Craft & work

What do you do when you feel creatively blocked or stuck?

69 answers answered between 1932 and 2026 one of 4 from The Creative Independent

Originally asked

The Creative Independent, to working artists, its interview series

A recurring Creative Independent question whose wording distinguishes a lasting block from a temporary impasse.

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On the record

Public figures who have answered a question like this elsewhere. Quoted from the source shown, not written for FLAPSS.

Steve Jobs Co-founder and chief executive of Apple; co-founder of NeXT; chief executive of Pixar
We called that the 'story crisis,' and we never expected to have another one. But you know what? There's been one on every film. We don't stop production for five months. We've gotten a little smarter about it. But there always seems to come a moment where it's just not working, and it's so easy to fool yourself - to convince yourself that it is when you know in your heart that it isn't.
Recorded Betsy Morris, Fortune interview, Kona, Hawaii, March 2008 source ↗
Simone Giertz Inventor and product designer
Oh, there’s so many. Usually it’s when I’m overwhelmed, because I get defensive and I just want to like hide under my couch. I’m working on a project now that I’ve been stuck [with] on a problem for four years and I’m finally [in] “fuck it, let’s just get it done” mode. Which is really nice, but there’s always blocks. I mean, I’ve had a block with the foldable coat hanger for years, and I think we finally have solved it. It’s cool how it ebbs and flows and you’ll discover a new way to approach it that solves [a] problem–and then maybe [that] causes new problems. There’s nothing consistent about it.
Recorded Brandon Stosuy, The Creative Independent, 13 March 2026 source ↗

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