Jumpstart your art

Stuck in the creative doldrums? Breathe has a suggestion to get your mind moving

It’s the golden hour: a precious moment in your day when you have the time and space to create. You sit at your desk and pick up your pen, or your brush. You grab a guitar to muster a tune. The clay is warm. Your laptop hums. You’re ready. You’ve never been so ready.

And yet nothing happens. It’s disappointing, especially if you’ve had to work hard and set boundaries to make this sacred time. But for whatever reason, your brain isn’t working the way you’d like. Your drawings feel off. The words don’t flow. Your clay’s like ancient dough. And your tunes are all other people’s.

Creative block is a grand name for what happens when you’re not feeling in the mood to create, even if you give yourself every opportunity for it to happen. And it can be frustrating that the moment you find yourself sitting down is the very moment the muse departs.

There are dozens of methods for getting over procrastination, or off the blocks. You could write ‘morning pages’ or meditate; find the time of day when you’re at your best; try early nights or habit stacking – where you tack an activity to an existing routine to minimise disruption to your schedule.