Creative Blocks and Mazlow's Pyramid

Introduction:

Hello Steemians!

Today I wanted to talk about something that affects not only musicians, but creative workers in general: the creative block.

As someone who strives to put out constant creative content, I've had a lot of dealings with the creative block and have come to see it as an old friend, rather than an enemy. I would like to share my experience with creative blocks and give my opinions on the subject, as well as explaining the way I go about getting back intro my rhythm.

Acknowledging the Block

As with any problem, you need to realize it exists before you can solve and, as with any problem, the sooner the better. So how do you come to realize you have a creative block and how early can you recognize it?

Well, for me, it doesn't start when you sit down to do something and it doesn't start when you're actually into doing it; Usually, you can feel the block the moment you think about doing your creative work. To me, this comes with the feeling of having a foggy mind and a general unease whenever your thoughts come to the topic of your project. If you didn't notice it until you started working, then it's often linked to hating your work for no particular reason. Something just kinda feels off.

Why is this happening?

Originally, when I started having blocks, It felt like a prison. You're trying to do something, but your mind won't let you.

But I'm all about that problem solving and so I started to dissect what was happening.

Nowadays, I see creative blocks as a symptom of an underlying problem. One, which, might not always be obvious, but is most certainly there. It is now that I would like to reference Maslow's Pyramid of Needs.

Image taken from wikipedia

For those of you who don't know what this is, this pyramid represents the things a person needs to function properly in order of importance – bottom being the most important and top the least( although still rather important). I believe, from my own experience, that the higher up you currently are on the pyramid, the more creative you tend to feel. As the worries and problems fall away, the freedom you need to work creatively rises.

I will be referencing the pyramid throughout the next section of this article.

What do I do now?

So once you've figure out you're blocked, how do you go about unblocking yourself?

As soon as I realize I'm blocked I like to go through a checklist of sorts, that's closely related to the aforementioned pyramid.

At the bottom of the pyramid we have physiological or bodily needs. If you're body isn't up to spending energy on the brain, then you just won't get anything done. I like to stand up, stretch to get some blood flowing, open up some windows to raise the air quality and, if I haven't eaten yet, treat myself to a healthy meal. If I haven't been sleeping well, I will try ( and usually fail) to take a nap.

If I'm still feeling out of it, I'll figure out a way to clear my mind. This can be taking a walk or shower, doing some light exercise, cooking food or cleaning up around the house. The point being that these are tasks which don't take up much mental effort, giving the system that's running you a short break.

It is at this point that I will check on my to do list. If I'm not feeling creative even after pushing through my bodily needs and clearing my head, then it usually means that I have to do something that I don't particularly want to. I start writing a new to do list, arranging things in a way where I minimize entry barriers to each task( e.i. If I want to take a shower( something with a high exit barrier) then I put something with a low entry barrier after it( like eating already made food). Minimizing the amount of will power it takes to do things and giving yourself a feeling of accomplishment for marking things off of the to do list, goes a long way in re-instilling a feeling of confidence.

Lastly, meet up with some friends! A little social interaction can go a long way in terms of getting you back into you mojo.

Minimizing Rebound

So we've fed ourselves, maybe done some exercising, maybe done some of the chores we were pushing off. If you feel back to normal, kudos! I recommend not trying to incorporate anything your uncomfortable with into your work to minimize the feeling of stress, at least until tomorrow ( ain't no reset like a good nights sleep). If you're still struggling, then the problem probably lies somewhat deeper.

Sadly, there isn't really a catch-all answer to problems that go beyond the lower stages of Mazlow's Pyramid. This is something that varies immensely from person to person, as each person has a very different set of problems when it comes to their social situation. Keep an open mind, figure out what's bugging you and try to enact a system to fix the issue. Most problems at this level require drastic change in your life or a change of perspective.

If you've come this far, I would like to thank you for reading the article and I hope it helped you to understand your creative block. Please share your experiences with creativity, so that we can better the systems we use to stay active.