Liberating Creativity: Strategies to Overcome Creative Blocks

All artists encounter difficult times in their careers, and I am no exception! These issues often range from boredom and overwork to external life factors that influence our practice. Whether internal or external, we all need ways to relax and reignite our passion, and the best way I have found to do this is through play.

We often think we have no time to play as artists, as we are so busy working on the project at hand. But I believe this thought comes from the pressure we put on ourselves as artists to succeed. We feel we need to prove ourselves in this incredibly difficult career choice. In doing so, we can lose sight of the real reason we do what we do: because we love creating.

So why not allow ourselves to revisit that childlike love and wonder of creating through play to liberate our creative soul? You may not believe me, but I have found that these little moments of play can lead to the most wonderful new ideas as well as reset the body as a whole.

In this blog, I will talk about the two main strategies I use to overcome creative blocks through play: Studio Warm-ups and Side Projects.

Studio Warm-Ups

I find that a 15 minute warm-up before settling down to a studio session works really well. It is tempting to just get straight down to work, but like any other part of our body, the creative brain needs a little stretch. A creative warm-up helps focus hand-eye coordination and gets my body moving. (In fact, a little neck and shoulder stretch is appropriate here too - sitting or standing comfortably at work is imperative!).

I put the radio on, keep a cuppa on standby, and I get my paints and brushes ready for the day.

I have an old MDF painting board propped up on the easel for warm-ups, and it gets painted over and over just for this purpose. I take a few deep breaths and I begin. Using the paint and tools I am already using for the piece I am currently working on, I daub, scratch out and generally use large paint strokes to engage my eyes and hands. I paint shapes and lines using my whole body. It feels good and the mark-making feels free and intuitive.

Sometimes, if I am feeling a bit low for whatever reason, I use scrap heavy paper on a board on my desk. In these cases I use bright colours and metallics in ink, paint and charcoal. The colours stimulate my brain. The richness and gleam of the shimmering gold and rich colours are exciting and playful, and just the wake-up I need.

I don't keep many of the warm-ups, but a few years ago I did a series of warm-ups based on the colours of British garden birds. I kept these as I liked them so much.

When I am moving paint around using gestural mark-making, life melts away and I relax. When I stop, I take a few minutes, drink my cuppa and mentally prepare to get down to the main studio work, then I feel ready to start the studio session.

The Side Projects

Side projects may seem separate from the main body of work, but they are inevitably linked by style and inspiration. I find side projects really beneficial if I am stuck on a painting, or need a break from the intensity of studio work. Doing other things that are related to my art practice gives me head space so I can recharge and reset.

I often find that the distance away from the easel has a miraculous effect. My brain seems to do a lot of subconscious sifting, sorting and filing away, which always results in a solution. That's not to say problems can't be fixed while working at the easel, but there is a time and a place for both scenarios. The wisdom is in recognising which path to take to solve it: stay and battle with it, or take time out.

My side projects come in many forms. In early 2024 I set myself a 30 day mark-making challenge to get myself fired up again to get into the studio after Christmas. Because the challenge was to simply turn up for 30 minutes a day, I didn't feel pressured. Instead I felt inspired and couldn't wait to get into the studio to do my daily mark-making! I saw it as play, but in the process of doing the whole challenge I felt I learned so much. It gave me a chance to ease back into a new body of work and it helped me loosen up in my painting processes.

Towards the end of the 30 day challenge, I started using acrylic inks, which in turn prompted me to start to experiment with them on claybord. This was the birth of the nest series. I used watercolour and inks, and the scratching tools that create such delicate marks into the clay surface. I would never have started the nest series if it hadn't been for the 30 day mark-making challenge.

I loved this side project and I will do some more. It gave me such a boost in confidence and truly allowed me to play whilst creating lovely work. I hadn't intended it to be anything I could keep, frame or sell, but frame them I did and I've had wonderful feedback. The different medium played a large part in the results - the freedom to produce something so pleasing to the eye was a magical outcome.

This year my side project is watercolour painting. I am revisiting watercolour because I am back to designing workshops for teaching. I have been out of teaching for a few years, and I have missed it. Because I learned so much through studying watercolour myself before I became a professional artist, I want to give back by teaching to others this wonderful medium. The things I learned have really influenced my studio work in acrylic. The enjoyment I get from teaching reignites my passion for colour and paint.

These periods of allowing free expression in another project can run from 2 days to several months, depending on what it is. So, a lot of the time the projects can run alongside my studio work after some time out, which gives me a continual outlet for experimentation. The result is an improvement in my well-being, personal development and increased motivation. I find new ideas through the play time, and also ways to solve problems in my main work, returning to it refreshed, clear-minded and full of creative energy again.

Other Ways to Work Through Creative Blocks

In this blog I have only discussed the two main ways I deal with creative blocks. But I have used other ways, like taking courses or workshops, which can unleash creativity by learning new things. Taking on a new learning experience doesn't have to be directly related to your studio practice either, because any learning and experimenting will have a positive effect on your work. Any study can breathe new life into your mindset, which will in turn increase your skill and productivity.

Other ways are:

• Take a walk - walking can help your brain subconsciously solve problems creatively while you take in the scenery

• Change up your routine - start earlier/later or work in a different place

• Read/listen to a blog - pick a subject you love

• Visit a gallery or museum - seeing other work can be inspiring

• Write it down - explore the problem and then write about all the positive things in your life

• Talk to a friend - a like-minded artist can help you reflect and trigger a solution

Whatever happens, remember getting stuck is only temporary. Listen to your inner artist, be gentle with it, and remember to play.

Do you have ways to overcome creative blocks?

Feel free to comment below.

Ok, that's all for now.

Back soon

Debs x