
What is Creative Block?
You might refer to it as a barrier or a wall that gets in your way during your creative process. Others know it as a writer’s block or a creative rut. Regardless of what you prefer to call it, a creative block is simply the inability to access your own creativity–whether it be in terms of days, or even months. By definition, a writer’s block–similar to a creative block, is losing the ability to produce new work or to experience a creative slowdown. Many creatives, artists, and musicians have had stalled moments of creativity at some point in their careers.
It’s also very common to experience creative blocks when we’re going through difficult personal issues. A creative block can be triggered by depression, trauma, anxiety, or the death of a loved one. Self-doubt, rejection, and criticism might also be reasons for a creative rut.
Staring at random sentences can force your mind to connect disparate bits of information. This is a great way to jump-start your thinking and to break creative blocks. Click To TweetWith this in mind, everyone goes through creative blocks at least once in their life. It’s that moment where you have a blank canvas for hours past. Or when you keep staring at your computer screen and your design doesn’t go past a black line. For writers, these blocks can even last months! But everyone is different, and hence the ways to overcome such blocks will vary from person to person. Regardless, there are some excellent practices that just might work for all of us!
Breakthrough! and Spark your Imagination
In the book Breakthrough!: Proven Strategies to Overcome Creative Block and Spark Your Imagination there are at least 90 tips for overcoming a creative block. This book is a lively compilation of strategies for combating such blocks. It’s also super easy to read and great for taking notes! You will find tips offered by graphic designers, cartoonists, photographers, musicians, writers, and other creative professionals. And because all the creative blocks are different, you will find many different solutions. The tips mentioned below are excerpts taken from some of the compilations found in this excellent book.

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9 Creative Block Breakers from Breakthrough!: Proven Strategies to Overcome Creative Block and Spark Your Imagination
- Stare at a random sentence. Open a book and stare at a random sentence. By forcing your mind to connect to disparate bits of information, you’ll jump-start your thinking, and you’ll fill in blank after blank with thought, after thought. – Jessica Hagy, Writer
- Do the simple things. When I experience a creative block, I take long showers and clean my surroundings. If these don’t work, I go for a bike ride. – Ji Lee, Creative Director of Facebook
- Take notes constantly. Save interesting thoughts, quotations, films, technologies. The medium doesn’t matter, so long as it inspires you. – Aaron Koblin, Digital-media Artist
- Show up…again! Maybe it just takes showing up. Going back again and again to write, or paint, or sing, or cook. – Jamie Lidell, Musician
- Reboot. I eventually realized that when the block hits, I just need to calm down and try to restart my mind. A reboot, so to speak. – Chaz Russo, Graphic Designer
- Make a lot of mistakes. The more mistakes you make, the more you learn, the more you grow, and the more you evolve as an artist and person. – Tim Navis, Photographer
- Keep at it until you strike your own gold. I find putting yourself in workhorse mode–simply just keeping at it until you strike your own gold–can be the most rewarding way out of a creative rut. – Chuck Anderson, Artist
- Cambia de chip! A Spanish expression that translates to “change chip”, and it offers a fresh start, a new perspective, or a change in your way of thinking or state of mind. – Astrid Stavro, Graphic Designer
- Learn. Learning can be a great way to generate new ideas and to make sure you don’t overuse old ones. – Deru, Musician

Final Thoughts
We encourage you to never give up, and to keep bringing in some inspiration! Being inspired by others is also a great way to overcome a non-desirable creative rut. Here at Musa Creativa Magazine, we absolutely love all the inspiration we were able to get from this amazing book. We hope these tips shed some light for you, as they did for us.
So true about difficult personal issues leading to creative blocks. Though I didn’t recognize it at the time, I definitely got back my creativity after a divorce and depression. Some great ideas here. My go-to is to make mistakes. I find just letting myself try it and be OK with unsatisfying results allows me to iterate and get to a better result I’m happier with.
Totally agree with you! As creative beings, we have to definitely be okay with making mistakes. It’s really part of the whole process of being a Creative. Thanks for reading!
I love how you say keep at it until you strike gold. That is exactly how I do anything creative and I am glad to see others have to do the same. Creativity is extremely easy some days and very hard others.
Very true! Striking gold has its ups and downs, but the journey to get it is quite amazing.
Those blocks are real and I can go days without writing. Then my brain wakes up and I get some great writing in
That’s the best feeling–the ‘AHA’ moment after a creative block.
I hate when I get a creative block. Not fun! I’ll keep these in mind for sure. I think mistakes are important since they always teach you something.
Not fun at all. And mistakes are just the icing on the cake! We won’t get what we want without making a few mistakes.
It would be so wonderful to do something creative everyday! It must be a great book, hope to find it for myself, too! 🙂
Yes! It’s an amazing book!
I SO needed this today! I have been so creatively drained lately! I need to work on breaking through my creative block.
We’re glad you read our article today! Creative blocks are only temporary. You got this!
One of your tips that has helped me a lot and that is writing things down.
Yes!! Writing things down always helps!
I’m thankfully that my creative blocks tend not to last particularly long. I find that taking a break, doing something different then going back to the project can really help clear your mind ready to get back on with the work.
Absolutely! Going back as many times as needed it’s usually the key to break through a creative block.
Great tips to boost creativity and make things shine again. I used most of it to sparkle my studies too
Using these tips for studying is a great idea!
Bookmarking it for sure! I often go through mental blockage, I usually either change my routine or meditate. These are amazing options.
Meditation is one of our favorite things to do for EVERYTHING! We’re glad these tips are useful for you.
Actually these are really efficient ways, I do often face these blocks but I start small, the go for big, I keep on writing sentences and trust me, it helps!
Yes! Keep on writing! It always works to just keep going. 🙂
YES! I’ve been off and on struggling lately, but if I keep at it enough, a HUGE creative burst hits.
Keep at it! Your creativity will burst soon enough and we’re here to motivate you 🙂
Great tips! Numbers 2 and 5 often work best for me!
Doing simple things definitely helps. Thank you for reading!!