Breaking through a Creative Block

Have you ever had a creative block? Maybe the juices just weren’t flowing right. Or nothing you tried worked like you thought it would. And in consequence, you looked at yourself in the mirror, in some fugue state, and began to question every single decision you had made up to that point.

Yeah, same.

The Problem

It's funny because it always seems like a creative block happens at the worst possible time. I had this issue about a year ago. I was in the middle of a project and struggling with where to take it next. I was having difficulty letting go of all the constraints that I had put around what I was creating. I found myself sketched into a little box; the problem was that I was the one holding the pencil. A deadline was approaching. A project was due. Something needed to get done. My fight or flight response had set in and for some reason, I chose flight. I simply had to step away from what I was working on to clear my mind.

The Solution

I realized that I needed a creative outlet that allowed me to be, well, creative. I have always wanted to explore graphic design, so I started there. I created a poster that was inspired by the music that I happened to be listening to that day. It worked! It felt so nice to think about something other than my project and to just accomplish something. Afterwards, I was able to go back to my project feeling refreshed and ready to start creating again.

From that day, I decided to continue to create posters of the music that I was listening to. I allowed myself to create with no barriers, no promises, and no expectations. It was fun to start each day with a blank slate. It was like solving a puzzle, only I created the pieces as it went along. I had finally found the creative freedom that I had longed for.

From this exercise, I have learned a lot about finding motivation to be creative even when it doesn’t want to be found. It was challenging to create something that people could connect to, which is what made it so much fun. And I think that is what I liked the most about it, it was fun. I also enjoyed sharing my posters with others and having them interpret what it means to them.

Final Thoughts

It may seem silly to say that the way to break through a creative block is to be creative. However, there is value in stepping away from what you are working on in order to gain a new perspective on the problem at hand. It is extremely cathartic and also just fun to be creative. Ultimately, when it comes to breaking through a creative block, you really have to figure out what works best for you.

If you're interested, check out my poster collection at the links below! 

Website: https://marymcgreggor.com/

Instagram: @m_squared_design