The Myth of Creative Block: Why Waiting for Inspiration is Holding You Back
Written by Plymouth Culture’s Creative Columnist Pete Clayton.
I had started and restarted this piece a few times, which is kind of apt as this month's article is about creative block. Yes, I had gotten myself in a proper rut over the last couple of weeks! Call it writers block or creative block, the problem wasn’t that I couldn’t do it. The problem was that I kept putting it off, thinking that I couldn’t do it. Today though, I’m tackling it again with a different mindset and that’s to just do it already. Somewhere between my first attempt earlier this month and now, I was reminded of a quote from the well-known artist Picasso where he said, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
Fairies and flow states
I’ll admit that I do forget this quote from time to time and forget myself and my capabilities. I do think sometimes though inspiration can find you when you’re not working. It’s rare, but it can happen.
Still, waiting for inspiration to strike doesn’t help when I have a deadline or a quick turnaround job to do. In these situations I need to dig deep, research and do the work so the “inspiration fairy” can sprinkle its magic dust over my brain. As much as I love fairy tales, the folklore of them may or may not be total fantasy. Real or not, I do believe in the very real magic of the creative flow state. The creative flow state is a beautiful and exciting place to be in. For me, it’s similar to when you’re in the zone whilst running. Your adrenaline kicks in and you can feel like you can run nonstop for hours. It’s almost that, except I’m usually illustrating sitting down on my backside and the only thing moving is my hand. The point is though, without starting your run with a few steps and building up momentum, you’ll never get that natural hit of adrenaline. Similarly, without me beginning to put pencil to paper I will never get into that flow state. So just start and stop holding yourself back.
Get your environment just right
The flow state is where the real magic happens. For me I usually need to get my environment sorted before I begin. This usually involves tidying or at least ordering my desk, putting on some light jazz music and making myself a large black coffee. Once these things are in place I then pick up my creative tools and some blank paper and I begin. First and foremost this means reading the brief, researching and making thumbnails as I go. Usually one idea leads to another and before I know it I’m in the zone and in an exciting state of flow which I find very hard to get out of. It’s always a good day when I get there.
If you’re struggling to get anywhere, maybe switch up your environment? Most days I work in a collaborative studio space, but if I finish one brief and need to work on something else I will invariably go home to work on the new thing. This changes my mindset and environment enabling me to think differently and approach things with fresh eyes. Always work from home? Maybe try and work from a coffee shop or coworking space? Even get yourself to a museum or art gallery and not work for an hour, revisiting your brief with a clearer head.
Get out of your way
Whatever hang-ups you have about starting a new brief or feeling a bit creatively flat, just get out of your way and try to think of creative block as a myth. Don’t listen to its critical monologue. It’s an idiot. It will fill you with fear, make you feel like an imposter and you’ll never get started. Creative block doesn’t exist, it isn’t really real and it can’t hurt you. Just start. Change up your environment, put on some jazz (or whatever is your thing), make your favourite drink of choice and get to it. Remember… It’s just a myth.
One caveat to all this though is if you are feeling like you’re about to burn out, then please rest. Look after yourself first and foremost. If you aren't feeling the burn, then try to remember the fun you’ve had in the past when creating. This is usually a big driver for me in building up momentum to the flow state. I often think how much I can't wait to nail a brief and come up with something special.
Happy creating folks and don’t forget to have fun.
