Ebbs and Flows: Moving Through Creative Block

No matter how far into my creative journey I get, I am periodically reminded that the road is not linear. I've created things years ago that I love more than some of the things I've made this year; I've been humbled by new techniques even when I feel experience in the medium; and I've fallen into and out of inspiration over the years more times than I can count. And that last one - it can be really tough when you identify as an artist and a creator, to be in a period where you feel like you just don't have ideas.

I want to be clear here: I believe in the power of rest, and I don't think that anybody needs to prove their worthiness by creating something. You are valuable because you exist, not because of what you create.

That said, there are many reasons a person might want to move through creative block. Sometimes, we have rested all we can and we are burning to create, but the ideas are just not flowing. Sometimes we know that making will help us process heavy things we are going through, like loss and grief, no matter how unmotivated we might feel. And sometimes, your gut just knows that it's time to get back into the swing of things.

In these instances, then, where we have the means and the will to create, but it just isn't translating into a project - what can we do? In the years that I have spent with creativity ebbing and flowing to and from me, I have picked up a handful of tricks that help me, and that I hope will help you too.

1. Keep yourself accountable. I have a large audience who have come to expect regular new material from me, as well as the Sashiko Stitch Club, who have been promised a new stitch every month - these commitments drive me to keep creating, even if I don't feel as inspired as I might like to. While your accountability might not look quite the same, there are lots of things that you can do to "start before you're motivated," as it were.

• Give yourself a deadline. I find it helps to put not only the deadline in my phone, but also a reminder a few days before the deadline so that it lights the fire under me.
• Tell a friend. I have a couple of friends I can chat to about all my creative endeavours, and they support me like good friends do. This does mean that if I tell them in the morning that I plan to do some stitching today, they'll be asking to see pictures of what I've finished by the end of the day!
• Make an event of it. I have a friend who decided she wanted to paint more, so she booked herself a show at the local gallery - not only did having to pay for the space help keep her accountable, so did knowing that there would be people wanting to see her pieces. Of course, you don't have to take it to this extreme; you could plan a potluck art show at your home where people bring a dish to share and a piece of art they made to show off, or even just plan an artsy date with some friends so you make sure to carve out the time to make.

2. Give yourself constraints. It might sound a little counterintuitive at first to narrow your field of vision, but have you ever heard of analysis paralysis? When we have too many choices, it gets harder to make a decision. By giving ourselves constraints, we narrow down our choices, making it easier to commit to a decision.

Often when I am feeling stuck, I like to pull out my deck of Mindfulness and Inspiration Prompt Cards, which have prompts for art mediums, question cards, shapes, colours - all kinds of little boundaries I can use to give my making brain a little nudge. You could purchase or make cards for yourself, or I've also seen people:

• Turn to a random page in a book and use that as your inspiration
• Choose a random colour to use from a box of coloured pencils (you could grab a random bobbin of floss for stitching)
• Pick a random sticker from their collection (you could choose a random fabric scrap)

You could use any combination of these techniques, or let them inspire you to make up new constraints or boundaries.

3. Output requires input. When I first started to share my art with the world, I remember feeling a little afraid of looking at other people's work - like I was worried that their ideas would slip into my own art, and I wouldn't be original anymore. Since then, I have learned that even if, as you may have heard, "there are no original ideas," the way we portray those ideas with the influence of our own perspective is almost always going to be totally unique. Not only that, but pieces of art can be in conversation with one another, inspiring new ideas and building on them in a way that feels good for everyone.

Now when I am feeling a little creatively fallow, I try to remember that sometimes we leave a field unplanted for a season so it can replenish its resources. If I feel like I have put all of my ideas out into the world, then perhaps it is time to take something in and replenish my own resources. Only then will something new be able to sprout.

 ^{Taking in inspiration at the Venice Biennale 2024}

The next time you are feeling a little frustrated in your creative process, I hope you are reminded that while the journey isn't exactly linear, it does trend roughly upward; there is more to look forward to. Rest up, and when it's time to put needle to fabric once again, give one or two of these tricks a try. I'm sure you'll make magic!

And if you feel you need some creative input, I invite you to follow me over on Instagram, where I share glimpses of what I'm working on as well as project photos from community members.