Ten Things to Help Unblock

Here are ten tips that might help if you are feeling blocked.

We've all been there!  Frustration clouding our minds, that feeling of having come to the end of any creativity we may have had and comparing ourselves to other things and people we see.  Feeling not up to it - feeling not good enough - feeling blocked!



I've been feeling that way for a few weeks now.  I had been excited about setting up and getting to work on what seemed at first to be a brilliant idea 'The Blue Sky Caravan'.  Then it happened, little things chipped away at my confidence, wheels started spinning, progress came to a halt - I was stuck in the mud and that caravan was too heavy to push!

An email got me thinking and led to this post.

Overnight my blocks seem to have cleared, I'm feeling enthused, full of ideas and understanding a little more about the process.

Here we go - ten tips if you feeling blocked!

1. DON'T PANIC!!
   I realise that many times I am feeling blocked and unable to make progress there is a very good reason for it - its because I am learning something!  Sometimes I don't even realise that I am learning something, all I see is that I'm not progressing the way I want to.  When I make my beads I seem to go through fits and spurts and now I understand why.  The times I am unsatisfied and feeling stuck are actually the times that new ideas are percolating, or I haven't perfected some technique I want to.  Then all of a sudden one day something clicks and onward I go.


2. Try seeing things from a different perspective.
   Its so easy to get stuck looking at the block the same way over and over, and not being able to see through it.  Step back and look at it from a different point of view.
   
   [caption id="attachment_882" align="alignnone" width="300"] Graphic courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/science.alliance.now[/caption]


3. Make a list.
   Writing down the thing that is blocking you and breaking it into small parts in the form of a list may help.  You might find something small in the list that you can do to help you move forward. Perhaps it's just one thing that is holding you back.  Remember that saying - "Rome wasn't built in a day"!  However tiny the steps may be you'll be making progress.


4. Check out what others are doing.
   Search the web, look in magazines, or around in your community.  Notice what others in your field are doing - there's no need to copy, you'll likely find some ideas come to mind that will connect with what you already have and give you a bit of a boost.


5.  Switch it up!
   If its possible take a break and do something different.  Focussing your thoughts on something else for a while might be just what you need.


6. Don't Compare.
   Try hard not to compare yourself with others doing similar things.  Don't fall into the trap of  'its all been done before' and 'I have nothing new to offer'.  Nobody would do anything if we all believed that.  You are unique and if you follow your heart then the things you create will also be unique.  Life is for creating!


7. Try Brian Eno's 'Oblique Strategies'
   There's an online version here - don't dismiss what you get out of hand, think about it from different perspectives.  I just tried and got 'twist the spine' - my spine? a book spine?  a leaf spine? What kind of twist?  How can I put a different twist on something.


8. Just DO IT!
   Is part of the problem procrastination?  Is there something you need to get done that you keep putting off?  Is this what is stopping you from moving forward?  Yup, like the magnet my mother gave me 'better to do it than wish it done!


9. Take a walk in nature.
   Yes, something as simple as walk can help.  Nature offers much advice, all we need do is connect and breathe, think of the miracles of the season you are in and remember that even Nature takes a break in Winter to let things germinate. If you don't get unblocked you'll at least be guaranteed to come back with your mind feeling refreshed.


10. Still Stuck?
    Know that you are in the 'now', this is where you are supposed to be and things will progress as they should - give yourself credit for everything you've already achieved.  No-one else on this entire planet has done or can do things exactly the way that  you do!  Its hard to be patient but know that as sure as you got stuck you will also become free.  If you honestly can't do anything to move forward right now then take some time to be kind to yourself in whatever way seems best.  Take a look at these famous folks who overcame adversity and you just might find your roadblocks are really only pebbles.

Nature is wiser by far.

I am constantly amazed by nature.  How the smaller things get the more wondrous they appear.

Yesterday was a misty damp morning, lots of morning glories were in bloom but what caught my eye were the tiny spiderwebs wafting in the gentle breeze.



What miracles occur while we sleep?



Who danced a thousand steps and more, floating through the air?  Covering great distances with silk and bravery.



This is the first year I've grown morning glories.
Oh nature you are wiser than wisest human could ever be, more an artist than we could imagine ourselves in our wildest dreams.



 

The smaller things get, the more their magnificence.

Dew was everywhere in the garden, for a moment I thought the roses had gone over and that their flowers were drying.

Until I looked closer -



 

Have we ever accomplished anything so remarkable?



 

I think not.

 

 

The Dream - The Blue Sky Caravan

Welcome to the Blue Sky Caravan, come on in, make yourself at home.  Take that cozy chair over there in the corner if you like, the kettle is on and something tasty is just about to be served.

You might be wondering where you are, well let me explain . . .

You have just entered a very special place - my Caravan of Creativity and Dreams!  It sits on the edge of a gently sloping field close to a beautiful greenwood.  Just over that rise there is a path, sandswept by the wind, that leads down to the sea.  Can you hear the seabirds?

My caravan is of the Gypsy style, with big spoked wheels and and a wooden frame.  Its decorated with many colours and carvings of most anything you'd like to see lie waiting to be discovered.  The arching green roof keeps me warm and dry.  Three steps lead up to a little stoop where a cat or two spend time lounging in the sun.



Inside?

Inside wonders await!

A ceiling of sky, blue, studded with fluffy white clouds - you know, one of those perfect summer skies that take you back to childhood days when time stood still and great adventures called.  The rug on the floor is a little threadbare from the coming and going of a great many feet, but its pattern is magical and many stories are woven into it.  A desk sits in front of a big window from which a glimpse of the sea teases the eye.  Excuse the clutter, its almost all creative, pens, pencils, paints, books, music and artist's dreams.  Yes, come on in and stop for a spell.

A Tale of Two Tables

My sister Ingrid sent me a picture of her new breakfast table.



 

I looked at it and looked at MY table that I was sitting at.  I felt a little envious - imagining a lovely clean table top and jokingly sent Ingrid an email back saying that her table looked a lot tidier than mine.



In no time at all came a reply that once again let me know I had picked the perfect sister:

But the creativity dripping from your table makes me smile!

How does your table look?