5 Tips for Getting Past Creative Block in Your Creative Small Business

We’ve all been there at one time or another – when the creative block hits and you find yourself endlessly scrolling, seemingly without a fresh idea in sight. For creative people, especially creative business owners, this feeling can be terrifying. It can start an even bigger spiral, with thoughts such as, “But I’m a creative person – my entire business is built on creativity, and I’ve got nothing!!” And thoughts like these are usually pretty paralyzing. So to help you (and myself) get unstuck from creative block, I’ve put together these five tips:

TIP #1: MOVE YOUR BODY

This could mean going for a 15-minute walk, doing some stretches, doing a quick YouTube workout, or even doing a household chore while your brain works in the background.

TIP #2: GATHER INSPIRATION

When you’re pressed for time and want to reignite your love for your creative business, and realistically, working on a passion project isn’t going to happen, this is what I like to do. Take some time to gather inspiration in a folder, to remind you why you’re doing this in the first place. If you’re a photographer, you could gather photos of work that inspires you, or if you’re a fine artist or interior designer, you could gather images of artwork or home interiors. The goal of this exercise is to only gather images that make you feel inspired. If they make you feel overwhelmed or inadequate, toss them and only keep the ones that feel good!

TIP #3: PHYSICAL CHECK-IN

Check in with how you’re feeling physically. Do you need a glass of water? Do you need a snack? Or maybe a cup of coffee/tea? This is usually my answer when I’m feeling creatively stuck – since my creativity/mental energy is so tied to my overall/physical energy.

TIP #4: CHANGE YOUR FOCUS

Work on other areas of your business that don’t require a creative muscle – like organizing folders, cleaning up your desktop, prepping/exporting files, etc. This helps you feel productive while also giving your creativity a much-needed rest.

TIP #5: CONNECT WITH OTHERS

Create a longer-term plan to connect with other creative professionals/entrepreneurs. This is a huge way to get past feeling alone and discouraged with your creative business – and if you live in Columbus and want to connect, feel free to give me a shout!

Since mid-January is typically the time that people begin to feel stuck with their goals (creative or otherwise), I figured I’d post this as some encouragement! You got this!

And if you’re feeling creatively stuck when it comes to your branding and/or website design, don’t fret! I’m available for branding and website design projects for small businesses, and you can take a look at my services here.