Creative Block Solutions: What Actually Worked for Me After Years of Trying
Creative block is real, and most advice about it is vague. Here are the specific solutions that broke my blocks, tested over years. Creative block is the experience of wanting to make art and being unable to, and it is one of the most frustrating things an artist can go through. The common advice, just draw through it, take a walk, try a new medium, is well-meaning but vague, and it did not help me when I was in the middle of a block that lasted months. After years of experiencing and recovering from creative blocks, I have identified specific solutions that actually worked for me, each addressing a different cause of the block. Here they are, organized by the type of block they address. Block Type One: The Blank Page Paralysis The blank page paralysis is the fear of starting, where the empty canvas is so intimidating that I cannot make the first mark. The cause is perfectionism, the sense that the first mark commits me to a direction that might be wrong. The solution that works for me is to make the first mark meaningless. I scribble on the page, draw a random shape, or write my name in the corner. More guides are on the Draw Perfect Blog.