3 Tips to Help Teacherpreneurs With Overcoming Creative Blocks
Whether you’re just starting to transition out of the classroom or you’ve been working as a teacherpreneur for a while now, it’s normal to have moments of self-doubt or lack of creativity. Thankfully, overcoming creative blocks is possible. Keep reading for our best tips.
When our Educator Forever community members begin to transition beyond the classroom, many feelings come up. For some people, the idea of having more freedom is exciting! These members may have been dreaming up innovative curriculum or education businesses for years and are ready to share their ideas with the world.
For others, the newfound freedom brings fear. The fear might stem from not knowing where to start, feeling stuck, or experiencing imposter syndrome.
If you’re experiencing a creative block, keep reading for three tips to help you move through them without giving in to the overwhelm. But first, let’s get clear on what a creative block really is.
What Is A Creative Block?
A creative block is a period during which an individual experiences a lack of inspiration or motivation to create. Artists can experience these issues, but so can anyone who creates! Creating curriculum, working as an education writer or designing resources to sell on Teachers Pay Teachers are all examples of creative work.
The causes of creative blocks vary, but it typically comes down to mindset, including fear of imperfection, self-doubt, mental blocks, and even personal issues like stress or burnout.
Overcoming creative blocks as a teacherpreneur requires finding ways to break through these barriers. Here are three ways to do just that.
3 Ways to Overcome a Creative Block
Understand the block.
When a creative block emerges, sometimes we try to push it away. This approach can make the block last longer and take up a lot of space in our brains. Instead, sit with your feelings and try to understand the root of the problem.
This will help not only during the current project but also in the future. We can get to know ourselves better when we take the time to reflect.
Possible questions to ask yourself include:
Do I need help knowing what to do next?
Am I overtired or overworked?
Am I afraid of failing?
Do I need more inspiration?
Identifying the root cause helps you tailor strategies to address the specific challenge.
Take wise action.
After you find the root of the problem, overcoming creative blocks becomes a lot easier. The next step is to move toward wise action. This looks different for each of us, and depending on the project’s deadline, you may need to take imperfect, messy action. This is okay! Through the process, you’ll learn things to inform your approach to navigating through creative blockers in the future.
Here are a few of my go-to strategies for wise action:
Take a break. If my creative block stems from being overworked or overwhelmed, taking a break helps to regulate my nervous system and gives me enough time to pause so that the creative juices start flowing again. Depending on my reality at the moment (e.g., kids to pick up, dinner to make, or a quickly approaching deadline), the break might range from 3 minutes to a day!
Break your goals down. One of the best tips we give our community members is to use backward planning to get the job done by breaking the big goal into smaller sub-goals. Here’s an example:
Goal: By January 17th, I need to turn in a blog about creative blockers
January 15th: Create an outline
January 16th: Write the introduction and tip sections
January 17th: Finish the conclusion, add links, and edit for mistakes and clarity
Seek guidance. Sometimes creative blockers are too big or overwhelming to move through them alone. This is when having a community of innovative and like-minded educators is especially important. Collaborative brainstorms or co-working sessions can be great opportunities to gain clarity and move forward with confidence.
Find inspiration around you.
When I was teaching, I always knew the importance of a supportive, positive environment. This is true for grown-ups, too! Foster creativity by placing flowers (real or fake), plants, quotes, and artwork that speak to you around your workspace. No matter how small your work area is, it’s possible to create a calming space that you look forward to working in.
Alternatively, get out of the house and head to the coffee shop or bookstore near you. Sometimes being in a new environment (or out of your house altogether) can stimulate your creativity and help you overcome creative blocks. Another option is to work outside if the weather is nice.
Ready to Get the Career You Want Beyond the Classroom?
If you’re ready to start overcoming creative blocks and reimagine what it means to be an educator, it is possible to start a new journey beyond the classroom.
As an educator, your career possibilities are truly limitless. If you’re ready to move past feeling stuck and find a new career path that is flexible, rewarding, and sustainable (and in education!), Educator Forever is here to help and support you every step of the way.
Having guided thousands of teachers through this journey, we understand the critical role of a positive support system. Surrounding yourself with encouragement and upliftment, and being part of a community that offers valuable insights and perspectives, is crucial for success (not to mention, a great way to share your goals and progress and foster a sense of accountability!).
The Educator Forever Network helps teachers identify their unique skills, learn how to apply them to flexible new careers, navigate the job search with confidence, and go after what they want.
By joining the Educator Forever Network, you'll gain instant access to our signature Beyond the Classroom course (giving you step-by-step guidance and clarity), a private jobs board, weekly live group calls, resume and cover letter templates and resources, and more (including coworking sessions, educator wellness circles, bonus workshops, etc.!)
You’ll also become part of an inspiring community of like-minded educators who are passionate about expanding their impact and income in education.
Take charge of your career journey by signing up now and take your career to the next level!
About the Author
April Brown (M.Ed) is Educator Forever’s Director of Learning and Development and a curriculum coach for the Curriculum Development Foundations and Advanced Curriculum certification programs. In 2015, April began designing curriculum and writing articles for an EdTech company as a side gig while she was teaching in Placencia, Belize. After having her daughter in 2016, April was eager to use her unique experience teaching and leading in mainstream and alternative settings in the United States and internationally to work remotely while still making a difference in education.
The Beyond the Classroom course empowered April to leverage her skills as a compassionate disruptor and out-of-the-box thinker to excel as an instructional/well-being coach, adjunct instructor of Trauma Supportive Schools and Mindfulness courses, curriculum developer, and writer for publications such as PBS SoCal, Education.com, and Britannica for Parents. April is an advocate for teachers and students – inside and outside of the classroom. You can find April in rural Vermont spending time with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and charming rottweilers.