Art Block: What Is It And How to Avoid Burnout?

Have you ever just sat there, staring at the blank canvas, with no clue in the world about where to start? Your workplace is tidy, software up-to-date, and the client seems to know exactly what they want from you. However, something just feels wrong, and your often creative mind cannot come up with a single idea, leaving you as empty as the canvas. 

Looks like your way got shadowed by the most frustrating thing a creative may face – art block. Over the last year, 70% of creative professionals and marketers reported facing it – a creative coma that’s never welcome and always hits you when you least expect it.  And though it’s scary, it isn’t a verdict.

What is an Art Block?

Art block (or creative block) is a natural part of any creative process, which essentially means one is struggling with motivation and inspiration. It’s important to understand that facing an art block doesn’t mean you’ve lost your talent overnight. The truth is that nothing lasts forever, and sometimes even the most accomplished designer needs a reboot. 

To get a more detailed picture of the notion, we’ll start with a simple yet interesting question: Why does a creative block happen? The roots stem mainly from emotional burnout. You’re not a machine that can generate a new picture with just a click of a button. Without a proper rest or a healthy mindset, your organism will sooner or later shut down. To provide an example, overwork exhausts creative energy, and perfectionism causes paralyzing fear of failure. And it only gets worse with external pressure that comes from tight deadlines, demanding clients, and financial stress. As a result, you find yourself completely unable to generate ideas or can still conceptualize but struggle to execute.

In the twelfth issue of Creative Talks, we’ve reached out to designers who agreed to share their art block stories. As tradition goes, we asked them three questions on the topic:

1. Why do you think art blocks happen? How can one prevent them?
2. Tell us about the last time you faced a creative block.
3. Where do you find inspiration to fuel your creative spark?

And now comes the part where you’ll learn about real people’s experiences with the most excruciating part of working in the creative industry. Let’s talk art block.

Gustavo Bortoletto – Creative director, UI/UX, and product designer

Gustavo’s Behance and website

I believe creative blocks happen when the mind gets overloaded with too much information or external pressure. They often show up when we try to force a solution instead of letting ideas flow naturally. To prevent them, I usually alternate between moments of deep focus and intentional breaks, seeking inspiration outside design — through art, music, or even a simple walk. That balance helps keep creativity light and consistent.

The last time [I faced a creative block] was during a recent visual identity project where I couldn’t quite find the right balance between professionalism and human warmth. After a few days stuck, I realized I needed to step away from the computer, go outside, and let my mind breathe. That pause brought me clarity and opened the door to new solutions. In the end, the block actually strengthened the final result.

I find inspiration by paying close attention to everyday life. It might come from a quick conversation with someone, an old poster on the street, the unexpected colors of a sunset, or details in art and architecture books. I’m also deeply inspired by mixing languages and mediums — for example, bringing hand-drawn elements into digital contexts. That contrast between human and technological elements pushes me to create work that’s not just aesthetic but also meaningful.

Romane Gayraud – Freelance photographer and graphic designer

Romane’s Behance

I think art blocks usually happen when we try too hard to force creativity, when we put pressure on ourselves to always create something great or original. It often comes from fatigue, stress, or even routine.

To prevent that, I try to keep a healthy balance between inspiration and rest. I allow myself to disconnect, go outside, and do things that have nothing to do with design, and that’s often when ideas start to flow again.

[Talking about the last time she faced a creative block.] It happened during a long branding project where I couldn’t find the right direction for the logo. Everything felt too similar, too “expected.”

I decided to take a step back and stop thinking about it for a few days. I went to exhibitions, watched films, and spent time sketching for fun, no pressure, no client, just drawing. When I came back to the project, the solution felt obvious. Sometimes, distance gives more clarity than effort.

Inspiration comes from everywhere, not only from design. I love observing colors in nature, typography in the city, or light on architecture. Music, cinema, and photography also feed my imagination a lot.

I also enjoy diving into old magazines, vintage posters, or packaging archives; they remind me that creativity doesn’t have to be perfect, just authentic.

Oleksandra Kotsiuk – Graphic designer

Oleksandra’s the one behind our beautiful website design

Creative blocks often occur when my mind is full of ideas but too tired to turn them into reality. Usually, the most significant factor in such blocks for me is perfectionism. The constant desire to do everything as best as possible can, unfortunately, lead to the fact that without noticing it, you will not even start the work at all, but you will waste a lot of resources and feel tired. Well, according to the classics, if you are exhausted and your head is not working and you need to create ideas, you can often blame yourself for being unable to come up with anything.

Old but gold – relax. You need to permit yourself not to create. Often, it’s worth just switching off and not tiring yourself out with the thought of creating something, because when you work in a creative field, rest is your new best friend.

In everyday human moments – the rhythm of travel, music, conversations, the early morning silence with a cup of coffee. Inspiration rarely strikes like lightning; it comes in a moment, just as the ideal in design comes in the process. So be attentive to the details of life, which truly fill each design with meaning.

My last creative block was during the total redesign of the company’s main page. When a design lives for a long time, it’s hard to dare to do something new, and even harder to create something worthy to replace it. With this task, I came across my perfectionism and the fact that I tortured myself with thoughts that I couldn’t create that wow design. But later, I gave myself time and made a not-so-perfect layout from which, step by step, the desired result emerged that satisfied the entire team.

Summing Up

Art block is a pain in the neck of every designer. Going through it is never satisfying, but it’s a natural part of your creative path. Just as fields rest before the next harvest, your inspiration and spark will certainly return once you take care of yourself. 

What’s interesting, art block usually arrives at transition points. Therefore, the designer you’ll become after pushing through it is often more skilled, authentic, and resilient. So, you can either sit there down in the dumps or change your perspective and learn to work with the natural rhythms of your creativity. 

Perceive the burnout as a messenger rather than an enemy. Once you analyze what it’s trying to tell, you’ll know how to overcome the drought.