6 Blocks to Creative Thinking and How to Overcome Them

Everything around you is a byproduct of Creative Thinking. From the art on your walls to the computer you use to the concrete you traverse on the sidewalk, someone put previously existing ideas together in a new way to make something of value. We take so many things for granted that are a byproduct of “out of the box” ideas from creative thinkers of the past.  

Creative Thinking helps us reframe information, challenge the status quo, and provide new perspectives to old problems. Although common misconceptions portray creativity as a skill exclusive to artists, musicians, and designers, creativity exists among individuals in every line of work across job functions and industries. And Creative Thinking is a skill that is only growing in importance.  The World Economic Forum lists creativity as one of 10 essential skills for 2025.

However, countless creative thinkers feel stifled, blocked, or even creatively drained for every fantastic innovative idea. As many creative thinkers can attest, mental blocks often seem to inhibit one’s innate creativity. These mental blocks can manifest in several ways, from lack of inspiration or direction, constantly second-guessing one’s decisions, and having a vocal and critical inner voice that limits progress on projects. They leave us uninspired, unmotivated, and worst of all, uncreative.

It is essential to learn how to identify the vast array of mental blocks and their manifestations, as this toolset can help creative thinkers overcome these frustrating obstacles. By helping fellow creative thinkers identify different forms of creative inhibitors and overcoming these obstacles, we can help develop a creative class prepared to conquer mental blocks and exercise their creativity when they need it the most.

Here are six major mental blocks to Creative Thinking that could be preventing you from expressing your innate creativity and how to overcome them.

1.  Feeling Uncreative

Perhaps one of the most common types of mental blocks is a general malaise of feeling uncreative. If you find that you tell yourself you are not creative, you may have experienced this mental block in the past. However, it is essential to remember that it is not possible to be uncreative. Everyone has innate creativity just waiting to be released. One way to resolve to believe that you aren’t creative is to change what you tell yourself. Try expressing to yourself that you are creative because eventually, you’ll believe it yourself. Another way would be to explore and find new ways of releasing your innate creativity. If you paint, try different techniques. If you sing, try new genres of songs. The critical thing to do here is to explore and see where your creativity will lead you.

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2.  Striving for Perfection

Striving for perfection is another common mental block that creative thinkers often face. Aiming to be perfect is an easy way to inhibit creativity. When individuals try to be perfect, it limits the way that they express their creativity. The need to be perfect stems from a fear of failure. However, creativity thrives off mistakes and failures. It is within these mistakes and failures that creative thinkers can learn and build upon their ideas. Without failure, the world would be robbed of so many innovative advances. To overcome this mental block, try open-ended creative exercises as they can help inspire free-flowing, uninhibited creativity. Open-ended activities often do not have a singular correct answer, allowing individuals to feel more comfortable expressing themselves in an unstructured manner. Open-ended exercises also help to discourage the notion of one singular correct answer, which may help individuals define their creativity without necessarily searching for an answer.

3.  Exiting Your Comfort Zone

As humans, we crave stability, safety, and routine. We love building up a comfort zone and staying in it. However, as comforting as having and sticking to a routine may be, it may also be severely limiting your creative expression. Just like striving for perfection can limit one’s Creative Thinking, staying within your normal routine will also lead to more difficulty expressing your creativity. Falling into a routine can be a mental block that is rather difficult to get out of. The fastest way to overcome this mental block is ultimately to change some aspect of your daily routine. Changing even small aspects of your routine will help add spontaneity back into your day and, as a result, will likely lead to more creative inspiration.

4.  Critiquing while Creating  

Many creative thinkers have equally strong inner editors, which they utilize to help best guide certain creative pursuits. At times, however, these inner editors can seemingly take a mind of their own, and suddenly, creative thinkers are flooded with negative critiques when trying to work. Silencing this inner voice is vital to overcoming this creative block and eventually finding joy in the creative process again. Do not let your ability to analyze and criticize stop you from expressing your creativity. If you’re the type of creative thinker who constantly critiques your work while you create, try to compartmentalize your time instead. Design a schedule that dedicates specific time for creativity and specific time for editing. Organizing your time in this way separates the two behaviors of creating and critiquing away from one another and discourages them from happening simultaneously.

5.   No Direction for Expression

When creative thinkers are feeling mental blocks, they often describe feeling blank and lacking new ideas. If creative thinkers express having no inspiration or no direction to work on a specific project, this means they are likely suffering from a mental block. This mental block manifests itself in seemingly draining creative thinkers of their motivation to create. Because creative thinkers feel as if they have no ideas, they have no notion of where to begin or take specific creative pursuits, creating a cycle of feeling uncreative. If you feel like you have no direction for your project, for example, no place to begin, try going with your gut feeling. Listening to your gut is an important skill to have, considering that our creativity comes intuitively from within.

6.  Giving into Default Thinking

Humans are creatures of habit, which means we are more than just susceptible to falling into simple routines. Our thinking patterns can also fall prey to the comfort of routines. As humans, we can develop default thinking patterns, which means that our brains try to do the least amount of work possible when thinking or developing solutions. These default thinking patterns can often lead to mental blocks in which it can feel difficult to access new creative ideas. Creativity exists between the familiar and the unknown, so overcoming default thinking patterns is vital to uncovering that new innovative idea. If you feel your default thinking patterns may be holding back your creative expression, try challenging your assumptions and initial ideas. In this way, you force your brain to dig deeper and think harder when thinking creatively. By challenging your default thinking, you are helping to make Creative Thinking a much more accessible skill.