Look Back to Move Forward

Jean-Michel Basquiat as a child.

Most creative people occasionally feel stuck. You find yourself up against a wall of nothing: no new ideas, no energy, no enthusiasm for making art. You begin to doubt yourself and your work.  In order to break the logjam, try looking to the past.  You may need to look backward in order to move forward. See if you can recover the core of self who loves to make art. 

When I ask artists how their art-making impulse began, they often smile and recall childhood memories. “I was always drawing . . .  I loved to color . . .  I made boxes out of paper in the third grade.”  Even those who ended up spending 20 years as an accountant remember the child who loved to make art .

So when your creativity dries up, look to the past.  Mine your own archives, looking for new inspiration.  Try to find the seed of an idea that might now be ready to grow. 

​Nature provides wonderful metaphors for creative renewal.  Seeds are dormant, dry and closed, and don’t become seedlings until they receive the proper nutrients: the right temperature, moisture, light and oxygen.

So make sure your working conditions are right for you.  How do you feel when you enter your creative space? Think about whether you need more light, more air, more open space? Is your own environment right for growth?

A dormant seed has to break out of its protective coating before it can become a seedling. Is your inertia a way of protecting yourself? Are you stuck because you don’t want to feel vulnerable?  What do you fear? 

Remember, creative growth requires belief in yourself and the courage to break free from limitations. Don’t hesitate to create the conditions that will help you grow.

The image of Jean-Michel Basquiat as a child was generated using AI. It is a fictional representation and not a real photograph.