How to overcome art block

Art block. The ultimate plot twist in every artist’s day: you’re feeling motivated, ready to tackle that shiny new illustration... And suddenly your brain decides it’s a wall. Meanwhile, social media doesn’t help. You scroll through other artists’ posts and each one is a masterpiece, a reminder that while they’re thriving, you’re just sitting there, mentally buffering.

And suffering.

You can’t draw, can’t think of anything interesting to create, and definitely can’t “just take a break and get inspired,” because your Pinterest feed is flooded with AI slop and all you've got from browsing it was guilt and half a sketch of a noseless potato.

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In this post: what is art block // how to survive through it // what to do when your muse ghosts you // how the most ugly and imperfect art can save your flow

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What is an art block, and why it happens?

Think of it as your creativity hitting a red light. It’s a signal your brain’s creative engine is out of fuel. I can see you, fellow artist: you’ve probably been beating yourself down, overworking it, feeding it deadlines, anxiety and stupid algorithms but not enough curiosity, fun, or rest.

The key is realizing that this pause is normal, and figuring out what triggered it can help you getting back on your tracks again.

Unfinished sketch of something I never managed to finish (yet). You can see I'm not great at perspective. Or buildings...

Facing art block: the mindset shift

First thing I had to realize when suffering from it was that I wasn’t broken, just pressured. Every time I sat down to paint something I expected it to be something beautiful, something absolutely brilliant. I had to paint in vertical aspect ratio to make it work for IG, to copy that trend, to paint it blue and purple as most people prefer that shade... And so on. This is the mindset that crushes creativity before it even begins, as it means you're not drawing just for funsies or because you like to, but only to be a people-pleaser which, repeat with me, is wrong. So I stopped trying to make something “cool”, and I just started sketching nonsensensical stuff. Bad anatomy? Check, I'm not that great at humans. Weird paws? Check: if you thought a feline couldn't have canine paws, try me. Half-finished blobs? Unrealistic lighting? Random rimlights? Check, check, check ✅

That's the very same moment I decided I would keep posting horizontal landscapes on Instagram even if it wrecks my reach: because I create art the way I want to, not just to chase trends. And this is why I’m here, to help you push through art block. Here are more tips!

Stop trying to make “good” art, make bad art on purpose

When you’re stuck, your brain’s usually tangled up in perfectionism: you start every sketch thinking it has to be portfolio-worthy, or at least Instagram-ready, and that’s where it lies the trap.

The cure is to lower your standards into the dirt. I’m deadly serious, guys!

Scribble garbage, draw something stupid, unfinished, or ugly. Think you'll never gonna post this on any of your social, and that nobody will ever have to see it (if you don't want to).

Go crazy! Fill that canva with horrible poses, unrealistical stuff, anatomically wrong hands.

Who even cares? It's just for practice, you're not trying to win the n.1 artist of the year contest, you know? Half of my best breakthroughs started as this looks cursed but whatever.

But believe me that once some of the pressure’s off, your creativity starts crawling back.

Shrink dem goals, baby

“Finishing a painting” is something that sounds terrifying. “Just open the damn canvas” is doable.

That’s the level you need to operate at when you’re blocked: microscopic.

Sometimes I tell myself I only need to paint for 5 minutes.

Spoiler: I usually end up doing 2.5 hours, okay, but it's because I can't help it, you know. And that kind of momentum beats motivation every single time for me, as it helps me going a lot.

Feed your brain something new

You can’t pull creativity from an empty well; if all you do is scroll through other artists’ work and stuff, your brain starts recycling the same visual noise.

Now go binge a random documentary about the secret life of penguins. Or... Start reading a book you’d never normally touch. Go for a walk and forget your headphones. Do you get how this works? The secret lies in chaos.

Watch how people move, how light hits a window, how your food steams in the morning sun, how the cat curls its tail when happy.

Your next idea won’t come from your feed; it’ll come from somewhere real, and it's just one blink away from you to discover it, simple as that.

