affiliate links // Whether it’s a break-up, an illness or a freaking pandemic, chances are you’re going to experience a bit of a creative block as a blogger every now and again. The best among us will have a creative blog. You and I will too. Our creative juices can’t be flowing every damn second of the day.
Photo by chris panas on Unsplash
I’ve had a few of these blocks in the 7 years I’ve been blogging. There have been times where I’ve just stepped away completely, unable to look at my blog without wanting to hurl. Other times, I’ve taken breaks away from social media because that’s what I’ve felt like I needed.
Related read: Why You Should Have A Digital Detox (& What To Do Instead)
And there have been times where I couldn’t have come up with a single blog post idea even if you paid me.
Over those 7 years, I’ve definitely managed these blocks in different ways. I’m much better at managing these things now, after so much time and effort spent on personal development and life coaching.
But of course we all react in different ways. And if creative blocks (or bloggers block, if you like) are a relatively new thing for you and you’re finding yourself in the middle of one now and panicking that your blogging career is over…
First of all, take a deep breath. No need to delete your blog just because things are feeling a bit stagnant.
When we consider everything is energy, energy needs a rest too. We can’t have our creative juices flowing and our ideas brimming all the time. We’d be exhausted.
Which is why in this post, I’m not going to tell you how to get OUT of a creative block.
But consider this instead…
What if sometimes, a creative block, is what we NEED?
That’s right. So if you’re in a creative block right now, don’t worry. Honestly, don’t worry. Your mind, body and the beautiful Universe – they know what they’re doing. You’re exactly where you need to be.
But, our blogs are important to us right? Sometimes they’re our jobs or provide us with that extra income we need every month. So taking a month long break to watch Netflix and eat pizza isn’t always an option.
YOU CAN BE IN A CREATIVE BLOCK AND STILL THRIVE.
Let’s look at 5 ways we can start DEALING with creative blocks as bloggers, rather than pushing through them:
Ask yourself why you’re experiencing this block
This is the million dollar question. It’s not the block itself that’s the problem. It’s the reason why. You don’t just “get into a creative block” for no reason. Your creative juices don’t just go “that’s it, I’m outta here” for no reason. And it’s your job to figure out why.
This is where you don’t want to be pushing through it if you’re still feeling crap. Because guess what?
You’ll produce crap.
I’ll say it like it is because I’ve been there. There have been times where I have just not been in the headspace. I was having some sort of block. And I was producing RUBBISH. Like full on get in the bin rubbish.
So, a good place to start here would be meditation and journaling. Ask yourself these questions:
- How long has this block lasted?
- What happened in my life directly before the block happened?
- How do I feel on a day to day basis?
- Is there something I’m not tending to in my life?
- Do I feel aligned with my blog right now?
Get honest with yourself here, nobody is going to see your answers except you. The reason I suggest meditating beforehand is because it helps clear and free up your mind for the answers to flow more naturally and not get interrupted every 10 minutes by your ego wondering what you’re having for dinner.
Remind yourself that it’s okay not to be online every single day
During a block, you might not want to be online. Which is coooool. But I know as bloggers, creators, influencers, whatever you want to call us, guilt can sometimes creep in when we’re not online and update the world on our daily activities.
You think people will forget you. You’ll worry people will un-follow you. You’ll worry you’re going to miss out on something exciting or important.
If it was that important, it’d be on the news.
So get offline if that’s what you need to do and be unapologetic for it. Delete your social media apps. Throw your phone down the toilet. Whatever you gotta do. If social media is influencing your block, it’s not the place you want to be nor is it the place that will help you find your way out.
Spend this time doing the background work
Like I mentioned above, creative block or not, blogging is sometimes our jobs. So we can’t just go “meh” and have a month off. Which is fair enough like. Bills and all that.
So during this time where you’re struggling creatively, it’s a great chance for you to put your focus on attention on all the OTHER STUFF.
Because any blogger will know that there is a lot of STUFF to do behind the scenes.
Perhaps you can start updating your old blog posts for SEO and keywords? Learning about Pinterest? Brushing up on your knowledge of affiliate marketing? Fixing broken links? Building up your courage to pitch to brands?
