The War Against Creative Block - The Sequel

I once heard a dubbed Kung Fu Master from one of my father’s $2 VHS tapes say, “You must name the demon you intend to slay.” And, oddly enough, it stuck with me. There is power in naming the problem... and that is what we did, my young Padawan, when we covered the concept of Creative Block in part one of THE WAR ON CREATIVE BLOCK (??click here to read first).

In this article, we cover my personal formula for sustainable creativity and a few “bandaids” to help you get over that pesky creative block, starting today. Again, these are bandaids. They won’t fix the root cause of why you experience creative ruts. To experience a constant creative output, you need to put time into your mental, spiritual, and physical health. That’s primordial. No bandaid will help you if you are not okay.

We lose far too many creative geniuses to unchecked emotions and unresolved trauma.?

The prerequisite to sustainable creativity and overcoming creative block is, 1) pouring into your mental, spiritual, and physical health, and 2) having a clear plan. If your mind isn’t okay, and your mission isn’t clear, you face an uphill battle against The Blockers.?And, spoiler alert... they WILL knock you down.

To beat “C.B.” you can start with the following:

• Have A Process.
• Have A Toolkit.
• Have A Sacred Creative Space.

Let's go over all three.

The Process.

DaVinci had one. Michaelangelo had one. Stephen King has one. The creative process is akin to a set of rituals put in place to prime your conscious and subconscious mind to operate at its most creative.

This process varies from creator to creator, but after studying history’s creative creme de la creme, this is the formula I discovered and have used to ensure that Creative Block remains a thing of the past.?

My formula for a sustainable creation process is called the “4C Cycle”:

CONSUME

CATALOG

CREATE

CALIBRATE

I plan on going in greater depth in my newsletter, but here’s a cliff-notes version on the four C’s…?

You need to CONSUME as much of your subject matter as possible, through literature, YouTube videos, magazines, Pinterest, and anything else that covers the history, artistic trends, how-to’s, and anything else you can find on your subject. My personal way to approach the “consume step” is to give myself a week to literally devour all knowledge on what I’m trying to create. For you, it may be a day or a month, depending on factors like your schedule and energetic bandwidth.

The next step is something that I usually ONLY see successful creatives do... and that's CATALOG. Organize any key information, insights, and visuals (or audio) you find. When I used to produce music, I would spend an entire week scouring the interwebs like the internet’s version of Blackjack Silver looking for sounds, riffs, and samples to save in organized folders. With screenwriting, I organize my thoughts, articles, mood boards, and even music into a Notion folder called "Vibe Check." If you're a painter, you might catalog strokes or colors on a page, with notes on how you did it.

The important part to remember when cataloging is to have all your resources under one roof and easily accessible when you CREATE.

That's the third step. You’ve put in the time to hone your skills. You’ve consumed and cataloged. Now, you create alone, freely, and uninhibited. Do not allow room for thought. Just exist in that moment. Allow creativity to move through you without fear of "looking dumb." No one else is watching. Pivot where it feels right. Allow yourself to be swept into FLOW STATE.?

The last step is CALIBRATE. This is where you become your own editor. This is where you can invite your Critical Inner Voice for a double shot pumpkin spice latte. Go back to your creation with a technical eye and fix the parts that do not coincide with your overall goal for the piece. Assess your creation, and your skill level (ask what you think you could have done better. Anything go wrong during the process? Did you hit any obstacles?). Jot down the answers to your questions then edit whatever you can.

Once you’ve done all that you could within your creative capability, this is where I suggest you get feedback. Once you’ve received your feedback, you take the feedback into account, compare it with your own personal assessment, and plan on how you will readjust.

Once your plan is set… you CONSUME once again, then CATALOG, CREATE, and CALIBRATE. Genius-level creativity doesn't show up in your first sentence. It shows up after each syllable, each stroke or each note has been sharpened and hammered time and again through the fires of process.

The Toolkit.

You need a bag of tricks, or your own creative version of Batman’s utility belt to get your creative juices primed and ready to operate in genius mode. Having a toolkit at your disposal not only allows you to combat moments where ideas are just not flowing, but I find them incredibly helpful when I have to clear my mind.

I’ll be giving out free exercises for clarity, creativity, and personal breakthroughs every week, but here's one you can try today.

Box Breathing “The Remix.” Creators experience an ungodly amount of anxiety. I learned the technique after a particular incident when I was a lead singer of a Reggaeton group. My musical act opened for Pitbull on the Telemundo stage of the infamous “Calle Ocho.” Our music hit, and I bum-rushed the stage only to find myself facing a sea of thousands of people. I froze. I had an anxiety attack. I nearly soiled my underoos. The horror.?

The anxiety attacks began happening in the studio, too. That's when I realized I needed something to self-regulate before working.

I was taught box breathing and eventually added a few personal touches, and since then, the anxiety has been kept at bay when I need to be creative or “perform.” I use it whenever I face a blank page or blank canvas, and get after it.

Your Sacred Creative Space.

You need a designated workspace for creative flow. You can't just plop your stuff anywhere. Here's an article by NY BOOK EDITORS to catalog in your reading list. They do a terrific job of addressing the perfect writing space.

Once you've created this sacred space, treat it as a temple! Consider it consecrated grounds where no one else is allowed into; just your creative energies engaging in an intimate tango between idea and skill.

Now go forth into battle, my creative friend, and defeat Creative Block!