For an artist, being creatively blocked is one of the most frustrating things that can happen. In extreme cases, it can be depressing as it undermines the artist’s identity.
Are you struggling with an artistic block? Whether you’ve been creatively challenged for three weeks or three years, it’s never too early or too late to try to dissolve the block and get back to creating.
What Causes Creative Dry Spells?
Before you can overcome artist’s block, you must have a basic understanding of what causes it. The short answer is that a great many things can cause creative dry spells. Mental or physical illness, fatigue, grief, trauma, and just the mundaneness of daily life can put a damper on your ability to be as creative as what you are accustomed to being.
No matter what the cause of your artistic block is, you can break into creative freedom by taking steps to resolve the writer’s block, painter’s block, illustrator’s block, or whatever it is you are facing.
3 Tips for Breaking Free from Artist’s Block
Image courtesy Pixabay
There are many ways to cultivate creativity and break free from artist’s block. Here are a few:
- Seek medical help — Are you experiencing mental or emotional problems that are out of the ordinary for you? Are you more depressed or anxious than usual? Have you had trouble sleeping for a few weeks or more? If so, getting treatment from your doctor could be transformative for your ability to create art effectively.
- Accept the block — This may seem counterintuitive, but you must first fully accept your artist’s block if you want to be free from it. In other words, stop denying that it is there. Admit that you are blocked creatively and then express your emotions about the hard time you are experiencing. Write them, paint them, crochet them. Who knows, accepting the block and then expressing emotion about it might help you reconnect with your authentic creative abilities.
- Don’t judge yourself — Artists tend to be hard on themselves. This can be especially true when they are unable to create art as they are accustomed to doing. But berating yourself for your struggle will do nothing but strengthen your artist’s block. Resolve to not say a negative word about yourself moving forward. Instead, remind yourself of your positive qualities and comfort yourself with the belief that you are an artist whether blocked or not, and no one can take that away from you.
How Have You Overcome Artist’s Block in the Past?
Getting on the other side of a creative dry spell is a mystery to the majority of artists. There is no formula that works for everybody, every time. Have you overcome artist’s block in the past? If so, please share how you did it so other readers can benefit from your artistic process.
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