Creative Block

From time to time we all get stuck when we are doing something creative. “Creative block” is a metaphor for being stuck, but to think of it as a blockage is unconstructive. Most creative people agree that the best way to overcome a creative block is to create. Creating something new always means moving away from your comfort zone and trying something new. To be creative and to produce work that the world will see takes courage. Here are some thoughts on the creative process and getting stuck and unstuck.

Writing about writer’s block is better than not writing at all. — Charles Bukowski

If you hear a voice within you saying, “You are not a painter,” then by all means paint, boy, and that voice will be silenced, but only by working. — Vincent van Gogh

Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. You cannot intellectualize creativity. You can think about something before or after — but not during. — Ray Bradbury

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. — Maya Angelou

Most artists have experienced the creative block. We get stuck in our work. We beat our head against the wall, and eventually, the wall will yield. Perseverance, and faith in the impossible task are essential ingredients. — Lukas Foss, composer, pianist, and conductor

Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself. — Chuck Close, visual artist and photographer