Look there’s a ton of things to be getting on with, so use this time wisely. It might not be as fun or satisfying as creating content but you definitely won’t regret putting this work in afterwards. Here are some resources you might find helpful:
- Blog To Business: Your Pitching Toolkit (use code JENNY at checkout for 10% off)
- Keyword Research for Bloggers eBook
- Pinterest With Ell eCourse
- A Beginners Guide To Affiliate Sales
- A Beginners Guide To Growing Your Blog Following
Photo by Elle Lumière on Unsplash
Are you ready to uplevel?
Hear me out. We’re about to get a little woo here so if that’s not your thing, feel free to move swiftly on. But this is something I wholeheartedly agree with and have experienced myself.
Your intuition knows best.
Consider that you’re experiencing this block because you’re ready to uplevel. Perhaps you’ve been blogging for a fair amount of time and whilst you’re happy with how everything is going and it’s all ticking along nicely…
Your intuition KNOWS that it’s time for more.
So what it does is gives you that space and time to allow your juices and ideas to rest. And make room for the new ideas to shine through to allow you to take yourself and your blog to a whole new level.
Just something to think about.
Try not to force anything
And finally, don’t force it. Like you don’t force a fart, you don’t want to force this either. Because both are just going to end up messy as heck.
No, let it be.
Trust.
I know this will be hard. Because we’re all conditioned to want to “do”. Do all the things. Get those problems fixed. Sort it all out NOW or else. But what if we just let it be and sit in this energy and feeling and see what happens?
A creative block is there for a reason. Hopefully you’ll be able to establish your reason with the help of the journal prompts and these tips but whatever reason, we need to honor it. You’ll get back. I promise.
[…] all struggle with motivation and inspiration sometimes and no matter how hard we try, get a creative block and can’t come up with ideas for a blog post for the life of us. I’ve been there, […]
Thanks for sharing, I know that I took a creative block when my mental health went really bad, that I went to one of my old passions which is graphics making, to help as I had lots of ideas of things I wanted to make, plus I was entering things I had made, which helped me think creatively again, to maybe writing again 🙂 I think taking time to do something else is helpful 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Some people tend to get into this shell for reason. And I think that’s OK. Having limitations is what makes perfect humans.
I’ve definitely never thought of working on the background stuff during a creative block, so I think that’s what I’ll do the next time I’m in a slump! I think it’s a good way to feel productive even if you’re not in the mood or headspace to be creating x
Ah I’m sorry to hear that lovely!
Great tips! There is an ebb and flow to everything…including blogging! 🙂
Thank you 🙂 Sure is!
These are such great tips for getting over a creative block. I am currently going through one right now so this was perfect for me to read!
I’m so glad this came to you at the right time!
Totally agree with this. I’ve not posted much up until last month because I didn’t know what on earth to write about. Especially with the pandemic my days were so boring so I felt I had nothing to write about whereas now I’m starting to get back into it and I’m enjoying it x
I’m glad you’re starting to get back into it!
This are good tips. Creative block is totally annoying. But it happens for a reason. Thank you for sharing your tips with me.
It definitely happens for a reason, I agree!
Brilliant post, Jenny! One thing I’m always having to do is to remind myself I don’t have to be online all day and I don’t have to be accessible 24/7. It’s not healthy or realistic, and burns me out pretty quickly. Great read!
Anika | chaptersofmay.com
Thank you 🙂 Same, I’ve massively learned the value of switching off too.
I love this. I’m experiencing a bit of a block at the moment where I’m loving blogging but I just can’t be bothered with the content creation right now. This has some really good suggestions of what I can work on in the meantime – thanks!
Hope these help lovely!
When I think that I don’t know what to write, I ask myself what I would write if I had to write something to save my life–if it were literally write or die. Turns out I usually do have an idea, but for some reason it keeps getting pushed into the background. You might expect that these projects would turn out to be the bottom-of-the-barrel projects, but they don’t.
Wow, that’s an incredible tip!
