Some time ago, I decided to commit myself to creativity. I’d love to share all my successes with you and tell you that every day was a delightful journey into my imagination. But quite frankly I did a better job of manifesting creative blocks!

Maybe, from the outside, it looked like I was in my creative flow. I’d illustrated a book cover, created a youtube channel and built sparkly new websites for clients. But to be truthful, the creative process was often laborious!

In fact, I could even say that my biggest success was learning the art of procrastination. It was as though my creativity was sitting on the couch saying “Why do something today that you can put off until tomorrow?”

Yeah, thanks for that little miss creativity. I thought the experience would be about unleashing my creative genius, not discovering my inner couch potato.

I tried to get the flow going. So I set a reminder to do something creative each day. I discovered all the pointless activities I could find to do instead!

If creativity includes discovering ways to not be creative then I mastered it. Truthfully, it felt like I was failing. And I didn’t know why.

The challenge with creativity is that it requires alignment. Call it flow, source, the universe or God. It doesn’t matter what term resonates. Taking an idea or concept and developing it into something tangible asks us to become a vehicle or conduit for that creative process.

What causes creativity blocks?

If we have creative blocks and are out of sorts or stuck in our thinking mind, we will procrastinate. We can’t be that channel. We block the flow.

So we have to get unblocked which is often easier said than done!

Because stuff gets in the way. Things like:

  • Mental blocks: You get trapped in your own thinking
  • Emotional problems: Dealing with past or current issues, hurts or trauma
  • Physical challenges: Problems with health or excessive tiredness
  • Overwhelm: The ever-increasing action list or inbox demanding attention
  • Resource shortage: Too little time or money… or both!
  • Inspiration struggles: A lack of ideas or motivation

If creativity isn’t flowing because of one of the above blocks, there may not be a quick-fix solution. And you may need to take steps to rectify the underlying problems. I could’ve probably ticked most (if not all!) of the above.

But that doesn’t mean you have to resolve everything in your life before you can experience creative flow. Sometimes the smallest steps can make a significant difference.

Small Steps to Overcome Creative Blocks

What could you do today that would invite more creativity into your life?

What comes easily to you? Are you a natural at doodles or a literary genius in 140-character tweets? Can you turn bunches of flowers into a wedding-worthy floral display or perhaps create a tasty meal out of ingredients lurking in the back of the cupboard. It doesn’t matter what your forte is. When it comes to creativity, it all counts.

Because creative energy builds upon itself!

My go-to place for creativity is art. Throwing some paint down on a page is an easy first step for me. Using colour is a great way to activate my creative mojo. It doesn’t have to be fancy and I don’t strive to create a masterpiece. I simply play. I think of art as my creativity home base. It gets me out of my thinking mind. And when colours are flowing, I become that open channel for inspiration.

What’s your creativity home base?

When you find it, start there! Switching first to a form that comes more easily will help you break through blocks. It opens you up. And once your inspiration is flowing, you can return to the areas that seemed more challenging. You’ll find you can carry the energy from home base into many other contexts. It is the best way I have found to deal with creative blocks.

(P.S. Want more tips to develop your creativity? I recommend watching this on Ted Talks)