BEING part of THE BEDAN HERALD, a student publication, requires dedication and commitment. As a creative, my job consists of producing content by taking photos, writing articles, or making graphic art. Creative professionals occasionally experience creative blocks. It is the feeling of running out of creative juices or not being able to access one's imagination that limits one’s ability to create and come up with ideas.

     It could be stressful juggling to meet deadlines, academic work, and personal responsibility and having a lack of sleep. Furthermore, my personal quality of having a sense of perfectionism, in which I feel that I must not let go until the work has reached its highest possible quality, has made me feel that my creativity has dried up. In real life, however, a creative block is not a disease that could easily be cured with one pill.

     The fear of producing meaningless work is overwhelming for creatives as we often resort to placeholders such as “Lorem Ipsum” to fill the void when inspiration wanes. It is filler text put into a document or some other sort of visual but carrying no real meaning and contributing to the pain felt from perceived failure or questioning of one's creativity — paint itself, more vividly reminding one of a struggle to realize one's full, creative potential.

     Self-doubt is the most common experience. Often, it is born out of pressure or insecurity brought about by society. Creative people usually equate worth based on these external determinants, like capturing the perfect shot, creating a graphic art piece that impresses, and writing an article that is meaningful to many people. However, our self-worth cannot be concluded by these external determinants. It could have been due to comparison, perfectionism, or past failure. According to studies, 70% of high achievers suffer from 'impostor syndrome, ' or a feeling that one is not good enough. However, whatever the feelings, they are not facts, and not feeling worthy does not make them accurate.

     “At least I was able to submit it on time.”

     That is what I sometimes tell myself when being assigned to produce content. There are times when it just feels like I just fulfill tasks rather than exploring my own vision and having a mindset that prioritizes meeting deadlines over genuine creativity. Holding on to the fear that the content lacks authenticity and depth leads to the question of whether my outputs genuinely reflect who I am as a creative individual.

     Being creative is exciting, but staying inspired is not always easy. If all else fails, things will pass, and it is expected to be in a creative rut. Yet, we often learn the most about ourselves when we struggle and feel discomfort from these creative blocks. There are ups and downs in everyone's creative processes. Rather than looking at a creative block as a dead end, we can approach it as a way of pushing one’s mind to think differently to become a better artist. Ultimately, you will never know that your best work will come out due to being stuck in a creative block.