Thanks for sharing this Jen! When first starting my blog, I tend to push myself to be online every day – I guess it’s ended up for weeks and it’s not really good for my mental health. Then when I get to used with blogging stuff, I remind myself that it’s okay not be online every day and don’t force myself to write (when I’m having a bad day). So till now when my mind and body need rest, I’ll take 1-2 days off from social media 🙂
2 days off from social media sounds like a great idea!
Positively loving your tip on spending time when the words are not flowing on doing the background work! Instead of forcing inspiration, getting something productive done is a creative way to spend time and be potentially re-inspired by past writing. 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Yes exactly! There are always old posts that need updating that you’re likely going to get inspiration from!
I really liked this piece, and your authentic answers. I’ve not felt too great lately but have found a moment of peace browsing your site – thank you Jenny!
Aw I’m so glad to hear that, thank you!
Great post Jenny! It sounds stupid but I feel like whenever I’ve have a creative block, I’ve never really asked myself why. I’m quite good at brushing it off and taking time out, but I never really ask myself why.. I’m definitely going to explore this a bit more if/when writers block happens again.
Claire.X
http://www.clairemac.co.uk
Yeah, we don’t ask ourselves why nowhere near enough! I hope this helps the next time it happens! 🙂
Awesome tips, very inspiring. Love the idea of upleveling specially
not forcing anything..
Thank you 🙂
“you don’t force a fart”! Oh, Jenny, this made me laugh! You’re right about creative blocks happening for a reason. Sometimes stepping away is the best thing that can happen, especially when those creative juices just aren’t flowing. You can tell when someone’s written something because they have to as opposed to want to, can’t you? Great tips, thank you! xxx
Haha, it’s true! You absolutely can tell!
This is such good advice and not just for creative blocks! So often I try to push through without ever looking at why I’m having the block in the first place. It makes so much more sense to sit and look at why. Thanks for sharing these great tips!
Totally agree and can definitely adapt that point to sooo many things in life!
I think this is a really good and balanced way to look at it. It isn’t always creative block, sometimes it’s your body telling you to take a break.
I like your suggestion of taking some time and thinking about it, just ten minutes of mindfulness can really help to sort things out in your head.
Cora | https://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
Yes absolutely!
“But what if we just let it be and sit in this energy and feeling and see what happens?” This is something I need to do a lot more of. Thanks for the reminder.
You’re very welcome!
This post couldn’t have come in a better time for me. I’ve been struggling with a creative block for a while now but I never stopped to think about why I was experiencing it.
This post was super helpful!
Rita | theeuropeancloset.com/
I’m glad you found it helpful! Hope this helps you break through it. Your blog is beautiful by the way!
Great ideas for dealing with creative block, I do get creatively frustrated when I’m not pushing myself hard enough but I never really recognised it until now.
Thanks for sharing!
Gemma
http://www.thegemword.com
Thanks lovely 🙂 x
Creative blogs are normal, we all experience them from time to time. I completely agree sometimes we need rest and being creative 24/7 would just exhaust us. I love the first point, usually we focus on doing rather than stepping back and reflecting. Great reminder and post dear!!
Tx. // Winning and Worthy
Yesss enough of the doing and more of the being x
I resonate deeply with the point about finding out why you’re experiencing a block. Often times, your body and mind cause it as some sort of defense mechanism. So it should function as a means of reflecting on your current ways and taking some time off or changing up your routine if needed!
Totally agree! Thinking about the why isn’t something we, as humans, do very often!
Creative block is something that I’ve struggled with a lot in the arts (for my degree/masters & PhD) but not something that I experience with writing. I found a really handy tip one day when online which said to where shoes when you’re trying to write & you feel creative block as it makes your brain believe you’re at work. It’s always worked for me! Thanks for sharing these fab tips x
Haha that’s a good tip!
These are great tips. I’ve been lucky in that I rarely get creative block. I do keep a notebook with lots of ideas in it that I add to all the time. I can always refer back to it at any point. However, sometimes I’m not in the right headspace to write and that is ok. I never try to force anything and will just focus on another hobby instead.
