How to Overcome Your Creative Block
If you have been creating for any length of time, even a short while, you would have struck the pain of disappointment and the feeling of failure. Something has gone wrong. Your original song wasn’t received, your article was rejected again from the one publication that you wanted, or like me, your artwork completely flops and for no good reason.
So how do you cope with this feeling and how can you push through the disappointment of this moment of failure to arrive at your next brilliant idea? Here is my best solution to help you breakthrough a creative block and to empower your next idea -
Rip the problem to shreds.
Throw a fit, have a tantrum and start again.
You know you want to, so you may as well get it out of your system. Let all the frustration and disappointment go, scream, yell and throw something (preferably soft). It’s a very normal part of the creative process and everybody experiences this point on their journey to greatness.
Rip It To Shreds
Lee Krasner: Living Colour, Barbican Art Gallery, 30 May - 1 Sept 2019, Tristan Fewings/Getty Images (source)
Lee Krasner, an Abstract Expressionist painter (1908-1984), was painting at a time in history when women were not considered good artist purely because of their gender. Krasner pushed past the prejudice of her era to pursue her creative passion.
Krasner was no stranger to disappointment, and she even had periods when her paintings were scarped off the canvas so many times, that all the colours had turned to grey. Krasner’s first exhibition at The Betty Parsons Gallery was a failure in regard to painting sales. Dissatisfied with her collection of artwork, she painted over 12 of the 14 pictures that she had exhibited, and even used some for collage. But she would not give up.
The next series of paintings Krasner completed were black and white works on paper. Disappointed with the results, she took the paintings off the wall, tore them to shreds, and threw them on the floor. Disgusted with herself, Lee didn’t return to her studio for several weeks. However, when she did open her door, she was amazed at what she found.
Krasner walked in to her studio to find the torn drawings that she had left scattered on the floor. They were laid out in such an interesting pattern, and at that moment, her next brilliant idea was inspired. Lee developed her collage paintings from the torn drawings, and in 1955, she held an exhibition at the renowned Stable Gallery. From this show of artwork Lee Krasner received critical applause.
Just don’t give up. Refuse to quit and today’s failure may be the seed for tomorrows great achievement. You need resilience, bravery and a fresh perspective.
Know That You Are Enough
My Inheritance Exhibition, Square Edge Art Centre, 2019
When I first began to paint, I would get half way through the painting and it would become a huge mess. Something wasn’t working and it could have been the colour, composition, or both. I would throw myself on the ground and cry. I would declare how useless I was and vow to give up. I found it very hard to feel the emotions of failure; it would reinforce the belief that I was no good. It would rip at my insecurities.
As I kept creating, I learnt to accept that this experience was just a part of the creative process. It would always happen about halfway through the painting and I just needed to push on, this moment of frustration was to be expected. I had to ignore how the experience made me feel. I had to believe in myself and to determine to make the artwork successful. Emotions are like thoughts, as fleeting as the clouds. They can change often and swiftly.
You have to believe that you are enough. That you have got the goods and you can achieve the success you are looking for. When you are experiencing a creative block, it may appear that you have failed; but this is not an accurate depiction of who you are in your entirety. Get back up, push on, and be determined to overcome the feelings of failure and try again. It’s not over until you give up.
Then Move On
It is a very real experience to hate something you have just created. I have painted over many paintings and completely started again. The best solution is to feel the pain, embrace the agony, and then start again.
It doesn’t work to go around the problem. If I try to save the pieces of the painting that I think is working, and repaint around them, it will fall flat. Just let it go, completely. Maybe you can save that one paragraph, and maybe you can’t. Print out the offensive article or story and tear it to shreds, seriously, it is so incredibly therapeutic. Of course you can always return to the piece, if you have saved it, but you need to tear that sucker into a million pieces. Then start again.
Making mistakes is a vital part of the creative process. Have you arrived at your masterpiece? Or created the written piece that sets you apart and leaves a legacy for the next generation? If you haven’t, then you need to keep creating.
Get A New Perspective
In Blue, 1925, Oil on canvas, Wassily Kandinsky
Although the road leading to abstract painting was a process, Wassily Kandinsky had a moment of insight that propelled his ideas further down the creative path.
He came home one night, and finding a strange painting in his studio, he was taken by the beauty of the artwork. Kandinsky described the painting as unlike anything he had seen before, it had an extraordinary beauty that glowed with an inner radiance.
He was looking at one of his own paintings, which had been propped up against the wall, upside down. Unable to recognise the paintings subject matter, Kandinsky was captivated by what he perceived as a non-representational artwork and he went on to lead the way in developing abstract art.
Sometimes you need a different perspective. Start again with an alternative view, you may develop a whole new work of art when you do. Don’t be afraid to rework, or even destroy your creative project to make a better one. You might just find a whole new perspective.
Don’t Give Up
Have courage to use drastic action to push past difficult moments with your creative pursuits. If you are stuck at a creative block, rip the thing to shreds. Smash it and start again. You might be surprised with how this therapeutic solution will help you to move forward. Be brave and don’t give up. Your next brilliant idea is waiting on the other side of your tantrum.
Keep creating, Cheers Froyle
Froyle Davies
I’ve been a visual artist for over 25 years and now I tell my stories.
Let me inspire you with this beautiful free print, ‘Above the Stormy Waters.’
Cheers Froyle