Take an actual break

This is about intentionally stepping away from the constant flood of input that clogs your brain, and not just scrolling tutorials on TikTok while telling yourself you’re "relaxing": you know you aren't, I know it, everyone knows it too so stop pretending! Taking a break, a real one, it’s about setting boundaries, turning off notifications, putting your pencil or iPad aside and finally allowing your mind to breathe without distractions.

But rest doesn’t have to look or feel one way. Quiet may work for some of us, but for others running and dancing around the living room can be just as restorative; just learn day by day how to embrace it without guilt, and start giving yourself permission to recharge in whatever way works for you too.

Sometimes that’s sitting on a bench and watching clouds; sometimes it’s hitting the streets and letting your body burn off tension. The goal is the same: freeing your mind, so your creativity can sneak back in when you’re ready.

By combining disconnection, activities you enjoy and fresh input, you create the conditions for creativity to naturaly return, often when you least expect it.

Create limits and then play inside that area

You’d think freedom fuels creativity, but hear me out: too much of it kills it as well. Tricky, huh?

I've been there, pal. That blank page is endless, and infinity is just... Paralyzing.

Try giving yourself some rules: only one color palette. Only soft edged brushes. Two hour speedpaints and no undo. Suddenly, it’s not a test of skill; it’s a game again. And when art feels like play, you stop overthinking and start making to face that mini-challenge. This is also pretty much how I find out my art style, but let's keep this aside for another post.

Time for some collaboration

One of the most underestimated ways to break an art block is to get someone else involved.

When you’re stuck, the pressure of having to come up with something amazing all by yourself can be scary. Collaboration or exchanging ideas? Removes that burden in a flick.

Even a tiny interaction (like having another artist give you a theme, a reference or an OC to work on) can spark a chain reaction of ideas in your mind!

Working alongside someone, whether literally sketching together on the same canvas or just sharing ideas, introduces unpredictability. A word that I just love, now that I know how useful can be for my art! 💗 Suddenly, you’re not trying to fill a void alone, instead you’re responding and reacting, and before you realize you'll back in your shoes.

Goodbye disconnection, goodbye lack of ideas. The whole thing often leads to results you wouldn’t have imagined on your own, and even if the sketches aren’t perfect, the act of creating with external input will totally reboot your creative muscles.

Rehauling old sketches and art

Sometimes the best way forward is to look backward. Did you know that revisiting old pieces can be incredibly freeing? Start by identifying elements you like or that feel off from that old sketch or painting, then experiment: tweak colors, reshape anatomy, shift perspectives, or reimagine the environment. You can completely change the subject as well!

But please, keep in mind this isn’t about making your old work "better”, it’s more about dialogue with your past self. By observing your own previous choices you can see patterns, recurring ideas, and visual habits; habits that you can expand, subvert, or completely twist.

Reworking old art acts as a bridge between where your skills were and where they can go, allowing you to generate fresh concepts without the intimidation of a blank canvas.

It’s a subtle but powerful way to trick your brain into creativity, turning the familiar into something new.

This one’s been loved before, and it’s loving the spotlight all over again after its rehauling!

At the end of the day, hitting an art block is simply another chapter in the ongoing story of being an artist one of those moments that reminds you creativity isn’t always a straight line.

Art block happens to every artist, no exceptions. You can be talented, successful, disciplined, or wildly creative, and still find yourself staring at a blank canvas; it might feel heavy, frustrating and sometimes even embarrassing, but it’s also completely normal.

Those moments of stagnation are part of the journey, and of what keeps our highs interesting. Without them, the breakthroughs wouldn’t feel like anythin, isn't it? They’d just be another boooooring day at the desk.

So yeah, I know it sucks, but it’s also human. Try remembering this next time you hit that wall, champ! And if you survived an art block recently, brag about it in the comments. I wanna hear all of it.

Now go draw something terrible... You might just love it. 😉