Craft your way through challenges.
Practical tips for pushing past creative roadblocks...
INSIDE: I wanted to share some things I've learned about dealing with those pesky creative roadblocks that pop up…
It’s funny how even after all these years of crafting, I still run into roadblocks you think I would’ve solved by now!
Luckily, though, I’ve also picked up ways of dealing with them.
Sometimes, how I see things make the roadblocks, like when I doubt myself or get caught up in perfectionism.
Other times, they’re more practical issues, like running out of yarn halfway through a project (annoying!)
There are dozens I could talk about (many of which you probably know all too well…) but I’ll stick to the ones I experience the most.
The one that always gets me is decision paralysis. What do you mean, I have to choose? There are so many gorgeous yarns and designs!
Then there’s social comparison and the fear of failure (I worry my finished project won’t look anything like the design.)
It’s enough to make me not even want to cast on sometimes!
Time is a challenge, too. Balancing knitting with everything else in life is tricky, as is being realistic about how long projects will take! Let alone staying focused, it’s easy to want to try something new instead.
One thing that’s helped is setting clear goals for my projects, which keep me focused and motivated.
Creating the right environment has also made an enormous difference for me. I have a great comfy chair and a floor lamp I can use to illuminate the stitches as I knit or crochet.
Dealing with perfectionism has been a journey. I’ve had to learn that “perfect” is often the enemy of “done.” Now, I give myself permission to make mistakes and try to be kind to myself.
Taking breaks has been super helpful too.
Even just stepping away for a few minutes can calm me down. I’ll do some stretches or take a quick walk – it’s amazing how much it helps!
I’ve shared more helpful tips in this post on Knit Like Granny.
I hope you find them helpful!
And another question for you: When was a time you managed to overcome a challenge in your crafting?
Press reply or leave a comment!
P.S. There’s another round of excellent reads waiting for you on Sunday…
(Disclosure: Any purchases made through links may earn me a commission.)
Before you go…
Wasn’t necessarily a “challenge” that I had to overcome BUT I stopped timing my crafting. When I started knitting I’d time each session to see how long a project took to complete. It was far more of a hassle than it was worth and ultimately I realized I was enforcing process where there didn’t need to be any. Since I’ve stopped, my knitting feels much more free and I’m less concerned with if something takes me shorter/longer than I anticipated.
Thank you for these very practical tips, Jodie. I often suffer from decision paralysis too. I am slowly trying to teach myself that action is the best form of motivation. I try to make decisions for the next project and keep everything ready as I am about to finish the current one. This way I feel like I am not stuck analyzing forever.