How to Get Out of A Creative Rut
Have you gotten yourself into a Funk with a capital F? When asked about the Great Funk, productivity gurus will likely tell you to wake up at 5 am, work out, speed-read 10 books, start a side hustle, and attend a self-help seminar. But I favor unconventional wisdom here. If you're feeling stuck in a creative rut, perhaps you need to do less.
Less? How can I do less if I've been lounging in my pajamas, binge-watching Netflix, and procrastinating?
Ah, but here's the thing. You're not actually “doing nothing” when you're procrastinating. If you're anything like me—neurodivergent or creative—your mind is probably on overdrive thinking of all the things you could be doing.
And unfortunately for us, it’s all or nothing. Because if we're going to start writing as a hobby, it’s not enough to journal 10 minutes before bed. No, we need to sit down and write a whole book in 8 hours! If that sounds unrealistic, that’s because it is. But sometimes, that's what it feels like. I'm imposing judgments on myself, increasing the barrier to entry, or giving myself insanely high expectations that ensure failure before I've even begun.
So if you've been sitting around feeling like a lump and not working on your passions, it’s probably because you're overwhelmed. You’re in fight or flight mode and by doing nothing, your automatic survival mechanism is to take flight or even freeze. You don’t need to do more, but rather, heighten your awareness of the thoughts and beliefs hindering your progress. Motivation is like a hose. You don’t need to amp up the pressure to get the water to flow—you simply need to remove the blockage (like a bend in the hose). Stop forcing yourself, and simply ask yourself if you’ve been doing any of the following:
Seeking Perfection
Sometimes, perfectionism takes a sneaky form like imposing arbitrary deadlines or subconsciously comparing your art to something you saw on social media. Or sometimes, we feel like if a project didn’t take hours, or has a mistake, or is a day late, then it’s not worth completing at all. These kinds of “all-or-nothing” thoughts will stop you from making so much progress. In a year, you’ll wonder why you never started on your goals.
Having Unrealistically High Expectations of Yourself
Impossible expectations put you in a failure mindset instead of a discovery mindset. Remember, creative hobbies exist for intrinsic pleasure. No one is standing around judging your work. No one is going to take away your 'artist card' if you try a hobby and you suck at it the first time. That's kind of the whole point of starting new things. It’s not about performing or competing or making money. Thinking of your hobby as a self-care can help you relax and simply enjoy it, free of pressure. And in a way, it really is self-care to spend time doing things you love.
Overwhelming Yourself With Too Many Options
If you're multi-passionate, it could be that you just can't decide between all of your many hobbies. If that's the case, don't feel guilty for shelving the ones that aren't keeping your interest. Remember, you can't do more than one thing at a time. Sometimes, it helps to put the equipment out of sight so it won't haunt you while you go do your other thing. Might be hard to hide a piano, but maybe throw a sheet over it. Consciously saying 'no' and crossing choices off your list can help relieve that feeling of mental overwhelm. So turning off the television and just doing one creative thing, even for just 10 minutes is massive progress. It helps switch from our consuming brain to our creative brain, emptying out all those thoughts that have been building up.
I have a habit of thinking this way, unfortunately. But I’m working on breaking that habit. First step: don’t identify with your negative thoughts. You’re not lazy or unmotivated. You always have the power within you to change what small actions you take today. And before you can change your action, you have to change how you think. Personally, removing judgment, silencing perfectionism, and shaving down the number of decisions I have to make each day have really helped me take major strides toward my goals. I hope these tips can help you break out of your creative rut, too.
