Creative Block? You Can’t Force Creativity

Creativity – It comes and it goes at will! Surely I’m not alone when it comes with the dreaded creative block and struggling to move past it. Creativity is an individual experience, it’s something you can develop and practice on your own. And just like the muscles in your body, your creative brain is a muscle that needs to be worked too.

When that creative block shows up it can be so frustrating! There are many different things you can do to get your creative juices flowing, but here’s the most important thing to keep in mind: know when to stop working.

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For example, imagine you’re working on a project that requires a bit of creativity. Maybe you’re writing an ebook or a series of blog posts, or maybe you’re designing a new website. With the deadline looming you may think that you have to work 24/7 (figuratively speaking of course), keeping your head down and just powering through it to get it all done.

This is how many of us, myself included tackle projects, but it may actually be the worst thing for you when it comes to creative work. Let’s face it, if you’re not feeling creative, you’re just going to end up staring at a blank page, figuratively knocking year head against a brick wall. Stressing your self outand trying to force your way past the creative block is no solution. If you’ve ever tried to just “power through”, then you’ll know that trying to force creativity rarely works.

Instead, learn to recognize the signals that it might be time to stop and take a break. Creativity is not force-able… You have to learn to listen to your intuition and if you’re feeling stuck, take a break and walk away for a bit. In fact, you may even find it’s during that break that your creativity starts flowing and you come up with a great new idea for that project. Usually thats the way my brain works!

Your creative intuition works the other way, too. If its telling you that you’re about to have a breakthrough and come up with the creativity you need to finish the project, then keep on working. This is a more rare occurrence for me, but it has been known to happen!

What if you don’t have a project with a deadline, though? Maybe you just want to develop your creative side or develop a skill for a hobby. The same rules apply. You cannot force yourself to get the creative juices flowing. If you’ve been starting a blank document on your computer monitor for 30 minutes, chances are you need to get up and walk away. Or maybe you can take a few minutes to just start writing and see what happens. Sometimes that can do the trick and trigger your creativity. You know yourself best so learn to listen to your intuition and work with yourself instead of against yourself.

While you can practice and develop your creativity, and you can train yourself to be creative on demand, part of that training is learning when to step away. By listening to that inner voice and recognizing the signs of creative block, you’ll find it much easier to let the creativity flow when its needed!

How do you get past a creative block or funk when it hits?

Need more tips and tricks for unplugging, recharging and getting past your creative block? I guest co-host with Taylor of Boss Girl Community and we chat about this subject in episode #39! Check it out!