There it sits – blank, clean, virgin-white – a new page on which to write. A fresh start. New work waiting to be expressed. So why does my heart palpate, find the blankness icily chilling instead of inviting? it’s such a small thing to halt a writer with hesitation.

All those what-ifs scream out our previous failures – ink-blotted scribbles, deficient daubs, lackadaisical prose and inability to colour well within the lines of art.

It must be overcome, of course, or we would never start our potential masterpiece, beguiling blog post, pretty poetry, or just our ordinary everyday showing up to offer a faithful labour of love at the altar of creativity.

All art begins with a mark. All creativity invites us to start with something. So where to begin to leave our mark when a mind feels bereft of thought? It’s a dilemma whether we’re staring at a blank screen or pristine page. Fear of making a mess stops us in our tracks, because who wants to screw up before we’ve barely begun? Not me, probably not you, either.

I’m sharing what helped me after I took a prolonged break and feared I might never write another word. I began with recognising the limiters on leaving a mark. Mine were: fatigue, false expectations, life circumstances, poor self-esteem, people-approval issues, loss of confidence. Maybe some of those resonate with you?

Once we start to transfer words to a page, make a list or frame an image in our head, then we begin to stir those latent creative juices again. What begins as an act of faith becomes a work in progress.

[bctt tweet=”What begins as an act of faith becomes a work in progress #writing #creativity #faith”]

20-ways-to-beat-the-blank-page-art-and-creativity

Words beget words. Lines sweep into form. Colour bleeds and blends. Art is taking shape… and we can always set it for aside a while, strike through, erase, draw circles around potentially usable stuff and learn as we go.

Here are 20 ways to help you beat the blank page

  1. Pray, pray and pray again – be inspired by God first and foremost
  2. Write morning/evening pages, or whenever you get uninterrupted time
  3. Use a journal/diary/sketch pad/ doodling or crayoning book
  4. Have all necessary materials to hand – including coffee/chocolate/cake
  5. Jot random ideas in a notepad whenever a creative thought occurs

**To discover more tips on beating the blank page, please follow me over to the ACW ‘More than Writers’ blog where I am sharing my words today. Just click here to join me there. Thank you!**  🙂