Three Small Experiments in Getting Unstuck
I have been facing a creative block for months. The popular adage is that the only way to get past a creative block is to blast through it. You just have to keep showing up and writing, painting, drawing, or whatever it is you do. The work itself will eventually cut through the block and your creative juices will once again flow freely.
But what if this strategy isn’t working? That’s where I find myself. After spending several months showing up to my studio, staring at some works in progress, staring out the window, tidying up a bit, and maybe finally haltingly putting pigment to paper, I am still stuck. Giving my brain a tidying up has helped, but only incrementally.
What more can I do?
My default when I have a problem is to gather information and try and think my way out of it. But with complicated problems, thinking only gets you so far. At some point, you have to act.
Taking action doesn’t mean that the action has to be big or even that you have to be particularly sure about it. In fact, sometimes the best actions are small experimental ones. This small experiment approach is what I’ve been using to try and get unstuck.
I’ve tried three small experiments so far, and here are the results:
Gather inspiration. Gathering inspiration – or as artists like to say, “filling the well” – is an important part of the creative process. In the long term, gathering inspiration fosters creativity by feeding our brains ideas and imagery that fuel creative exploration. In the short term, it can give you something to react to which may end up sparking an idea.
What did I do? I spent two weeks going down the Pinterest rabbit hole, leafing through my art books, and going to a few art exhibitions. I also spent some time thinking about how to convert my research into inspiration for my work.
How did it go? It was certainly less frustrating exploring other work than being blocked on my own work. Unfortunately, the ease of consuming potential inspiration did not translate to ease of creating. My block did not budge. It was time for another experiment.
Take a class. My next idea was to take an online workshop. I reasoned that this would get me out of information gathering mode – which was not working – and put me in creating mode. Once I was in the rhythm of creating, I hoped this would carry over to my own work.
What did I do? I signed up for a three-day online color exploration workshop. As a bonus, I did it with an art friend. The additional structure of having scheduled check-ins was an extra motivator.
How did it go? The workshop was successful in getting me into the studio and out of my “paint scarcity” mindset. It also gave me some different ways to think about working with color, which will undoubtedly be useful in the long run. In the short-term, however, I didn’t feel creatively energized at the end of the workshop but rather a bit let down – the way it sometimes feels to get home after a great vacation. On to the next experiment.
Explore within structure. When all else fails, go back to first principles. For me, I know that I work best when I give myself freedom to explore within some sort of structure. So, for my latest small experiment, which is still in progress, I have devised a series of semi-structured studio assignments.
What am I doing? I am going to the studio at least twice a week and doing exercises that use limited materials and techniques. The idea is to get myself working without overthinking. Yesterday, for example, I spent a day painting abstracts in layers with translucent paint. I spent an earlier studio session playing with patterned fabric and paint. This week, I’m planning to do some loosening up exercises with charcoal. At the end of each studio session, I spend some time reflecting on whether I learned anything from my experimentation that I could bring into my work.
How is it going? I am two weeks into this small experiment and although the jury is still out, I might be slowly getting somewhere. I will re-up for another two weeks and remind myself to check in and evaluate how it’s going.
Small experiments – beyond the studio
Small experiments are not just a good way to get around creative blocks. They are also a useful approach for discovering solutions to all kinds of problems and pain points both in one’s personal and professional life.
In a way, small experiments are nothing new – we are doing them all the time. The human brain is wired for experimentation – it is continuously trying out things, making predictions, and soaking in feedback from the environment to determine how things went. This often happens so quickly that we’re not even aware of it.
What makes a small experiment different from the way the brain habitually works is intentionality. A small experiment doesn’t have to be run like a rigid scientific experiment for a set period of time, but it should be intentional and thoughtful. There should be some clarity on what the problem is, brainstorming on ways to solve it, and an assessment to understand whether a potential solution is working. It is also important to make a note of what works. It is surprisingly easy to forget you even had a problem once it is solved , putting you back to the beginning when something similar comes up.
What I like about a small experiment mindset is that it has an inherent bias towards learning through action. Small experiments are a way forward when you can’t think yourself out of a problem. They focus on learning and adapting rather than failure and success. And they are the perfect response to complex problems with many moving parts – whether that’s how to design urban spaces that meet people’s needs or how to overcome a creative block.
What small experiments could you try?
Anne Kearney is the 2025 reDirect Artist in Residence. You can read more about her here.