Scaling Creative Block

Inevitably as you try to bring a creative project into being, you come up against a wall. Something isn’t right. The initial spark is smoldering. You’re coughing from the smoke inhalation. A pernicious and persistent thought creeps into your brain “you could eat a pint of Ben and Jerry’s” “just give up.”

Honestly, sometimes that’s the right move. You’ve mined the initial idea and learned what you were supposed to. It’s not a failure because you grew and got better. I throw out experiments all of the time. Some manuscripts are good for that one line that might be better used recycled into something else further down the road.

Other times, you know there’s something on the other side of the wall. The idea is worth putting some crampons and belays in your pack and scaling the creative block. It’s good enough to keep going. But how?

Here’s one method I am using right now, on a project I’m not ready to give up on yet:

Usually, I find I’m stuck because I’ve tried the same solutions over and over and they are not yielding the result that the idea wants to become. I’ve got a round hole and all I’ve tried is the same 3 rectangle blocks. The direct and obvious solutions are snooze-fest-y and uncreative. The repetitiveness is maddening.

The internets have spawned a thousand classes and teachers. That’s great! Drawing a Blank is striving to be something different. I sometimes need to hear about how other creative people work, the thoughts that take flight in their studios, and the struggles they’ve overcome. Authentic. Honest. If that’s not for you, that’s ok. If it is, I’d love your support.

If direct and obvious solutions are not working, how can I unlock the good stuff? I make it “a game” designed to be playful, engaging, and decidedly not direct. It’s not meant to solve the problem but to get away from the sleepy solutions you’ve tried 351 times already.