When I first set the goal of posting new artwork every day for 365 days, a big hurdle in front of me was how would I think of content every day? At most I had a handful of words and phrases in my mind, but nowhere near what I needed for a full year.
Over the course of the year I worked out a process that helped me to keep up with the ongoing demand for ideas. Once I reached the final day of the challenge I thought, “I’ve managed to finish my entire year-long challenge, surely I will never again have a problem coming up with ideas”. And that’s when the funk hit.
My mind was blank, I couldn’t come up with any ideas, and inexplicably nothing felt right. I couldn’t believe after navigating an entire year of creating artwork, suddenly the well was dry.
For the remainder of this post I would like to share some of the things I did to navigate this recent creative block.
Expect Funks to Happen Periodically
No artist is immune to hitting a rough patch. I think what makes it more difficult is when we either deny that it’s happening or we make it into a bigger deal than it needs to be.
Denying is telling yourself the story that “true creatives” don’t experience funks; therefore, I won’t acknowledge that I’m struggling. But you can’t change something you’re unwilling to acknowledge. So don’t put that kind of pressure on yourself.
On the other end of the spectrum, don’t go down the path of doubt, thinking “I must be a creative imposter” and it has has finally caught up to me.
When you recognize that everyone experiences slumps, it helps you to keep perspective and embrace that you’re just walking through a rough patch.
Check in with What You Need
Make space to see what is going on with yourself.
Are you just tired?
Are you trying to do too much?
Or are you neglecting to take care of yourself?
Maybe you need to set aside time to simply play rather than feeling like you have to “produce”.
It’s always a good idea to do a little inventory of what is going on inside you in order to determine what is really needed.
Reach out for Help
After acknowledging that I was in a funk, I reached out to a few people to get a reality check in order to stay grounded, rather than getting overwhelmed by the creative block. Do whatever you need to do — meet up for coffee, make a phone call, or post in forums that you are active in.
The bottom line is do not isolate yourself. Don’t walk through tough spots on your own. You don’t have to bare your soul to everyone and anyone on social media, but connecting with a few trusted friends or setting up a pep talk or two can really help a lot.
Lean into the Funk
Rather than trying to get yourself out of the funk, sometimes you just need to feel it and lean into it. One of my posts this past week (Can’t Focus) came directly out of how I was feeling that day.
I spent the entire afternoon trying to think of what I should create, but nothing would come to mind. Rather than denying the reality of how I felt, I chose to make it the focal point of the artwork.
Based on the response that I got, I think people really appreciated the honesty of the post.
So there’s a few things to keep in mind when you are in a creative funk. I would love to hear what additional things you have found helpful and how you choose to navigate those rough patches as an artist.
Leave a Reply