Getting Out of a Creative Rut

Don’t have the motivation or drive to make things at the moment? Maybe your life is moving too fast, maybe you’re working too many hours, or maybe, you’re just plain burnt out. Many factors can contribute to a developing creative block.

Creativity, like any other skill, needs to be built through practice. And much like any other skill, even those who hone their craft can experience slumps. But at the end of the day, slumps are about your mindset. Here are some steps to take to get yourself back on track.

1. Figure out the root of the problem

A lot of times, the problem when having a creative block is larger than the fact you can’t create art. It could be external pressure, mental health reasons, or burn out, all of which can often be made worse by putting the pressure on yourself to create. If you’re struggling to figure out exactly what the block is, try journaling (we recommend a brain dump). In more serious cases, a lifestyle change and getting help from a professional can be beneficial for healing a creative block.

2. Read for inspiration

It could be a book about creativity, an interview from your favorite celebrity, or just scrolling through social media, but reading is one of the best ways to garner inspiration. There are many books about jumpstarting your creative process (our top pick is The War of Art by Steven Pressfield). If you need a change of perspective or a new way of looking at things, try reading about your field! Industry experts might have insights you’ve never considered.

3. Start Small

Creativity doesn’t always have to be a grand project that spans over weeks or months. Think back to when you were a kid, being creative was a low stakes pastime that helped you get out of your own head for a little while! Start with something small or exercise your creative muscles in new ways. Do a craft from the internet! Draw your pet (no matter how bad it might turn out)! Crochet a little pattern! Write a tiny haiku about something silly! Any creative endeavor will do. Remind yourself that this is something you love by doing something small and achievable to get you in the right headspace, then work up from there.

4. Establish a Creative Routine

Many artists find it beneficial to create a sort of ritual to get themselves in a headspace for creating. Maybe you need to take a walk in the afternoon before you sit down to write. Maybe you need to have a cup of coffee and sit in your coziest chair to get your photo editing done. Maybe you like having another person in the same room when you’re working, so you prefer to get work done at your local library. Whatever it is, build your routine around things that make you feel comfortable and ready to focus. Giving yourself a routine signals to your brain that it’s time to work and can help you get into the mindset you need to work. And the more you do it, the less likely you are to get creative blocks, since your body and brain are adjusted to working!

5. Do something else

In the words of Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist, “Practice productive procrastination.” You can’t work on that project you wanted to today? That’s okay! Try doing something else. Go for a walk, spend time with friends, or watch a trashy movie. Do something where you have to stay present in the moment and absorb your surroundings and let your subconscious mind generate new ideas in the meantime. In giving your brain a break and distracting it, you might just solve whatever problem you’ve been staring at for three days.

6. Just start

As Seth Godin says in The Practice, “creativity is a choice.” At the end of the day, a creative rut is a mindset; you have to make the choice that you’re going to get out of it. You are going to have to sit down and do the task you are avoiding if you want it to be done.

Sometimes, perfectionism is what keeps us from the process of creating. We don’t want to start because we’re afraid the end result won’t be what we wanted; we don’t want to continue a project if we think it's taking a new direction. But more often than not, if we push through that and just start working on it, things make themselves clearer as we go. Ideas can get jumbled in our brains, and creating tangible work makes them feel more organized. And at the end of the day, you’re only a writer if you write, you’re only a painter if you paint, and you’re only a musician if you make music. Allow yourself to create art, even if it isn’t as perfect as you want it to be! You can always edit it later, but for today, just start.

Our creative abilities can sometimes feel like a clogged pipe. Once you remove some of the clog, you have to let the faucet run to get the rest of it out. Apply pressure to the creative block, and it’ll move on, just a memory in the rearview mirror of your next big project!