Off the Grid

Creative Block Happens. Here’s How I Break Out of It

July 11, 2025
crumpled up paper on desk
Share this post

5. Walk Away From It (Literally)

Close the file. Shut the laptop. Stand up and physically remove yourself from whatever you’re working on. Go make a snack, walk outside, call a friend or family member. It’s amazing how often the answer shows up when you stop trying to force it. Creative block hates momentum—but it also hates being ignored.

4. Blast—and I mean, blast—some music

Not chill focus music. I’m talking loud, full-volume, whatever-makes-you-feel-alive type shit. The kind that gets the blood flowin’. Music snaps your brain out of problem-solving mode and back into feeling something—and that’s usually where the ideas are hiding anyway.
For me, most of the time it’s 90s hip-hop or pop-punk. I find that when you know the words, it’s a bonus—and it hits the reset button on your energy levels.

3. Get Physical – Do Something With Your Hands

Sketch. Doodle. Paint something (poorly is fine). Cook. Build something. Rearrange furniture. There’s a direct connection between your hands and your creativity that gets lost when you’re stuck behind a screen. Re-engaging the physical side of your brain almost always shakes something loose.

2. Talk It Out (Even If No One’s Listening)

Say what you’re thinking out loud. Around the age of 30, I realized it’s not just old people who talk to themselves—I started doing it too 😳. Doesn’t matter if you’re alone. Sometimes just hearing yourself and verbalizing your troubleshooting is enough to get your brain to respond with, “Okay… but what if we tried this?” Voice notes, venting, or just rambling to your pet—it all counts.

1. Simplify

I often think of the scene from Forgetting Sarah Marshall where Jason Segel is getting surf lessons from Paul Rudd, and he just keeps telling him to do less until he’s literally lying face-down on the surfboard in the sand. “The less you do, the more you do.” 😂

Creative block is usually a sign that the thing has gotten too big, too complicated, or too loaded with expectations. Zoom out. What are you actually trying to say or solve? Strip it back to the bones. One idea. One message. One move.

When you remove the noise, the signal gets louder.