I read something from Elli Milan this morning that hit me hard: “Hot and cold are better than lukewarm.”
As a creative, there’s an expectation—spoken or unspoken—that we should always be working on something. If you run into someone, one of the first things they ask is, “What are you painting lately?” And if you haven’t been painting, that question cuts deep. The guilt. The shame. The feeling that if you’re not producing, you’re failing.
I know that gray space well. It sneaks up fast, turning into stagnation. It makes you question yourself, your work, and sometimes even your identity as an artist. But what if we leaned into the cold instead of fearing it? What if we let it be a space for exploration and play—scribbling, tearing paper, lighting something on fire, mark making, throwing paint?
Because the truth is, the only way back to the spark is through movement.
Creativity Thrives in Play
When I feel stuck, I remind myself: Stagnation is the real enemy, not bad art.
I keep a list of right-brain activities and another of basic painting ideas on my studio door for moments like this—a reminder that if I’m too in my head, I need to shift gears. Right now, I’m deep in a phase of play. No pressure, no shows in mind, just making whatever the heck I want. And honestly? My creativity is thriving in the best way.
Some of my go-to ways to break through creative stagnation:
- No Peeky Self portrait - look in the mirror and draw myself. My hand move as my eyes follow the contours of my face.
- Playing with new mediums, even if they feel foreign or childish. Bust out those crayons!
- Ripping up old work and rearranging it into something new. Collage chaos!
- Painting/drawing with my non-dominant hand
- Going outside and collecting textures to use as paint brushes and incorporate that into my work
- Doodling with no expectations
- Paint a mandala. They're so satisfying!
- And... a new one to me is dancing. Free flowy, letting my body do whatever it wants, dancing!
When I take the pressure off, something shifts. The process becomes an experiment instead of a test & i love a good experiment!
Let Yourself Make a Mess
I’m sharing a WIP (work in progress) from the studio today—Woman of the Sea. It’s thick, chaotic, full of movement and color. It’s me, releasing everything that needs to be let go, back into the waves. It’s wild and free and exactly what I needed to make.
If you’re stuck in the gray, don’t wait for inspiration. Move. Make a mess. Let go of the need to create something “good.”
Hot and cold are both part of the process. The worst thing we can do is stay lukewarm.
Here’s your reminder: let yourself play. You might just find your way back to the spark.