Overcoming Creative Blocks

& a little life update as I slowly ease out of maternity leave next month

My maternity leave ends in a couple weeks. (Sad face) With every baby, easing back into work feels absolutely impossible, yet also necessary for, you know, groceries and life but I need it for my mental health as well. I was listening to Brene Brown’s book, Rising Strong, while on a walk with Faye this week and she says, “We are born makers. And creativity is the ultimate act of reintegration. It is how we fold our experiences into our being.” I love that word—reintegration. It felt very applicable as I slowly creep out of our newborn cocoon.

For me, creativity is essential, almost like a lifeline at times. Do you feel the same? Because of that, it can be a blessing and a curse—feeling excited and invigorated when new ideas come and everything clicks, but also like a heavy burden when your mind feels numb and completely blank when it needs to be anything but. I experience it more often than I’d like…much more since becoming a mother. Your time and energy and attention is often fragmented and interrupted with so many things to remember, making it hard to keep those almost sacred creative bursts going full throttle.

However, to fill my postpartum creative cup, I took Faye on her first public outing to see my friend Melissa Crowton speak. (We social distanced ourselves in the very back!) She talked a lot about her creative journey and how she overcame an intense artist block back in 2020. Her presentation was like eye candy! I left so inspired, empowered and excited to create again. And it also helped me remember my personal tried and true tricks I use to get myself out of a creative rut, or even past imposter syndrome. So selfishly, this post is helping me remember, “I can do it!” And I hope it helps you too.