I Hit a Creative Wall in December

Here’s what I did to move past it.

Throughout 2020, I saw many posts and tweets from creative people who shared how they were struggling. Though they make their living writing or painting or designing, they felt empty. They didn’t have anything left to share with their audience. I felt for them but couldn’t relate to them. For some reason, even in the middle of the pandemic and lockdowns, I didn’t experience a decrease in my writing output. In fact, I wrote more in 2020 than I did in 2019.

For some reason, I didn’t struggle like I thought I was going to.

My creative streak lasted until the last two weeks in December 2020. That’s when it all came to a screeching halt. Luckily, I schedule out my blog posts so I was able to continue posting consistently. But I didn’t feel a desire to create. I didn’t have any more words left. I couldn’t make myself sit down at my computer and write anything.

Suddenly, I knew exactly how those creatives I follow felt for most of 2020.

The uncomfortable truth is that our creativity will wane during certain seasons of our lives. Though it’ll look a little different for each of us, we all will experience moments where our creativity seems to have dried up. What was once simple, fun, and easy becomes excruciating — like pulling teeth.

So what do you do when your creativity dries up?

Here’s what I did. Because we’re all so different, I don’t expect my steps to work perfectly for you, but I hope this will spark some ideas in you. Hopefully, you’ll identify a couple of positive steps you can take the next time you find yourself dreading creating.

Be Honest With Yourself

This might seem like a no-brainer, but I sometimes struggle to honestly acknowledge where I’m at. I like to be successful. I pride myself on what I’m able to accomplish. If for some reason, I can’t be a success, I will at least appear to be one. This can make it difficult for me to acknowledge the hard truths when I’m in a bad spot.

In December, it took me a week to finally slow down and be honest enough with myself to acknowledge my struggle. I was banging my head against the proverbial wall for a whole seven days before I finally was self-aware and honest enough to identify that there was something wrong. There was no way for me to move forward creatively until I was able to recognize what was going on around and within me.

Be Patient and Gracious with Yourself

I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes while typing that particular heading. Though it sounds cheesy, I think patience and grace for yourself are really important.

I’m the queen of “powering through.” If I have a deadline (imposed by me or someone else), I am likely to get the work done even if I have no energy or nothing left to give. But that doesn’t always lead to my best work. When I know I need to be writing or creating something and I feel zapped, I can be rude to myself and talk down to me in a way that I wouldn’t tolerate from anyone else. This also doesn’t do me any good when it comes to writing.

Creative endeavors are laborious. They take time and an immense amount of energy. They require patience. Sometimes we have to go slower than we would like and that’s okay. Instead of holding ourselves to unrealistic standards, what if we gave ourselves a little grace when we need it?

Engage in Life-Giving Activities

So much of the creative process involves getting ideas and inspiration from other sources. 2020 was a weird year for creatives because we weren’t able to get out and do the normal things we do to be inspired. It definitely forced me to change my rhythms, which I think helped me in the long run.

One of the most life-giving practices I adopted in 2020 was taking daily walks. The act of getting out of my apartment, moving my body, and being in the sunshine has helped me tremendously.

Part of the reason why those last two weeks of December were so difficult for me was that it finally got cold here in Texas and I couldn’t go for my daily walks. One of the most life-giving practices has been taken away from me, so I’ve had to try other things.

If you’re feeling like your creative well is dry, what’s something that’s life-giving that you can do?

Read a book Watch a movie Cook a meal Color or draw Write a letter Clean your house Purge your closet Take a nap Arrange some flowers Facetime a loved one Go for a walk Do yoga Plant a garden

The sky’s the limit when it comes to life-giving activities. Mix and match and allow yourself to truly enjoy whatever it is you’re doing. During my creative dry spell in December, I spent an entire day reading a novel because I wanted to. And that helped me immensely! It was just what I needed.

Acknowledge the Fear and Move Forward

I started writing regularly a few years ago and December 2020 was the first time I stopped for an extended period of time. And it was a little scary to return back to my regular writing practice in January. That was a plot twist I did not see coming. For years, writing has been an outlet for me and something I’ve enjoyed immensely. But I felt trepidatious coming back to it.

If you’ve stepped away from your creative practice for a while and feel fearful about returning, that’s okay. It’s normal. But don’t let fear get the better of you. Acknowledge it, but then move past it. Do something today that quiets the voice of fear a little bit. You don’t need to write the next great American novel today, but write a paragraph or a page or a chapter.

Just take a step forward.

Repeat as Necessary

I tend to want a magic solution that will fix all my problems instantly, but I’m not sure that those exist. While these steps in this article helped me with my writing funk, it was (and is) a process. I had to do these things again and again over a period of days before I felt comfortable filling my blank page with words.

One of my goals for 2021 is to make these steps part of my regular practice. Instead of just trying to pump out endless content, I want to see my writing and creativity in a more holistic way. My guess is that as I am regularly honest, patient, and gracious to myself, engage in life-giving endeavors, and acknowledge the fear and keep moving forward, then I’ll be in a better place mentally and emotionally. I’ll be able to more freely create as I make these into regular habits.

Creativity is a beautiful gift. I’m so grateful that I am able to write and share with others. And in 2021 I want to make sure that I’m taking care of myself in such a way that I’m able to pour out in a more sustainable way.

Creative blocks are normal, but we don’t have to be held hostage by them. We can choose to move forward in a life-giving way.