How to deal with creative block and get reinspired

For creative marketers, there’s nothing that brings more joy than bringing an idea to fruition through a campaign, creative asset or captivating content. However, taking a creative concept from your mind and executing it in real life isn’t always easy. Sometimes creative block—a barrier to inspiration caused by a variety of emotional, mental, physical or external factors—gets in the way and can leave you feeling frustrated rather than inspired.

Whether you’re a marketer, writer or artist, it happens to the best of us. In fact, it happens more frequently than you may think. As a content creator and former social media strategist, I’ve certainly had my fair share of experiences with creative block. While it feels scary and almost impossible to deal with at times, I can assure you that you can get through it.

Creative block is not one-size-fits-all

Creative block looks different for everyone. For writers, it may be difficult to come up with the words needed to explain a thought even after scouring a thesaurus. A painter may find themselves in a place where they’re staring at a blank canvas and not sure which brushstroke to make first.

No matter who you are, what you do or what your creative process is, it’s important to recognize that your experience with creative block may be different from others and that’s okay.

Jaylynn Little, a content creator and visual storyteller says, “I’m currently experiencing a creative block and the impact varies. This time around I just feel stuck or maybe uninspired which creates a barrier between ideation and production. I’ve been here before and while creative blocks are random and frustrating, I know it’ll pass. I’ve learned to lean into other passions and interests such as reading, cooking, indulging in self-care or visiting a new speakeasy. Sometimes I just sit for a moment of stillness. I like to give myself time to be and after a while (one to two weeks usually), I’m back and better.”

There are a few common scenarios in which someone may encounter a creative block—before, during or after the creative process.

Before: Let’s say you’re working on a presentation for a client and they give you one week to submit your deliverables. While you may have initial thought-starters, the pressure of submitting your work on a deadline may override your creative process and force you to complete the task without generating innovative ideas.During: Feeling blocked when you’re already in the creative process can be very challenging because you’re not necessarily sure if you should stop working on the project or continue. Often, being so focused on a singular idea can prevent you from leaving room for more creative thoughts.After: When you’ve completed a creative project, you’re definitely going to feel a sense of accomplishment. However, when it comes time for your next project, you may realize that you’re blocked after the fact and feel tapped out of ideas.

Any of these experiences can leave you feeling “stuck,” but like in Jaylynn’s experience, it is possible (armed with a bit of patience) to get rid of your creative block and get back to ideating.

Having to be creative when going through a creative block, especially when having a deadline, means spending copious amounts of time just staring at the computer waiting for that creative spark to hit and not knowing if or when it will happen.

And I don’t wish this on anyone.

— Racquel Coral (@Withloveracquel) April 28, 2022