Three Steps for Getting Unstuck
Was it only two months ago that we set all of those new years resolutions? Just months ago, I had so much momentum. All of my creative dreams were clear, and I was actively working my way towards them, day by day. But lately, I have found myself feeling stuck - in shadows of self-doubt and stagnation, that seem to be getting the better of me. I know I want to finish this project and start that new one, but somehow, something keeps getting in the way. But there is some good news here - I have been in this creative dance with myself long enough that I have learned some ways to get myself out of it, that don’t involve affirmations, magical thinking, or forcing my way out of it.
When I find myself stuck in a rut creatively, I try to focus less on getting myself out of the rut (read - producing more work or finishing more projects) and instead focus on giving to myself in a way that will make me feel good. And then, in that state of feeling good, I will naturally produce more creative work. Like a flower sitting in soil that’s been well-nourished, it’s eventually bound to bloom.
I like to keep this process simple and feeling oriented - where the exact actions I take differ based on where I am at, so that the focus again remains not on what I am doing, but how I am feeling.
Do something that makes you feel creative (other than that thing that you’re “stuck” on)
It might be putting on a really fun and over-the-top outfit to wear to work. It might be putting on some loud music and dancing all silly. Or it might be collecting and arranging some fallen branches you find on a walk. It doesn’t matter what you do - other than that it’s not your usual “thing",” and that it brings you into the feeling state of creativity, even if briefly.
Do something that makes you feel nourished.
Take a slow salt bath. Drink a steaming cup of bone broth or herbal tea. Accomplish nothing on your to-do list for an entire day and lay on the couch watching TV. While you may be drawn towards the more extravagant forms of nourishment, this can also be very simple - have you eaten in the last few hours? Have you rested? Did you drink water? Focus on tending to your very basic bodily needs in ways that feel really good to you.
Keep showing up for your thing every day, regardless of the outcome.
That’s right - for the first two steps to be in service of getting you unstuck, you do have to keep showing up. But now, it’s hopefully from a creative cup that is a little more overflowing, and a body that is a little bit better satiated. You may not write a New York Times bestseller or paint the sistine chapel, but you will be working, and making, and doing that thing you do in a way that is tailored to you, and your body, and your needs.
And the catch? You will get stuck again. And again. And again. And hopefully, you will remember to return to this beautiful cycle, of stepping back from the action and nourishing the thing that is doing it all in the first place. Rinsing and repeating until you are back in a rhythm with yourself.
Welcome back.