You haven’t felt like creating for awhile. Your art supplies have gone untouched, your writing utensils are a little dusty, your business flow feels a bit stagnant, and for some reason you just can’t put your finger on, you know that you can’t create right now.

This happens to me all the time.

It’s easy to panic and wonder why our creativity isn’t flowing (especially if we were in such a groove just a few weeks ago) and try to force ourselves to produce something, ANYTHING, but sometimes we need a rest from creating, a time to gather inspiration and let ideas simmer before they’re ready to come out.

I call this a creative inhale.

It’s like this: Creating is like breathing. When we create, our ideas flow out of us like the air we breathe out. It can feel effortless and wonderful and natural, but sooner or later, we run out of air and we need to inhale again. We need to restock the supplies, refill the well.

This is a great time to rest, make time for thinking, read, watch movies, go for walks, spend time in nature, listen to music, or do lots of whatever inspires us. This way, we get a fresh supply of ideas to fuel our creativity when we feel like creating again.

So how do you tell the difference? How can you tell if you’re creatively blocked – you know, that stuck feeling of not being able to create no matter how badly you want to – or if you’re just on an inhale?

2 Signs You’re on a Creative Inhale:

1- You Notice Things – You notice how pretty the sky looks when you leave your house. You love the way the yellow fall leaves look against your neighbor’s red brick house. Movies and music seem to move you more than usual, you feel like reading all the time, and you love being outside. These might not ALL apply to you, but you’re naturally on the lookout for new inspiration.

2- It feels good- Like taking a breath after you’ve been underwater for awhile, creative inhales feel good. You feel replenished, rested, and invigorated and ready to create again within a few weeks to a month. Creative Block feels like stuckness, frustration, and…well, like constipation of the soul. It’s the feeling that something needs to get out, but it just can’t. During a creative inhale, you feel something forming, and you feel confident that you’ll release it when it’s ready.

We’d love to hear from YOU…

Are you creatively blocked, taking an inhaling, or are your ideas flowing freely? What creative projects are you working on in your life or business? Leave your answer in the comments below! 

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creative block, creativity, entrepreneur, ideas, online business, September 2015 Issue, small business, women in business, writer's block