You’re trying to get started on your next masterpiece, but you find yourself staring at a blank page, canvas, lump of clay, or computer screen feeling uninspired. Although you know no project comes together overnight, you’ve never gone this long without a sense of direction or idea. If you’re going to continue thriving as an artist, you know you have to do something, but you’re just not sure what that something is.

You’re Experiencing A Creative Block

If the scenario above sounds familiar, you’re experiencing a creative block. It’s best described as a prolonged inability to tap into your creative mind. Ultimately, something is blocking your inspiration. Before you assume that your career as an artist is over, you should know that this happens to everyone on occasion. Changes in your life or health result in a short-term blockage of your creativity. Fortunately, you can do something about it. Continue reading for suggestions.

Address Stress Or Trauma

Emotional changes in your everyday life can impact your creative ability. Although you may feel like you’ve pushed those things to the back of your mind, they fester in your subconscious and keep you off track. The only way to resolve your creative block is to address any stressful or traumatic issues that have happened recently. It could be something as simple as being up against a tight deadline to something more severe like losing a loved one.

Take the time to cope with these overwhelming feelings and find ways to manage them going forward. Resolutions might include setting better deadlines to give yourself more time to work, reducing your workload, or breaking large projects into smaller steps, so you’re not overwhelmed. If you’re dealing with something more serious, talking to a therapist or journaling can prove beneficial.

Take A Break

If you’re up against a deadline or simply anxious to create more artwork, the idea of taking a break may seem extreme. Be that as it may, sometimes, you have to walk away for a moment to get your bearings and reclaim your inspiration.

You can step out of the studio and enjoy a cup of hot or iced coffee while you read a book or watch something enjoyable on television. If being indoors is getting to you, stop working and go for a walk outside. The sunlight and fresh air can improve your mood, provide clarity, and give you the inspiration to start churning out masterpieces again.

Sometimes you need a more extended break. Schedule a vacation or find something simpler to work on for a while. When you take the focus off of what’s stressing you out (not being able to tap into your creativity), you’ll find that it’s easier to manage later.

Exposure To New Environments

When your life becomes a monotonous routine, it can be easy to feel uninspired and bored. You can shake things up and overcome a creative block by exposing yourself to different environments, people, and activities. Visit a museum or art gallery you’ve never been to, try completing work in the park, participate in community events, travel to another city or state, or hang out with other creative minds.

As you see and experience new things, people, and activities, you’ll find that there’s inspiration all around you. You can then use aspects of these experiences to create unique artwork. You have new emotions, images, and points of view to draw from, making things a lot easier.

There’s nothing like wanting to work on a project but not having the mental capacity to do so, especially if it goes on for more than a few hours. Unfortunately, fighting or ignoring it is impossible. While it may take some time to replenish your creative juices, there are ways to get the ball rolling. By using the suggestions listed above, you can overcome a creative block and find the inspiration you need to create something innovative.