Tag: creative block

Creative Block is Holding You Hostage

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Here’s how to break free. 

But first, you have to believe that it’s possible to create. 

Here’s a truth.

I get creative block every day. 

Until it’s time to sit down and write. 

And to my surprise, I write. 

Every single night.

I find out that I’m capable of producing a blog post, or an article, or a Tiktok even on days where I don’t feel like I can.

And that’s just how I’ve been rolling for 3 years. 

It might be an unpopular opinion, but I believe that creative block is a choice for 99% of people here. 

You have to overcome it by taking action (small steps are encouraged). 

Need help? 

I’m here for you. 

Email me anna@habitfactory.space and I’ll hear you out. Not a sales call, no underlying agenda. I’m here to listen.

I’ve written a blog post every day for 2 and a half years. Here’s how I never got creative block

Anna PengLeave a comment

Every day I do my thing.

I write.

Writing is something that I do because I enjoy it. 

That’s not to say I never get stuck on my words.

I get stuck every day of the year. 

Every day when I’m faced with a blank page, I have a moment of stuck.

What do I write about? 

How am I going to write it? 

Will it be interesting?

Whatever might hold value.

By scribbling it out and editing later (and only once).

It will only be interesting to only a few.

I see creative block as a psychological barrier to one’s own production.

Nothing’s actually stopping you, but yourself.

All your tools are there, it’s just you (really).

The goal of the block is to make you stop.

Meanwhile, you should make every effort to not listen to it. 

Don’t stop for the block.

Facing the Dreaded Blank Page

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The project you wanted to start—but didn’t.

The feeling is pulling at you, isn’t it.

There’s a pressure to begin, but you don’t know how.

Familiar with the feeling?

It’s the feeling of a blank page you hesitate to fill up because you worry about imperfections.

You might be tempted to stop before you even begin. It’s easier this way.

But everyone who’s faced a dreaded blank page knows that the secret to overcoming a blank is to start with the smallest step forward. 

It’s not to write an entire essay, or a paragraph, or even a sentence. The smallest step forward would be to jot down a note. Something incomplete, rough, and workable.

2 Beliefs About Creative Work

Anna Peng1 Comment
  1. All great designers should have large bodies of ugly work.
    • This is the stuff that comes along with/before/alongside the good stuff. It would be naive to think that everything you create is the best thing you’ve made, hence the ugly work. I’d go for 10,000 pieces of practice work over 2-3 lifetime masterpieces any day of the week. 
  2. Creativity is a practice.
    • You get what you put in. You can be born naturally creative, or you can work hard and exceed at it over time. It’s a choice. There is no invisible force stopping you from being creative. Creativity is free, and everyone has access to it. 

Writer’s Block—Now What?

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Not being sure what to write about has its moments.


But letting the feeling of not knowing what to write take over—that’s how we go into writer’s block.


“I want to write but I just don’t know what to write about” is what you say for the next 3 and a half months, but what really is going on is that you’re being too much of a perfectionist. 

On Creative Block

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Sometimes the feeling is: 

I can’t create anything because I don’t have any ideas coming to mind.

And sometimes the feeling is: 

There are so many ideas but I’m too overwhelmed to commit to all of them.

When it comes to getting over creative block, anything is better than nothing.

And when creative block isn’t an issue, it might be a good idea to begin and commit to just one.

How Strong is Your Editing Voice?

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We all have an editing voice.

The editor’s voice is the leading cause of putting the pencil down and walking away.

For some, it’s strong and the voice lives aggressively in our heads.

It’s the voice that goes, “That won’t work”, ”That’s not good enough”, or “It needs to be perfect.”

Editing too much too early is the reason why we stop being creative.

It’s the stopping before we even start.

There’s a time and place for editing, but it isn’t when we’re about to make something meaningful to ourselves or for others.