Breaking Out of a Creative Rut: When Nothing Feels Right
You’ve read the posts about creative block. You’ve tried the “make a mess” exercise. You’ve taken a break, but nothing shifts. The studio feels heavy. Even opening the door requires effort. This isn’t the sharp frustration of a block; it’s the dull weight of a rut.
A rut feels different. It’s longer, deeper, and more existential. It’s not that you can’t make work; it’s that nothing you make feels meaningful. The joy has drained away. I personally have been in this rut since November last year with my fine art. Fortunately I have my gnome illustration work to keep me creating however this post is for those times when it all feels wrong and it comes with compassion.
First, Acknowledgment
A rut is not a moral failure. It is not laziness. It is a signal, usually that something in your practice or life needs attention. Perhaps you’ve outgrown your current style. Perhaps a life event has shifted your priorities. Perhaps you’ve been pushing too hard for too long. The rut is your inner voice saying, “Something needs to change.”
Listen to it.
When the Usual Advice Doesn’t Work
Conventional block-busting tips, e.g. try a new medium, set a timer, work small, are excellent for short-term stalls. A rut requires deeper intervention. Try these approaches instead.
- Stop Trying to Make “Good” Art
This sounds counter-intuitive but stay with me. A rut often comes from perfectionism, the gap between what you imagine and what you can execute. So deliberately make work you know will be “bad.” Not playful experimenting, but genuinely ugly. Use your least favourite colours. Draw something badly on purpose. The goal is to break the tyranny of “good” and remind yourself that you can make anything at all.
- Change Your Inputs Entirely
If you usually look at other painters, look at something else. Spend a week immersed in music, poetry, architecture, or nature. Your creative well is empty; refill it with completely different water. Take notes on what you observe, not as reference for art, but as pure experience.
- Do a Different Creative Act
Not ready to paint? Write. Not ready to write? Cook something beautiful. Arrange flowers. Rearrange your bookshelf by colour. The creative act doesn’t have to happen on canvas. It just needs to happen. Sometimes the simple satisfaction of arranging a shelf well reminds you that you are, fundamentally, a maker.
- Seek the Opposite of Your Current Work
Paint the ugliest thing you can imagine. Work on a tiny scale if you usually work large. Use only black and white if you’re a colourist. The friction of the opposite can break the groove you’re stuck in.
- Revisit Your Earliest Artistic Joy
Before you were an “artist”, before the expectations, the pressure, the need to produce, what did you love making? Colouring books? Glue and paper? Fimo models? Jewellery? Give yourself permission to do that thing, with no ambition whatsoever. That younger self still lives in you. Invite them out to play.
When It Might Be Something Else
Sometimes a rut isn’t creative at all. It’s exhaustion, burnout, depression, or a life crisis masquerading as a lack of inspiration. Be honest with yourself:
Are you sleeping enough? Eating well?
Have you taken a true break (not just “I didn’t paint for two days”)?
Is something else in your life draining your energy, a job, a relationship, financial stress?
Do you feel this flatness in other areas, not just art?
If the answer is yes, attend to those roots first. No creative trick will fix exhaustion. Give yourself permission to rest properly, seek support, and let art wait.
It took me a long time to realise that on top of the family struggles I have been dealing with, the artist group I have been running for the past six years, has stopped being enjoyable and feels like a burden. With a heavy heart I decided that the time had come for me to step away from this level of organising. I can no longer give it what is needs and I am in danger of doing things badly.
The Long View
Ruts pass. They always do. Not because you “fixed” them, but because seasons change. Keep showing up, even for five minutes. Keep your materials accessible. Keep your eyes open. One day, unexpectedly, a small spark will catch. A colour you haven’t used. An idea that makes you lean forward. The rut won’t end with a bang, but with a quiet return of curiosity.
Trust that.
On the up side.
I make my own Christmas cards every year so in November I had to put my head down and get on with making them. There is another story in there but not for now. I landed on the idea of making gnomes and set about creating pop-up cards to showcase them. The pure unadulterated pleasure I got from creating these little characters was incredible.
They were so popular that I continued making them and posting daily to social media with January gnomes wearing Scottish attire for Burns Night and February showing them in Valentine’s Day clothing.
Sometime during February someone suggested I sell them and after lots of discussions I landed on creating a snail mail group. Not content with just drawing and painting these little gnomes, I decided they needed names and a story behind them. I discovered that not only do I enjoy writing these blogs for you, I also love writing stories too. And I really love it. So now I have another leg to my business. I am also ready to slowly get back to making my fine art too, with a few changes. I am still at the experimentation stage. Taking a break and trying something new can bringer about so many new ideas, so as I said before. Trust that.
NB I do not get paid to endorse any people or brands mentioned in my blogs. If you enjoyed this post, please like, share and follow me. Sharing, liking and following raises the algorithms in my favour.
Thank you for your support.
Internal Linking Prompts:
- Link to Blog 58: Overcoming Creative Block for lighter, shorter-term struggles.
- Link to Blog 66: The Art of the Sketchbook for low-pressure making.