Jessica Becker 6/12/25 Jessica Becker 6/12/25

How to Create When You Feel Stuck

ecause waiting for inspiration isn't the answer.

Have you ever sat down with the best intentions — a blank journal page, an open laptop, a quiet room — and... nothing came?

You're not alone.

Feeling stuck, uninspired, or creatively blocked is a deeply frustrating experience. But what if I told you that being stuck isn't a sign to stop — it's an invitation to listen?

Here’s how I gently guide myself back into creative flow when everything feels… stuck.

1. Start with Stillness

It sounds counterintuitive, but before you try to force productivity, try doing nothing for 5 minutes.

Sit with your eyes closed.
Place one hand on your heart, one on your belly.
Ask: What needs to be expressed today?

Often, your creativity is quiet — not absent. Stillness lets you hear it.

2. Lower the Stakes

Perfectionism is creativity’s worst enemy. When you’re stuck, it’s usually because you’re trying to create something great before you allow it to be messy.

So instead, say:

“I’m just going to write 3 lines.”
“I’m just going to doodle for 2 minutes.”
“I’m just going to move my hands.”

Creating anything — even something bad — is progress.

3. Change Your Environment

Sometimes, your stuckness is physical. Energy gets stale.

Try writing from a coffee shop or the porch
Light a candle, turn on music, open a window
Take a 15-minute walk before you sit down

Movement clears the fog. Even small shifts in setting can rewire how your brain engages with your ideas.

4. Use a Prompt or Tool

If blank pages overwhelm you, don’t start from zero.

Use a journal prompt like:

“What part of me wants to be expressed but feels afraid?”
“If I could create without judgment, I would…”
“What would 10-year-old me love to make today?”

I created my 5-Minute Self-Soothing Journal exactly for moments like this — when you need gentle structure to reconnect with yourself.

5. Remember Why You Create

Not to go viral.
Not to be perfect.
Not to impress.
But to feel alive.

Creating is how we reclaim our voice, our presence, and our inner power.

When you're stuck, it's usually not because you're broken — it's because you're on the edge of growth.

Gentle Reminder:

You don’t need to be "on" to be an artist.
You just need to be available to yourself.

The spark will come back.
Trust that.

Want More?

Sign up to get calming tools, creative prompts, and soul-rooted inspiration — starting with your free 5-Minute Self-Soothing Journal.

Jessica Becker 8/14/19 Jessica Becker 8/14/19

Why I Stopped Chasing Perfect

Perfectionism nearly cost me my peace, my creativity, and my joy. Here's how I let it go—and what I found instead.

There was a time when my worth felt measured by how tightly I could hold it all together. My busyness was a marker of success and happiness.

The clean kitchen. The perfect lesson plan. The right words. The right mood. It was the mask I always wore.

If I could keep the outside world in order, maybe I could finally quiet the chaos inside.

For years, I lived like that—sprinting toward a version of “perfect” I could never quite reach. I didn’t realize how heavy that pursuit had become until my body, my spirit, and my joy began to unravel under the weight of it all.

Perfection Wore a Pretty Mask

It looked like discipline.
It sounded like excellence.
It felt like control.

But underneath it?

It was fear.

Fear of failure. Fear of being seen as too much or not enough.
Fear of softness. Of slowness. Of not being “worthy” unless I was constantly achieving or fixing something.

Perfectionism wasn’t about being my best—it was about being safe.

What It Cost Me

I lost time. Creativity. Peace.
I abandoned myself for the approval of others.
I said “yes” when I meant “no.” I performed when I really needed rest.

And I carried the belief that if I could just get it right—the career, the relationship, the body, the home—I’d finally feel whole.

But I never did.

Because perfection isn't a finish line. It's a trap.

The Moment I Let Go

My turning point wasn’t one dramatic moment.
It was a quiet decision I made in the stillness of my own truth:

“I don’t want to perform anymore. I want to be.”

Letting go wasn’t easy. I grieved the version of me who tried so hard to be “enough.”

But in releasing her, I found someone more powerful:
the me who creates for joy, not approval.
the me who rests without guilt.
the me who makes art from the mess.

What I Found Instead

Grace.
Presence.
Space to breathe.

Ideas that weren’t born out of pressure, but of soul.

I found beauty in imperfection—in laughter through tears, in messy notebooks, in undone dishes and deep conversations.

I found truth in simplicity. Wholeness in creativity.

What Creatively Rooted Means Now

Being creatively rooted means:

Creating from truth, not fear
Living aligned, not polished
Being deeply grounded in who I am—not who I thought I had to be

It’s not about chasing perfect anymore.
It’s about returning—to myself, to my voice, to what matters most.

If You’re Tired of Holding It All Together…

You’re not alone.
And you don’t have to keep performing.

This space—this blog—is for the beautifully unfinished, the soulfully curious, the woman finding her way back to herself.

I hope you stay awhile.