I recently had conversations with some artist friends about how we defeat that dreaded state artists (and creatives) feel at least once in their lives. We were discussing how to get out of a block.
Being “blocked” is interesting in that it’s something only you can determine applies to you. I might think of someone that hasn’t made work in years as being blocked, but they might describe themselves as simply taking a break. You know it if you’re in it, that strange frozen feeling that happens when you just can’t make work.
Of course, you CAN do it. A block doesn’t refer to the physical inability to make things; instead, it refers to a mental block or a mindset that results in not taking action. Being blocked is being stuck, and ending a block requires the decision followed by the actions taken towards making. It sounds simple, but somehow, it's not.
Our conversations defined some must-haves for beating a block:
Material concerns- These run the gamut from having things necessary to make your work, to having a space that fosters your practice. I’ve tricked myself out of blocks a few times by purchasing new materials (the feeling that I’ve spent money, so now I can’t “waste” it by not working has spurred me to action).
At other times, I’ve exited a block by cleaning up my workspace. Knowing that my space is tidy and ready to get filled up with new work is motivating.
Work redefined- When we experience a block, it is helpful to rethink our definition of “work.”
Once, after I hadn’t been in the studio for what felt like eons (it might have actually been two weeks), I convinced myself to get back in there by saying “You don’t even have to work, just spend 10 minutes getting ready to work,” and then I did tasks like reorganizing paper and pens, printing out calendars for the months ahead, and so on. Tasks we don’t think of as the actual work (other examples: cutting down paper, cleaning out a sink, researching opportunities, etc.), ARE in fact work, and some part of our brain recognizes this. We can use these small steps to shift a blocked mind closer to one that is ready for flow and ready for creating.
Time- Small time periods are important. When I’ve been away from working, getting back to it has felt like coming back to a sport: I remember how to do it, but I don’t have the same endurance level. I need to condition myself with smaller time periods of work to get back to the place where I can focus and work for hours on end. Usually it comes back quickly. Even though I tell myself I only need to do tasks (or work) for 10 minutes, 10 minutes easily stretches to half an hour, which soon becomes an hour, and so on.
I have also gone through periods where I felt that, “Oh, I can’t do ANYTHING unless I have at least an hour!” But if you’ve been blocked for a while, 10 minutes a day for 2 weeks adds up to much more than 0 minutes a day for two weeks. You can do a lot with 10 minutes.
Picking up the threads- Possibly the most complex piece of beating a block, because it’s so specific to the path you have been on in your work, “picking up the threads” refers to how you decide what you’re going to make. The ‘threads’ of what you make next will have some relationship to the work you’ve already made- whether you want to continue with familiar ideas and materials, or whether you want to diverge from what you’ve been doing.
In 2019, I needed to focus the work I was making. I was dealing with what felt like a very heavy block because I felt overwhelmed by the various paths my work had taken (I was working on at least 5 different bodies of work). Someone else might experience a block because they need to expand their practice and try something new. Ultimately, you are the only one who can pick up the thread of what needs to happen next in your practice.
Picking up the threads is so important, because once you’ve chosen what you are going to make, your excitement and desire to see your new work realized and out in the world may be all it takes to beat your block.
But what if it’s not?
Being blocked can be the result of issues beyond not knowing what to make: depression or other mental health challenges, grieving, illness, life changes, and so on. In the case where you have all of the pieces in place: the materials, the time, the ideas for new work, but you still feel unable to take the step to make work, it’s okay to go easy on yourself and accept that your blocked state may actually be a signal from your unconscious that you need to take a break.
This was also true of me in 2019. I had been working so hard the previous couple of years towards what (for me) was a massive show, and instead of taking time to rest and celebrate the work I had done, I immediately jumped to worrying about what I would make next and whether it would align with some imagined, collective expectations of me. I wish I had spent less time worrying and thinking about the future and more time being present, feeling proud of the work I had just accomplished.
We think of being blocked as a problem to solve as soon as possible. In cases when this is true (hello, deadlines), hopefully the above thoughts can help you get back to work.
And if you have the opportunity, examine whether your block is a signal from your subconscious that you need something different, like more time to rest, or to follow a new direction with your work.
Blocks happen. Creativity and productivity are not meant to be sustained all hours of every day, 365 days of every year.
Sometimes a block is a block, and sometimes it is a sign that it’s time for a change.
How have you beat a creative block? Please share in the comments!
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