​Photo by Tim Collins on Unsplash

Do you feel like you lack imagination? Do you struggle to create or to find solutions to the challenges in your life? It’s possible you’re suffering from a few creativity-blocking obstacles. By identifying the obstacles in your path, you can find ways to work around them.


Eliminate the creativity blockers from your life:

1. A cluttered mind makes creativity a challenge. Have you ever noticed that your best ideas come when you’re alone? You’re either being quiet or doing something very routine, like driving on a low-traffic road or taking a walk. It’s hard to get the creative juices flowing when you have too much going on.

2. You don’t prime your creative mechanism. Try doing a different creative activity for a few minutes. If you’re trying to write a book, try creating and humming a new song for a few minutes. Legos, Lincoln Logs, tinker toys, modeling clay, crayons and brain teasers are other options.

3. Stress. You might have time to yourself, but still be too distracted to be creative. When your adrenaline is flowing, and you’re dealing with the stresses of life, creativity can be hard to find.

4. A narrow focus can limit your ability to find new solutions. Keep an open mind and consider all the possibilities. Avoid assuming you know where the general location of the answer to your challenge is. The best solution might be something you’ve never considered.

5. You don’t believe you are a creative person. You’ve used your creativity countless times in the past. From dealing with an unpleasant boss to keeping a moody child occupied. Believe you’re a creative person and you’ll prove yourself correct.

6. You never get started. Creative endeavors can be intimidating. Procrastination is one of the primary enemies to creativity. Set aside time each day to be creative, even if you’re convinced you’re wasting your time. You never know when your creative genius will strike.

7. Fear of failure. The possibility of failure can stop anyone in their tracks. Think of all the times you failed in the past and came through unscathed. Creativity feels risky, but it’s all in your head.

8. You’re stuck in a rut. It’s not easy to come up with ideas in the same old space. Get outdoors or at least move yourself into a space you don’t normally use, like a spare bedroom or a conference room.

9. You insist on doing it alone. Fresh minds bring fresh ideas. Ask others for their input. You’re likely to find that the ideas of others trigger your own new ideas. Get some help! Who is the most creative person you know? They should be your first call.

10. You don’t have enough experience. You may have been a very creative child, but if you’re not flexing your creative muscles on a regular basis, you might be out of practice. Spend a few minutes being creative each day and you’ll enhance your creative skills.

Creativity is a powerful skill and ability to possess. The most creative people in the world have a huge advantage over the rest of us.

If you’re struggling to be creative, it’s likely that an obstacle or two is standing in your way. Overcome your obstacles and use your creativity to your advantage.

One of the most popular creative blockbusters that you may hear about is a tool, made popular by Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way is the morning pages.  As Julia defines it, the morning pages are “three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. “   The writing that is done here is not “high art” or publishable by any means…it is whatever comes to your head that you need or want to get out on paper, pen in hand.  That’s right, it is not a typing or texting exercise…it is old school writing.
There are many people who use this as tool to unblock their creativity.  For me it has been a tool that I have been using for a few years and it helps me to do a “mind dump” on everything that is going on in my daily world.  Write everything from gratitude lis​ts, poetry, funny things that happened during the day to venting out frustrations. Once I do this daily version of journaling, I begin the day a bit lighter and focused, especially as part of my morning ritual.

If you have been thinking of starting this practice, here is a few benefits that may encourage you to start earlier than later:

• There is No Wrong Way to Do the Morning Pages:  Julia said so herself!  It’s all about what comes out of your mind and on to the page.  There is no writing structure or topic to follow.  It is whatever is on your brain at the moment.

• The Morning Pages Clears the Fog of the Mind:  For me, it is a wonderful brain dump….and at times I am surprised as to what appears on the page.  There may be issues or thoughts latent in the brain that you don’t realize is in your subconscious.  The morning pages allows you to get it out. 

• The Morning Pages Helps You Discover Patterns of Thoughts or Concerns:  You may be surprised that you are venting about similar issues or that a problem you thought you had now includes a solution in your writing.  That is the magic of the process…when you identify patterns or find solutions, it helps clear the way for creativity.