Kelly – I think this is the way to go. It takes the pressure off coming up with ideas when you finally have the time to sit down and write. I have a journal where I write down ideas and also a list on my phone in case I’m not within arm’s reach of my journal. The lists cover all sorts of bases from the mundane to the funny to the soul-searching and deeply revealing. If something pops into my head as an idea, I just write it down so that I can easily skim through and decide what I “feel” like writing about when I’m ready to blog. Writing a blog is a little like working out – you should keep up the habit but your preference on the workout (or blog topic) might change from day to day so, best to have options! : )
It’s great that you have that in place!
This is great, and perfect for understanding just why you are creatively blocked- and how to solve it 🙂 I think not feeling like you have to be online all the time is a big one x
I agree! I had a whole day off social media this weekend and it helped me massively x
Bloggers block is so real and it can be hard to step away be2of the fear of not being online all day everyday! It’s definitely tough to deal with but with tips like these we can all get through it. Knowing others suffer through it too definitely helps though 🌈🌈
Sarah xoxo
It definitely does help!
It’s so important to not force yourself to do something when you have creative block. In personal experience, it just makes it worse and worse. Thanks for sharing this advice. I am sure it will help alot of people!
Olivia | https://olivialucieblake.com
I agree, it really does make it worse!
Great post, I need to read this today 👌🏻
Thanks for sharing 🥺
https://uncuaderno4cero.wordpress.com/
Thank you 🙂
When I hit a creative rut with either my writing or my art, I spend time updating old posts, making instagram infographics or (for artwork) doodling. Just straight up doodling rubbish and seeing what comes out of it. If all else fails I take time off, go for a walk, play some Sims or even just nap. We can be switched on and at 100% all the time. We’re not machines!
Absolutely! You’ve reminded me how much I need to get The Sims again too!
These are great tips Jenny and I’m going to consider these next time I get a creative block, I had one recently and I wish I had this post to refer to! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Hope you find them helpful!
With me it’s less about creative blocks than about the feeling that I can’t be bothered. Good post though
Perhaps you should check out my posts on productivity and motivation instead.
Some great tips in this post. I used to really struggle to understand why I was having a creative block but looking back, I think I was exhausted. I was on my laptop/at work all hours and never had time to let my creative juices flow.
Now, if the block hits, I close my laptop and come back to it when I’m ready. I never ever force it!
Rosie
That sounds like a great solution!
Such great tips, thank you Jenny!
My brain is going into creative overdrive in terms of creating content for my job but, when it comes to my own blog lately I’m struggling. I so so hope I can change that in the weeks to come though.
Kate | kindlyk.co.uk
Hope you can take some time to figure that out!
I love this post! It’s super normal for bloggers to deal with creative blocks. I can totally relate to feeling guilty for stepping away, but it’s so important to step away and take a break. When I’m in a creative rut, I focus on doing back end stuff but as you say, I try not to force myself to be too productive since my body wants to rest :))
It’s definitely so important to find that line and balance!
Yes to all of these tips! I completely agree on not to force anything and try to get to the root of the problem first of all! Thank you for sharing x
Both very important points!
This is great advice, I needed it this, this month has not been great so far for me, I thought with the Easter break I’d be all over it but if its not there, it’s not there.
I stepped back, stopped posting on socials so much and got outdoors, spent time with the family and yesterday I sat in front of my blog for the first time in almost a week and wrote 4 posts. I honestly think stepping back was exactly what I needed.
I love your honest, tell it like it is view and the positive vibes shine through x
Thank you Claire 🙂 I’m sorry to hear that! But I’m incredibly happy to hear that stepping back helped you SO much!
Yes to this post, so many good tips! I particularly agree with the one of not forcing anything x
Thank you lovely 🙂
Yes! I am here for your fart analogy, haha!! Whenever I’ve had creative block, I’ve kind of just let it be and taken the break I’ve needed to. Like you say, there’s so much in the background to do anyway. What I do want to focus on more next time is reflection on why I think the blocks happening and what I can do to help myself.
We definitely need to normalise creative blocks so I love this post! One of my favourite things to do when I’m struggling to actually create content is work on the back end of my blog, like you suggested in this post, then it feels like you’re still doing something productive!
Katy | http://www.katystephenson.com | http://www.thegrownupsclub.com