What should I do when my art business feels stuck or I need creative breakthrough?

Sometimes you need to completely unplug and get quiet with your own thoughts. Take a real break from social media—not just reducing usage, but complete cold turkey. During this time, read books about artists who came before you. This provides validation that your struggles aren’t unique and that others faced similar challenges even decades or centuries ago. Being bored is actually valuable—creativity thrives in those in-between moments where most people would check their phones. Allow yourself to be bored. Go outside without your phone and just observe. Sit with your thoughts. This is when the magic happens. Many breakthrough ideas come not from consuming more content, but from creating space for your mind to wander and make connections. When you’re constantly filling your mind with inputs, there’s no room for original creative output.

---

Asked by an artist feeling creatively stuck · Answered by Kate Cook and Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2025-03-17