• The Morning Pages Can Help You Think Through Creative Projects:  New ideas often come as I write for artistic projects or for resources for my creativity coaching practice.  I may write down an idea for workshop, or an art series and then expand on it.  I may recall a detail from an Artist’s Date or an event I attended that I will write about which launches other ideas.
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• The Morning Pages is a Healthy Way to Release Stress:  If you have a habit of venting or complaining to your friends or family, a journaling practice of any kind is a healthy way to get it all out without losing friends and loved ones in the process.  You can identify triggers, or crazymakers that may be getting in the way of your creativity. 

Any journaling practice can have benefits to help you clear the mind and focus on your creative practice.  Do you do the morning pages?  What has been the benefits of this daily ritual for your creativity?

​Many people ask me how I make time to create with so much going on in my life.  Part of it is because I am a Gemini (ha,ha)...but mostly is because I learned the hard way what it feels like to not be able to create.  I decided once I unblocked myself, it was important for me to nurture and encourage my creative muse at all costs.  

To say that it has been easy would be untrue....there are days and weeks when my other world takes precedent and I am unable to make my creative practice a priority.  But in those times, I make note of the things that inspire me, the ideas that come to me, and the images that get my attention.  When the time comes again for me to resume my creative practice, I collect the ideas, images, etc., that I found during the time of unproductivity which helps me jump start my creative practice without searching for ideas. 

So you may be telling yourself, that's great for you, but how can I possibly fit in my creative practice when I have a household to run, a full-time job, care taking of elderly parents, and other demands on my time?  Here are a few ideas to help you determine whether or not that is truly a reality for you:

1. Decide how much your creative practice or life means to you.  Do you feel like it is something that needs attention?  Or is it not such a big deal?   How does it feel when you create?  Does it give you joy?  Improve your mood?  Help you de-stress?  Do you feel alive and accomplished?  Only you know the answer to these questions. Those answers will guide you in making a decision whether or not creativity will need to play a larger role in your life. 
2. If your creative practice means a great deal to you, decide that it will now become one of the priorities in your life.  Make a commitment to yourself that your creativity will now become a must-do part of your weekly schedule.  You may want to formalize it as a contract to yourself  or create an affirmation about it that you can post where you can see it.  Doing something in writing or tangibly gives your brain the message that this is serious.
3. Check your calendar of to-dos daily and for the week.  What activities are you doing that you must complete?  How much of that is for other people?  What is truly something that can be put off or really doesn't need to be completed?  Is there something that someone else can be delegated to do in the household (ex: are you the only one in the entire household that has to walk the dog?   Is there another family member that can help you with caregiving duties for mom?  Can someone give you a hand with picking up your son from soccer practice?
4. If you can find ways to de-obligate some tasks that someone can do, decide whether or not other stuff are on the agenda because of an inability to say "no".  Sometimes we are our own worst enemy when we obligate ourselves to things we really don't need or want to do because we don't want the people in our lives to think negatively of us.   
5. Think creatively about your schedule.  Could you get up a few hours before the house wakes up to work on your creative practice?  What about when you are at the swim meet watching your child, could you work on it then?  What about lunch time?  
6. Start viewing your creative practice as a means of self-care.  See it just as important as getting your nails done, a haircut, or a massage.  It is a part of your DNA, your soul.  It is precious time for yourself to regroup and re-connect to your spirit.  
7. Talk to your family members about how important it is to have time for your creativity.  If you do so much for others, why not sit everyone down and let them know that you are now going to schedule time for your creative practice and ask for everyone's support to help you stick to it?
8. Find a squad of like-minded creatives to schedule some time to work on your practice together.  Or discuss your challenges and get ideas and tips.  Support groups are a great way to meet like-minded people who are also creatives and can be easily scheduled on the calendar for meetings. 
9. Just schedule a time each week that you are dedicating for your creative practice.  If it is just 30 minutes, put it on your calendar in your phone or computer and put a reminder on it.  As you schedule this time, continue to look for opportunities to schedule more time in each week. 

Once you decide that your creativity IS an important part of your life that should not be given to chance, you can take the steps to infuse it into your schedule.  Don't worry about how much time you can spend right away, as you move forward and become more disciplined, you will find that it will take the right place in your schedule naturally.