How to overcome creative block

There are days when you stand up, look at your brushes, palettes, and canvases, and you just… feel nothing. That feeling of emptiness squeezes your chest, as if everything you ever created was just a coincidence. I know that feeling all too well.

Many people think that creative block means “no ideas.” In fact, it often goes much deeper. It’s fatigue. It’s a drop in self-esteem. It’s pressure from self-imposed expectations to be a “good artist.”

How do you know you've been blocked?

For me, creative block manifests itself in different ways:

• I'm putting off painting until tomorrow. And then for another day.
• I started a new job, but after just a few brush strokes, I quit.
• I feel like everything I do is pointless or bad., nothing happens to me.

If you know these feelings, you're not alone. Every artist goes through them. But that doesn't mean they have to stay that way.

What helps me get out of a creative rut?

1. Creating a routine

I create a routine for myself, even when I don't want to. Why? Because creativity comes from the process, not from waiting for inspiration. It helps me if I set a specific time for myself when I will go to the studio – for example, every evening at 7:00 PM. Even if it's for 10 minutes, I will go there.

2. Work without expectations

Just draw a line. Mix two colors, see what happens. Don't show anyone, don't analyze, don't judge the quality. The day I paint just because I want to feel the paint on the canvas, is usually the day when the creative spark returns.

3. Warm-up studies

Small “warm-up” works are my salvation – quick, 10-15 minute explorations: color squares, abstract shapes, just the feel of the brushstrokes. They relieve the mind and take the stress out of big works.

4. Conversations with other artists

I've noticed that creative blocks often pass after talking to other artists - their enthusiasm, ideas, struggles and successes remind me that this is all a journey, not a destination. Sometimes 10 minutes is enough to get me excited to create again.

A good reason to overcome creative block? Go to classes or workshops.

It's not just a theory. I've noticed that when I go to for master classes, plein air or even just together for painting sessions, the creative block melts away. Why? Because:

✔ The environment is changing. New colors, a new canvas, different light, different people – it stimulates the brain.
✔ There is no room for perfectionism. In classes, you learn, experiment, and remember what it's like to be a student, not "the one who has to learn everything."
✔ Joy returns. Painting together reminds us that art is not just solitary work in a studio, it is also a community.

Why do we paint at all?

Painting is not just about creating beautiful images. It is our inner world coming out. And sometimes, when we feel empty, it is not a sign that creativity has left us. It is a sign that we need to renew ourselves – to rest, to regain strength, to seek new experiences, conversations and feelings, which will later turn into paintings.

In conclusion

If you're feeling stuck right now, Get up, open your sketchpad, draw at least a line Sign up for painting master class, which you have been watching for a long time, but haven't gotten around to. Go to classes – “Art Stop”, or “Out of the ordinary” to move out of creative stagnation. Every step is important. No one else will do it for you. And you already know – the moment you smell the paint and feel the brush stroke on the canvas again, you will understand why you need painting.