How to Break Through a Creativity Block

For artists and writers, creativity blocks can be a nightmare. After all, generating ideas and finding inspiration is one of the building blocks of their art. While working on a project, to suddenly develop a creativity block can be frustrating and discouraging. There are several ways you can break through this block to continue the process of creation.

For writers, the blank page can be daunting. To sit in front of your computer or with your notebook, you may find your mind going blank. One way to defeat this is to simply write. Write about your day. Write about what's on the radio. Freewrite about whatever comes to mind. You'll discover your mind will break off with ideas that you didn't even realize were there.

Another way to break through these blocks is to take a break. If you find that you simply cannot figure out where to go next with your story, what subject to paint about, what article to write about, etc, then put it away for a day. Go back to it the next day with a fresh mind and you'll find a different way to approach it.

Maintain an idea journal. If you are commuting to work and have a sudden moment of genius, write it down to use it later. If you have an article idea, jot it down to write it later. Ideas don't just come to us at a specific time. They are generated in the shower, mowing the lawn, working, even dreaming. If you wake up in the middle of the night with an idea, jot it down then go back to sleep.

Ask for help. Sometimes the solution to the problem simply needs another perspective. Ask a friend or loved one for their perspective on the problem. They may come up with a solution that you never would've considered.

In the end, ask yourself if you are just procrastinating. If so, why? There are many reasons that people block themselves; fear of failure, fear of criticism, and low self confidence are just a few reasons that people self sabotage themselves. You may find that you need to figure out what exactly it is that is blocking you and then come up with ways to deal with it. Take away all distractions from your work. Then you can follow through with your project unhindered to create that masterpiece that you have waiting inside you.