3 Common Culprits for Writer’s Block
When we think about writer’s block, it can be easy to imagine that motivation or inspiration simply hasn’t found us yet; there are even cultures and belief systems that view inspiration as an elusive muse that comes in and out of our life. In Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear”, she portrays inspiration as an entity that sometimes visits us when we show up to do the work and taps us on the shoulder with an idea. This is one way of thinking about inspiration and creativity. But what if I told you that you didn’t need to take a passive backseat in your writing/creative process; that simply waiting for inspiration or creativity to spark was not only unproductive but actually could actually be reinforcing the barriers to creative writing to begin with? By identifying and being aware of these barriers, we can dismantle them and remove the blocks to the creativity we all have within us. Below are 3 common culprits in erroneous thinking that could be fueling your writing blocks:
All-or-Nothing Thinking
Do you often struggle with all-or-nothing thoughts? It’s the tricky paradox of feeling that we need to do things perfectly, or not at all. This can also be associated with perfectionism traits, and can stymie any momentum or initiative that boosts and fosters creativity. Aside from just being plain unrealistic, when we feel shut in by feeling that something should be perfect, that puts us in “fight or flight,” otherwise known as "survival mode.” Creativity and survival mode don’t fare well together, fortunately for us. When we lean into safety, and allow ourselves room and permission to make mistakes, that is where both safety and creativity flourish.
Stuck in “Lack of Motivation”
Motivation is a glorified concept; like we often do with inspiration, it can feel tempting to keep putting off your writing or creative project because you are “waiting to feel motivated.” Motivation is great, don’t get me wrong, but it’s like an unreliable friend that is the life of the party when they show up, but when they don’t up, well, it can leave you feeling frustrated and resentful. The truth is, we don’t always feel motivated, and that’s okay. It’s not a character flaw or a sign of laziness, and it is definitely not a prerequisite for creativity. Instead of prioritizing motivation, let’s focus on action. By doing even just one thing in service of your project (i.e. opening the Word doc, starting the storyboarding process, putting your work desk in order, etc.), you can break the inertia associated with lack of motivation and, paradoxically, increased motivation might come in as a result.
Not Knowing Your “Why”
Creative projects and writing projects can take weeks, months or years. For those of us who like to have that immediate positive feedback, vague or uncertain timelines, as well as stressors associated with the journey can lead us to feeling disheartened and demoralized. We can easily get lost in the weeds of self-doubt, perfectionism, avoidance and fear of being seen in the world when we put our creative work out there. Knowing the reason why you started in the first place is SO important to keeping the creative flame going (this flame by the way, naturally goes in and out, and its natural to need to “re-light” it along the way). The next time you are stuck in a creative block, ask yourself what is your “why”, because regardless of the outcome, our “why” is the reason we are able to keep going.
Replacing rigid thoughts with self-compassion thoughts create the necessary safety within us to explore our creative potential; feeling stuck in inertia can lead to a breakthrough if we decide to take that one small step, not matter what direction its in, as long as its forward; knowing our values and what’s important to us can help anchor us down to do the necessary work. We are all born creative, and often the work is to remove the self-imposed barriers and learned behaviors that can keep us stuck. Happy writing!