4 Reasons Your Creativity Is Blocked… & What To Do About It

Many of us started out our lives brimming with creativity; indeed, it’s a state that comes naturally to children as they use their imagination to help make sense of the world around them. Imaginative play when we are young also helps us to explore our emotions, ideas, social roles, and relationships in a safe space. 

However, the pressures of adulthood often cause us to push our creativity to one side or lose touch with it. Whether you are in a creative career, or aspire to work on creative projects such as writing, painting or making music in your own time, a common problem is creative block. 

This can be a frustrating state to be in, and it can lead to a negative thought spiral that makes you question whether you will ever have the ability to create again. The good news is, there are effective and practical strategies for tackling this state of mind.  

Here’s a look at some of the common causes of blocked creativity, and how to get yourself back into a state of flow. 

You are waiting for inspiration to strike

A popular myth is that creativity is a mysterious force that strikes at random when we are on a boring train journey or staring out the window on a rainy day. However, sitting around waiting for inspiration to strike will lead to a lot more frustration and wasted time: creativity is an active, not a passive process. 

Even if you do wait for an occasional idea to strike, chances are that you will heap so much pressure and expectation on yourself that you will be disappointed with the results of your creative efforts. You were expecting a masterpiece that would set the world alight, and what you have is a first version of a possibly good piece of work. 

Art isn’t created in a vacuum, so get on with the business of living. Go for a walk with your camera or sketchbook if you want to paint; write a journal each night if you want to be a writer; go to gigs if you want to be a musician. Step out of your comfort zone and do all of these things and more. 

Motivation follows action, not the other way around. The most important thing is that you are focused and engaged with something, rather than doing nothing except listening to your inner critic. 

You make creative U-turns

Being creative can make us vulnerable, and risks criticism or rejection. This can be painful when we have poured our heart and soul into a piece of work. It can stop us from creating at all, or lead us to make U-turns and flee back to a comfort zone when we feel too vulnerable. 

To get past this, understand that creativity takes courage, and learn how to deal with constructive criticism, and dismiss what is deliberately hurtful or negative. Focus on creating work for your own enjoyment or self-expression, and avoid over-analysing every comment. 

Your expectations are too high

Sometimes, we can be labelled a ‘creative person’, which should be a compliment, but it can also become a source of pressure. This is particularly true if you have received some recognition for your past work, and become afraid that your new work won’t make the same impact.

To get past this roadblock, stop focusing on the end result of your work, and just let yourself have fun on the journey. Get back to what you loved to do when you were starting out; doodles of the cat; silly poems; whatever. Just create something for fun, and don’t put it online or show it to anyone else. 

Take small steps along the way without worrying about the destination. This will help you to start playing around with ideas again, and maybe a more substantial work will naturally follow. 

You have mental overload

Juggling the demands of adult life can take a toll on our energies and emotional state, and this can leave us too drained or numb and disconnected for creative work. Go easy on yourself, and have realistic expectations about what you can achieve. Let go of the guilt and deal with whatever you’ve got going on first. 

If you have a complex emotional or psychological issue that you are struggling with, you may benefit from a course of Internal Family Systems Therapy to help you recover and reconnect with your emotional and creative side.