Overcoming a long creative block

Hello Friends and welcome to my blog! 

Last summer a creative block knocked on my door. She is either a warmly

welcomed guest, or an invited one, but still, from time to time she appears and stays with me for a while. 

This time she was here for about half a year. 

Hello, it's me, Anna, a person behind this blog

A creative block is here when creation doesn’t feel so good any more. It can come with lack of inspiration, no motivation for doing things that once made us so happy. In the past few years I have been through several phases like that, some longer, some shorter, so by experience, I know it is only temporary. 

Some possible reasons that I think could cause it: 

• too much work and no time to rest

• continuous pressure for creation (can come from the outside or inside)

• burnout = feeling exhausted

All these three were present in my case. I finished a large picture book project (working every night on it for almost a year with no rest, but still, it was so worth it and I love the end result), and instead of just taking some weeks off of creation after finishing, day after the book went to the printer I already planned several self initiated projects for the upcoming months. I loved my daily drawing routine and didn’t feel like resting or stopping from it. 

I pushed myself through almost all of these projects within a few months. And from one day to another I was just unable to hold a pencil for drawing. I was just sitting in front of the white paper and felt that I cannot draw a single line. It also came with a fear of what I will do if not drawing. (I also just became pregnant with my second child.)

So after struggling and being down for some time (“fighting” nausea played a role in here too), I had to accept the fact, that I won’t be drawing for some time. 

So how to maintain art then? 

Now I’m in a lucky situation because I’m on maternity leave with first child and had no outside pressure for creating something new, no deadlines etc. 

So what I think is important here is to put the creative energy into something else. Because the energy is there just it needs to be invested differently. So here are some of the things I did: 

• started a new hobby: ceramics

• started to build my small print business: built a website, thought about little details like packaging, found a perfect printer

• created Instagram posts, reel videos (for example a creative series for DIY projects before Christmas)

• met my friends (actually I do this without the creative block too :)

• listened to tons of podcasts that were not about art

• did sports, cooked new foods, traveled, read books, hiked, walked

First ceramic creations :)

Finding new project that is motivating

I was on Holidays, there were celebrations, and I had a few days of reflecting on last year and thinking about what to do next in my creative life. And, magically, after half year of not wanting to draw, from one day to another, I just felt that I would love to sit down at my desk and create a new project.

I have a story written since 2 years about a moose who tries to find himself, and I thought this is the right time to start it. Finding a project that is inspiring, motivating and gives energy gave me a new start and a kick off. I’m happy and ready to sit back to my desk and start painting again in the nights. 

An image created in Sweden in a moose park

So I gave myself freedom not to draw, not to paint and doing completely different things have helped me to find the way back to drawing. Does that make any sense? 

My creative block has said see you later to me, and once again I’m happy to close the door behind her.