Overcoming Artist’s Block

If you’re an artist, you’ve likely heard the heavy silence of being in the midsts of an artist’s block. It doesn’t matter what your medium is — whether you're painting, writing, composing music, dancing, or designing — there comes a moment when the thing that once set your soul on fire suddenly flickers out. And the silence it leaves behind is overwhelming.

For those unfamiliar, it's not just creative burnout, it’s deeper, more personal. Your brush won't move. Your words come out tangled or not at all. Your ideas vanish just before you can hold them. It's as if your craft, the thing you thought would always be there, is turning its back on you.

And in those moments, you’ll hear advice like “push through,” or “just keep creating.” But I want to offer something different: pause.

Breathe. Step away. Let yourself live.

Watch a movie that moves you. Revisit the music that shaped you. Have long, aimless conversations with people you love. Let your eyes take in the world again without needing to translate it into art. Remind yourself what it feels like to simply be human, and not a machine for output.

Because artist’s block, painful as it is, often arrives as a strange kind of gift. It’s a signal. A nudge that maybe the inspiration you’re looking for isn’t in the canvas or the page, but outside of it.

So give yourself permission to wander. Let your creativity rest without shame or guilt. Be tender with your process. Know that the spark hasn’t disappeared — it’s just finding a new way to reach you.

And when it does, it’ll feel like coming home.