The Creative Struggle

Imagine: you are a creator or artist of some kind, whichever is up to you. It just so happens that you are a student or in the workforce using creativeness for your job or course. You have a large assignment coming up that demands you to utilize that creativeness to the fullest. But, as the deadline approaches, you are hit with your worst nightmare: Creative block.

What is creative block?

A very common problem for people in creative professions or programs, or even just hobbyists, is where you know you should be doing the work but no matter how hard you try, you just can’t get any results at all. Whether it’s staring at a blank sheet of paper, unused tools, or a computer. You just can’t bring yourself to just do the work.

Creator’s block is a dreadful thing, because even if you create purely for the love of it, you are still susceptible to a lack of creativity, inspiration, or motivation. I, myself, am no exception to this mental block.

Why do we get creative block?

Creative block is a complicated issue that affects most people who utilize their creativity. It includes psychological, neurological, and environmental factors all being able to play into it.

The most common reason behind this block is often perfectionism and overthinking. The pressure you put onto yourself can result in so much stress being accumulated, you just can’t manage to get anything done. The same could be said for overthinking what you’re trying to accomplish. It can be very difficult to actually get into a creative mindset and putting things down when you have too many ideas in your head but no idea where to start.

How to fix it

As someone who is in a creative program and often struggles with creative block, I am always looking for ways to get over it.

The first big thing you could do is very simple: take a break. When you’re constantly working on something and it’s taking up all of your creative energy, take a break to relax and clear your thoughts. It’s very easy to run out of creativity when you’re using it all the time.

Another big thing would be to do simple tasks related to the project. Using myself as an example, if I’m working on a sketch and I can no longer continue because of a block, I switch to making simple doodles. They can be fun, humorous, or just shapes and lines. Regardless, I am still sketching, but I put my focus into something of low stakes.

Every artist, from musician to dancer all the way to graphic design, will go through a creative struggle at some point. It’s normal and annoying, but it is not the end of the world. Take a break and enjoy your craft.