Pushing through creative blocks
I’m going to level with you - I really don’t want to be writing this blog right now. 🙊
I’m sitting at my desk writing about pushing through creative blocks as an exercise in pushing through my own creative block, in real-time.
If you’re following along on the blog, you may remember that I decided to take a break from content creation for the summer. My plan was to take June and July off from blogging so that I could prioritize rest and recovery, and that I’d come back to blogging fully refreshed at the beginning of August.
That didn’t exactly happen as planned.
The summer break was fantastic. It felt awesome to spend more time with family and friends, more time reading and relaxing… when August 1st came around, I knew that I wanted to get back to blogging, but the practice of actually doing so seemed really daunting.
I had a lot of voices in my head that were being driven by perfectionism and fear. “What would I even write about after taking so much time off?!?”
The procrastination monster took over, and before I knew it, several weeks had gone by and I still hadn’t returned to the blog. The longer this went on, the more guilty I felt and the stronger my avoidance got.
Fortunately, I did get to the point where I was able to push through and start writing again (Here I am! Pushing through the block in real-time!). Here are some of the strategies that helped me:
Make a list. Then re-think the list. I love list-making, and sometimes it can be super helpful for working through blocks. But not always! In this case, I made and kept a list of all the things I wanted to do when returning to blogging, including going back and writing the blog that I should’ve published two weeks ago. Re-thinking my list helped me to see that having two blog posts on there was just adding to my overwhelm. Crossing the missed blog off the list felt like a big push through my perfectionism!
Talk it out. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, you might also feel a strong desire to hold it all in and not let anyone know. There’s vulnerability in admitting that you’re struggling with perfectionism and procrastination! But it can also be really helpful to talk it out with someone. In my case, I talked to a coach about it. She was able to help me work through my creative block and brainstorm strategies to push through it.
Start small. Like really, really small. Open up the blank document and save the file. Put a title at the top of the page. Get out a blank piece of paper. Think of the minimum smallest thing you can do to get started on the thing you feel blocked on, and do it. It makes the barrier to keep going so, so much smaller.
Lower your standards. Procrastination and perfectionism really do go hand in hand. What unnecessary standards are you holding yourself and your work to? What would it look like to lower or re-evaluate those standards?
Check in with your values. Ask yourself, what would it look like to be guided by my values right now? For me, authenticity emerged as the most important value I want to be guided by in writing my blog. Being guided by authenticity means that I can approach this as a real person, someone who is actively working through procrastination and perfectionism and that I don’t have to always do things perfectly. Being authentic is more important than doing things perfectly.
I hope this helps you the next time you’re working through a creative block. Know that I’m right there with you in it! We can’t control when creative blocks will come up, but we can try some strategies to push through them.
