Creative Block Isn’t a Lack of Ideas — It’s a Lack of Permission

There was a time when creative block felt confusing to me, because I genuinely love creating. I like designing, experimenting, and building things visually. So when my ideas stalled, it did not feel like burnout or disinterest. It felt more like my brain had gone quiet, even though I wanted to make something.

For a long time, I thought the solution was discipline. Push harder. Sit down anyway. Do the serious work first. The problem was that I had trained myself to treat enjoyment as a reward instead of a resource.

That pattern started in college. It felt irresponsible to read a novel when there was a textbook waiting. Even leisure reading carried a sense of guilt, as if time spent on a murder mystery should have been reserved for coursework. That mindset followed me into adulthood and into my creative work. Enjoyment always came second to what had to be done.

Reading something light felt indulgent. Creative play, especially low-pressure design and decorating, felt undeserved until the hard things were finished.

What actually happened was the opposite of motivation. By forcing myself to do only the heavy, practical, uninspiring tasks first, I drained the very energy I needed to create. The things that sparked ideas were treated like distractions, so I stopped reaching for them. The block was not a lack of creativity. It was self-imposed restraint.

Lately, I have been unlearning that. I no longer wait until everything serious is done to let myself enjoy something that inspires me. Cozy games, especially ones that involve designing, organizing, or decorating, give my brain a place to wander without pressure. There is no outcome to prove. No productivity to measure. Just play.

Ironically, that is when ideas start to come back. Not because I am trying harder, but because I am no longer holding creativity hostage behind obligation.

Creative block, for me, is not solved by doing more. It eases when I stop believing that enjoyment has to be earned. Creating feels easier when inspiration is allowed to exist alongside responsibility, not after it.

Cheers to creating without earning permission first.