15 Tips to Overcome Creative Blocks & Blank Page Syndrome to Reignite Your Creativity

Read time 5 mins

Blank page syndrome is when you stare at the paper and have no idea where to start. The inability to access your internal creativity is lacking, and the overflowing well of inspiration you always relied upon has dried up. 

Blocks can last for hours, days, weeks or even longer, depending on the reasons for them happening. Short-term blocks are a normal part of the creative process. However, long-term blocks of weeks and months can be caused by stress felt in other areas of your life that, unbeknown to you, has been carried into your creative practice without realising it. 

When creative blocks appear, they can trigger negative internal self-talk with a not-good-enough mindset, including self-doubt, uncertainty, and automatically putting yourself down. Worse case scenarios can play out in your mind, such as 'No one will like my ideas', 'It won't ever be as good as my last work', or 'I can't do this' or ‘There better than me'. 

The main thing is not to be so hard on yourself, as beating yourself up about it isn't going to help and only builds upon the internal pressure to get started you're already feeling. 

Knowing that the lack of inspiration will probably happen at the beginning of a project and accepting it as part of your creative process helps. If you plan time for creative blocks, you won't be sabotaged and taken by surprise when it does. 

When I worked as a freelance children's book illustrator, I knew that the first day or two of a new project could be frustrating and full of doubt that I could do it. The inner critic would go into overdrive. I knew I had to sit with the uncomfortable feelings and keep trying, as I didn't want to disappoint the client.

So, take your foot off the accelerator, slow down, breathe, and relax. In other words, do the opposite of what the fear is driving you to do, which is panic! Creativity flourishes when you are in a physically and mentally relaxed state. When you are physically relaxed, you become mentally relaxed, resulting in your mind having more neuroplasticity and flexibility. Flexibility equals new possibilities thinking, which leads to idea generation. The very thing you are searching for.

HERE ARE 15 TIPS TO HELP OVERCOME CREATIVE BLOCKS AND UNLOCK YOUR IDEAS

ONE:
Be prepared before you start by looking at work you find inspiring beforehand, like your old sketchbooks or your inspirational Pinterest board.

TWO:
Create a work environment suited to your personality that encourages your creativity with lighting, scents, music, temperature and, of course, your favourite snacks!

THREE:
Try to fall in love with the blank page. Be curious about what might emerge, and turn the fear into excitement and wonder.

FOUR:
Let go of perfection. Think of the blank page as a rough draft to ease your way into the creative flow.

FIVE:
Look at the objects around you and create stories about them. You could write, draw, or paint the narrative.

SIX:
Look for random connections between things.

SEVEN:
Give yourself some constraints, i.e. colour, subject matter, tools, and media. Too much freedom of choice can become overwhelming. Creativity loves constraints.

EIGHT:
Do warm-up exercises to stretch those creative muscles before the main event.

NINE:
Leave a piece of work unfinished to give you a starting point the next time. 

TEN:
Take part in an art challenge. Either challenge yourself or find a community to join. 

ELEVEN:
Just scribble and doodle and see what comes up. Give yourself 3 minutes, then see how you can push that doodle further.

TWELVE:
Work quickly. Do 100 mini sketches in 30 minutes, giving you 30 seconds each for each drawing to help you let go of thinking and go with your intuition. See what transpires. By working quickly, you side-step your thinking brain with its shoulds and musts and start to go with the flow.

THIRTEEN:
Take a break to recharge and feel refreshed, i.e. doing something different or just for fun can help.

FOURTEEN:
Curate an inspirational sketchbook with your favourite bits of paintings or drawings. Maybe areas of the work that you like but didn't work as a whole. Collect colour palettes, marks, and sketches that you are drawn to. Over time your preferences, style, and themes will start to emerge.

FIFTEEN:
Free yourself from expectations and create as if no one is watching you and no one will ever see your work.

ASK YOURSELF, is it a creative block or is it boredom with the work you are creating? Does your work no longer hold your interest and you are yearning for something new or a need to feel challenged again to grow and develop as an artist?

Always remain hopeful that inspiration will return. If you expect it to, it will. All you may need is a bit more self-patience and fortitude to push through, as the block may have emerged due to you stepping out of your comfort zone, so welcome it!