Do you ever just sit and stare at a blank page or canvass for what seems like an eternity trying to force something, anything to transpire, yet nothing does?

It can be incredibly frustrating especially when you finally do find the limited time in your day for such freedom. Don’t beat yourself up first and foremost though because you’re not alone and yes this does happen to everyone from time to time.

Baby steps is all you need to remember to take in any creative venture. And being kind to yourself always. I sometimes find too its best to lean into what your body is trying to tell you. If you feel resistance to what you are trying to accomplish, maybe what your body needs most of all is rest and restorative activities. Listen to your intuition, it will tell you what you need the most. Once you serve your body with those needs you will feel more rejuvenated and excited to pursue your creative endeavors.

When you do find yourself stuck and creatively blocked, these are 5 top tips that can help you get out of it with ease and help those creative juices start flowing again.

1) Journaling and Morning pages

There is something incredibly transformative to starting your day unloading all of your thoughts on a few pages. Beginning your day with journaling or writing can help start the creative flow by letting go of every thought and process that is holding you back. Taking this time to write, just for you and you alone takes all the pressure off to perform and be perfect.

Creating space for this allows you to become more fluid. Not forcing anything, but just letting whatever thoughts come to your mind flow through you. This can be very therapeutic and why I recommend it every day. However, even if all you can do is just try to do it some days of the week it will help tremendously in getting your creativity in motion.

Many authors and creatives have recommended this practice as well because it is so beneficial. This does not need to be a long process, but just 3 simple pages. This process should be written by hand and not using a computer or your phone if you are able to so you can focus on expansion and going deep.

These writings are a sacred time just for yourself, so if your inner critic comes in for a visit just respond with “thank you for sharing” and continue on. Continue this process in spite of any resistance you meet. This practice will help you break through creative blocks you may be having.

2) Ask for Guidance

Whether you are spiritual or not and believe in a higher power, asking for guidance and opening yourself up to those channels can help you connect to something deeper. I like to think of this as allowing your energy be connected to source to allow that energy flow through you in a guided way.

Letting source energy guide your creativity in whatever message that needs to be said. You can do this by simply praying to that higher power, the Universe, God or inner guide.. asking to let your creativity be a messenger and being open to receive what messages need to be delivered.

You can also try placing your hand over your heart, closing your eyes and asking what creative messages need to be delivered. Learn to listen to the guidance that you hear. Remember your soul whispers and your ego screams, so learn to quiet your mind and listen to the whispers of your soul. Open your heart and allow yourself to be a creative channel, a conduit to source.

3) Take yourself on a date

In order to replenish your creative reserves you need to make time and space to be playful and have fun. Our society and culture puts so much pressure on us to grind hard every day and fueling the mentality that if you’re not grinding hard every day from the moment you wake up to the time you go to sleep that you’re not productive at all. But this mentality can be so toxic and lead you to feeling burnt out.

Taking time to be playful, to do something just for fun and taking care of yourself in a loving way is necessary not just for your own wellbeing but also to allow your creativity become unblocked and flow more effortlessly. You cannot expect to find inspiration and creative sparks from an empty reserve. You need to fill your tank just like you fuel anything in life for it to function at optimal levels.

The best way to do this is to take yourself on a date and do things that you find delight in and fill you with pure joy. Let your imagination run wild as this can be anything from letting your inner child come out to having quiet beautiful moments of solitude.

You can dance to your favorite music, visit an animal shelter and play with and cuddle the animals, take a walk and smell all the flowers, lay in the grass and ponder all the shapes that are in the sky, collect shells at the beach or run around barefoot. It can be anything at all that truly replenishes your soul and lights that fire in you again.

4) Take a walk in nature

Similar to taking yourself on a date, this is sacred time just for yourself. This is for you and your creative force so leave your phone at home, your pets at home, and even any music or podcasts that you normally listen to. This walk is solo for you and your creative consciousness alone.

Soaking in the freshness, the stillness and the beauty of nature is deeply healing to your mind and your soul. Allow yourself to simply be and to be fully present to your surroundings. Breath deeply and soak everything in like a calming wave, letting your thoughts disappear into the forest. Anything heavy that you’re carrying in your heart or worries and stresses that are weighing on your mind, let the wind carry them away.

Soak up the energy of all the life giving things around you and let it fill every cell in your body. Replenishing your soul in this way allows you to be a reservoir for creative thinking and creative sparks to flow.

5) Seek to be of service

Don’t hold yourself to the standard of perfection, instead seek to serve and to be of service. Instead of trying to be brilliant, try instead to be of help to someone else.

We put so much pressure on ourselves to seek perfection, but this can ultimately hold us back as the strive for perfectionism can be almost unattainable. It is better and more fulfilling to focus your attention instead on service and how your creative work can help others.

The focus becomes less about ego then and comes more from the spirit. In asking ourselves the question of how can this help someone else, we can uncover the creative blocks holding us back.

Remember the power of creativity is the power of consistency. It’s showing up for yourself every day no matter what. Be intentional with how you care for yourself, take time for yourself, what you say “yes” to and what you say “no” to. Make yourself a priority. Take time to rest, to play, to connect with nature, to ponder and dream.

Connection with yourself, with nature and being grounded in the present will all help in unraveling everything that holds you back from your creative flow.