Artist's Block — The end of Creativity?

"All profound distraction opens certain doors. You have to allow yourself to be distracted when you are unable to concentrate."
—Julio Cortázar

We often might have heard the terms like Artist's block, creative block, and Art block at some point in our life. We might have also seen our favorite artists taking breaks to refresh their minds. Most of the time, this happens when they face a lack of inspiration in their artwork, which is pretty standard too. So, what exactly do these terms mean?
Artist's block can be described as a period when the artist has no idea for their new works. Because of this, the artists lose their ability to produce their refined works, and their output hits rock bottom. For professional artists - this is a serious mental barrier that can destroy their business.

Let's first try to understand an Artist's perspective on their Art.

Art, for an artist, is a way to express oneself and connect with God. For them, art is their tongue which entitles them to present their emotions and ideology in front of the world in the most beautiful way possible. Many artists have expressed in different interviews that if they don't feel the presence of God while practicing their art, the end product can never be heavenly. Any art meant to impress, not to express, cannot do great in the long term. All these arguments tell that art for them is not just about business. It's way beyond it. If someone takes away our voice for even a day, it becomes tough for us to survive. The same goes for them. Art block snatches away their ability to express themselves. We understand how they perceive art; thus, let's crack on the artist's block.

It is not the same as not being in the mood to do it. Creative block goes way beyond the everyday ups and downs of life. It's like a roadblock that doesn't let you go any further or produce productive output. It isn't bad just because it blocks creativity but also stops one from thinking of making any magical art. We might feel many ideas floating in our heads, but none seem worth pursuing. The mind goes completely blank.

Art block can happen to anyone at any point in life. The people who run for perfection are more prone to face this.
Everyone wants to do full justice to their artwork which leads to expectations from oneself, and if one is not able to meet their expectations, one feels disappointed and frustrated. People keep sitting around with their tools to do something unique by forcing themselves, which usually never results in anything significant. Beautiful things often happen at unexpected times. But due to forcing oneself, we start feeling sorry and not worthy of anything. Now let's have a look at what causes the creative block.

Mental or physical exhaustion is the first and most common reason for an art block. We might feel exhausted due to a series of events at our jobs or anxious due to someone. Someone's success may want one to pressure oneself—this only damages self-esteem. People have high expectations, and when we fail them, it leads to self-doubt. Doing something while trying to meet someone's expectations can never lead us anywhere.

The following reason is that instead of thinking of art as a form of expression, we often think of it as a way to impress. We start putting ourselves in others' shoes and consider whether others will like it. It is entirely wrong because if we cannot impress ourselves with our art form, it is no point in seeking validation from others. Enjoying your art is more important than the money you get. So how do you deal with it?

We first need to find inspiration, but the problem is where to find it from. Explore movies, music, nature, books, travelling, etc. Sometimes we all just need some time to reflect. Have a deep conversation with yourself and talk about positive things. Look at your favourite artist and see how they deal with it. A good start boosts our confidence. What we need to do is force ourselves to start. Start doing something even if you feel repelled. We can also try something different from what we usually do. For example, if a music composer usually makes romantic light music, he can try rock music, which might substantially open up his creativity. Do not hurry. Take small steps at a time. Revisit your past unfinished works - try to make them more appealing. Try to forget your natural style and talk to more people. This will surely refresh your mind.

An art block is not the end of one's creative career. It just means you need a break- from your work and worries.