of free creation that you can practice is free writing. Spend 10 minutes each morning when you wake up writing continuously about anything and everything. Your writing doesn't have to make sense and you don't need to show it to anyone. It's all about finding your creative flow!

“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” —Andy Warhol

Find Inspiration in Life!

Have you ever noticed that you feel a bit down after comparing your work to others? Many of us scroll Instagram and look to other creatives for inspiration. However, you'll never be the same as someone else and their life experiences. You are your own unique self! Use that to your advantage and find your own unique voice!

Find inspiration by doing things that you love! Watch lots of movies, listen to lots of music, see friends, bake yummy food, visit live performances, spend time outdoors. You need to feed your inspiration! What are the things that you love doing, or that make you uniquely you, that you can incorporate into your creative practice?

Creativity can also come from the challenges in our life. If you're going through a big change or a hard time in your life, use those feelings to channel your creativity. Write and create about your feelings. Use creating as a way to heal and cope with what you are going through. For those struggling with their inner monologue, stop listening to that voice in your head and practice some affirmations, focus on your mental wellness and channel those feelings into your creative practice!

Creativity can be inspired by your surroundings. You may find that you need to refresh your space, or create in a different location to feel more inspired. Try something different such as being creative outdoors, decorating or re-locating your creative space at home, or meeting with a friend to get creative. A small change to your space can make a big difference to your creativity.

Harnessing your own feelings, lived experiences and inspiration into creativity can be a challenge. But through awareness, practice and perseverance, you can learn to unlock your creativity through the world that surrounds you.

If you need help getting in touch with your feelings and finding your unique self, try one of our guided journals!

Make Time:

If you don't have time, make time! Scheduling in creative time, is an important part of creating! You might not get the opportunity to make something when you feel like it, but if you allow time for creativity, you will find a regular creative practice.

When time is poor, keep your creative practice alive by focusing less on creative outcomes and scheduling shorter creative sessions.You may only have 5-10 minutes free in your day, but if you spend 5-10 minutes each day for a week, you could have a whole project finished by the end of the month! Set yourself small tasks and regular creative time slots. Break down large tasks into smaller steps, or focus on creative activities that prompt inspiration. Not every creative session needs to lead to a finished outcome. Spend time brain storming, doodling, free writing, working on a creative prompt or challenge from a book, sketch your surrounds and try out some test ideas.

Also remember, if you're burnt out, it's ok to take a break from creating until you feel refreshed again!

Best Stationery to Help With Creative Block!

1. Try one of our many guided creativity books for ideas and prompts on what to create.

2. Learn a new skill such as how to draw, hand lettering or water colouring to improve your creative skills.

3. Follow a guided journal to learn more about yourself, or achieve your goals! We love the guided DreamyMoons journals - Manifest It and A Journey Within. Or the Poketo Creativity Journal is a great guided journal for sparking your creativity.

4. Plan your creative time in a Mossery Twinbook, half page for planning and half page for notes.

5. Get sketching & doodling with our Mossery Sketchbook or Blank Page Sketchbooks.

6. Play with some new pens! We have SO MANY FUN brush pens, gel pens and paint pens in the shop to try out.

Creativity is meant to be enjoyed and some times we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to create perfectly. However, it's only through practice and passion that we'll find our best creations!! Keep going! Believe in yourself! And have fun!

Have you experienced a creative block before? Do you have any tips for finding your creativity again? We'd love to hear about your experience!