I wouldn’t call them creative blocks, but there is an ebb and flow to life, which affects creative expression. If I’m too happy, I might be too busy enjoying other activities to paint. If I’m too distracted, I want to paint, but it may not be ready yet.  The creativity is still there, but if I haven’t digested feelings of sadness, frustration or hurt, it may not be the time to express it yet.

I overcome creative blocks by giving them time.

My feelings are like brushstrokes on my life. They lay on the surface, and may call attention to themselves by their color, or the way they contrast with the rest of the painting. Other feelings, other brushstrokes come along in their time and another layer is formed. You may not see that bright orange or gray again, if it is obliterated completely. It is still there. It is still part of the whole, and informs what comes next. 

The feelings teach me lessons.  They change me in a process that continues whether I am actively creating art or not.

What might look like a standstill is not a creative block at all, but a vital part of the process.