Hey creative, glad you’re here! If you’re struggling with creative overwhelm, I wrote this article just for you.
If you’re looking for a quick and practical FREE brain dump activity to untangle from creative overwhelm, click here for my free guide.
Key Highlights
In this article you’ll learn:
- How creative overwhelm is the uncomfortable experience of a rush of ideas followed by analysis paralysis.
- Common triggers of creative overwhelm, including an overstuffed schedule, anxiety, and perfectionism.
- The healthy habits you need in order to prepare to deal with creative overwhelm.
- A simple and effective activity to untangle from overwhelm so you can confidently create.
Introduction
Creative overwhelm is one of the more unpleasant experiences us creatives often face. Though it’s a natural part of the creative process, it doesn’t make it any easier. Maybe you’re familiar with this feeling: inspiration strikes with a lightening bolt of creativity that scatters a dozen amazing ideas across your mind. But, as soon as the ideas flow you’re hit with confusion and anxiety. One moment you’re ready to run with creativity and the next you’ve hit a wall.
Understanding Creative Overwhelm
What I described above is a taste of creative overwhelm. You may even be dealing with it right now. And it’s making you feel STUCK.
However, it’s often hard to pinpoint the root of that stickiness and even harder to get out of it. Let’s dive in deeper to learn what causes creative overwhelm so we can start to untangle from it.
Ready to conquer creative overwhelm? Download a FREE worksheet to help get untangled right now.
What is Creative Overwhelm?
Creative overwhelm, or creative anxiety, is the experience of a rush of creative ideas followed by a wave of dread. Suddenly you’re bombarded with thoughts, riddled with doubt, and frozen in analysis paralysis. You’re filled with energy and excitement without a clear roadmap to success. Instead of confidently moving forward with one creative idea, you’re stuck in place with a dizzying array of options. You may try to focus harder and work up the discipline to get started, but soon you find yourself in that overwhelming place once again. Why does this pattern happen?
Common Triggers of Creative Overwhelm
Over the years I’ve found some common threads I can trace my creative overwhelm back to. They’re a mix of lifestyle habits and ongoing mental health struggles. I wonder if you can relate.
An overstuffed schedule
I notice I get more easily overwhelmed when I’m living at a rushed pace. Hurry creeps in when I don’t take time in the morning for prayer and meditation, over-pack my schedule (even with fun stuff), and pushing past my limits for the sake of getting things done. This way of living seems to prime me for creative overwhelm, so when inspiration strikes I’m more likely to panic at the thought of adding more to my plate than calmly thinking of the next steps I can take.
Underlying anxiety
I’ve wrestled with anxiety most of my life. Though I’ve experienced a lot of healing through therapy and self-care, I know anxious thoughts will still arise from time to time. When my anxiety mixes with creativity, it’s not surprising that I can become overwhelmed.
Perfectionism
Perfectionism can also feed into my creative overwhelm and seemingly amplify it. Putting pressure on yourself to create a masterpiece is a sure way to stop before you even begin. When you’re struggling with perfectionism and your mind is looking to find control, the last thing that it wants is a million creative ideas floating around.
Lack of creative vision
A subtle but powerful trigger for creative overwhelm can be an overall lack of vision or purpose. It’s difficult to know what steps to take when you’re unsure of where you’re headed. Being able to identify and remain connected to a vision helps you discern what ideas to pursue right now and which ones to discard or maybe save for later. If you’re unsure of your creative purpose but want to find it, click here to learn how we could work together.
Ready to conquer creative overwhelm? Download a FREE worksheet to help get untangled right now.
Preparing to Tackle Creative Overwhelm
Staying stuck in an art block is very frustrating, but there’s hope. You don’t have to stay overwhelmed. There IS a way out! It starts with uncovering the habits and practices you need to care for your creative soul.
Identifying Your Creative Needs
We may all be creative, but that doesn’t mean we all need the same routines and resources to stay healthy. It’s important to take some time to identity your creative needs so you can incorporate them into your daily life. This will help you untangle quicker from creative overwhelm, and possibly even prevent it from happening in the first place.
Ask yourself what ingredients do you need to thrive as a creative. It could be:
- Healthy routines like daily movement, nourishing meals and sleep
- A consistent block of time each day dedicated to creating
- Supportive creative community
- Monthly outings into nature or other inspiring places
- Books and podcasts that stimulate creative thinking
- And so much more!
Gathering Essential Tools and Resources
Take some time to really think about what you need to be a healthy creative. It can be so helpful to implement those structures and habits to fall back on when you feel the overwhelm rising. And that way, you’ll be prepared for the next time (because there will probably be a next time 😅).
I also want to share a brain-dump exercise I’ve created that’s been so helpful to do when I’m feeling anxious and overloaded.
Step-by-Step Guide to Conquering Creative Overwhelm
Step 1: List out all the things
Start by writing down all of your creative ideas. Get everything out of your head and onto the paper. It doesn’t matter if you already know you’re not going to follow through on certain projects. Just list it all out.
Step 2: Identify the “right now” projects
Now review your list and ask yourself, “What ideas aren’t for now?”. What are you feeling the pressure to do? What “shoulds” are on that list? Is there anything you’d let go of if you knew for sure you weren’t letting anyone down? It may well be that you return to some of those projects in the future, but it’s important to get clear about what to pursue right now.
Step 3: Notice how you feel
Take a moment to reflect on the ideas that are left. How you feel when you think about each one? Excited? Energized? Intimidated? Afraid? Remember no feeling is necessarily bad or wrong. It’s helpful to recognize what comes up so you can see how you can support yourself and move forward with confidence.
Step 4: Take small actions
It’s time to decide on what you can do to work towards your creative projects. This may vary depending on what came up in the last step. If you’re overall excited, think about one small action you can take this week.
If you’re feeling anxious or intimidated, it may also be helpful to think of a small way you can encourage your creativity. That could look like chatting with an encouraging friend, carving out time to create without an agenda, or visiting somewhere inspiring over the weekend.
Step 5: Recognize any blocks in the way
Lastly, you may want to consider anything that’s draining your creativity or sucking up time. What could you cut down on or remove to make more space and time to create? This will keep creative overwhelm from coming back for a while.
Practice for yourself with this free guide
If you want to try this simple and effective activity for yourself, click here to download my FREE worksheet. You can come back to it whenever you need to untangle from creative overwhelm.
Conclusion
You don’t have to let creative overwhelm keep you stuck. It’s possible to beat art block and move forward confidently with your creative projects. Use this effective brain dump activity anytime you feel that creative anxiety creeping in.
Are you ready to unlock more creative clarity and confidence? I’m here to help! Check out my Creative Clarity Sessions, where we’ll dive deep into discovering your unique creative identity and purpose. Let’s get started!
