Creative Blocks and Crop Rotation
“Any time I make a record it's followed by a painting period. It's good crop rotation.”- Joni Mitchell
This one is called “I Thought You Were the Logical One” from a bigger upcoming multi-media project around identity and family
Feeling creatively blocked is normal for every artist I know. If you’ve never been creatively blocked, you’re lying to yourself. Sometimes, fear, doubt, or whatever else plagues our sensitive minds, and it’s easy to sit in stagnation or procrastination without proper outlets. I feel this personally with my own block on photoshoots lately. Honestly, I’ve felt jaded by the ego-driven politics of the fashion world—does it really have to be that deep? I just want to make art. I don’t care about self-promotion or the rat race of capitalism that is relevant in fashion. My ideas are vivid and original, yet fear has a grip on me, especially since I’m deeply sensitive to my environment and projections from insecure, ego-driven people who compete for jobs in this industry.
Earlier this year, as I began applying for my master’s program, I found myself substituting writing and painting for photoshoots. It felt nice to create without the expectation of perfectionism. I came across a quote by Joni Mitchell that changed the way I view my so-called "laziness"—which I realized is just misdirected creative energy. Joni says, “Any time I make a record, it’s followed by a painting period. It’s good crop rotation.”
This one is called “Alignment”. I painted this after I sent in my application materials to my Master’s program.
This idea revolutionized the way I understand my artistic process. Maybe creative “laziness” isn’t a lack of effort but a natural need to recharge by shifting forms. Some ideas are alive in a way that needs more space and different forms of expression than I originally intended. For example, writing about Miles Davis is much more sustainable than my original idea of visualizing his electric era through psychedelia visual themes. Being a perfectionist with my ideas, heightened by being emotionally motivated, internal high standards, and my ADHD, often makes me feel pressure to execute each idea “just right.” It can be overwhelming and unproductive, especially when I am too emotionally attached to the outcome. Photoshoots sometimes feel limited when my ideas become too complex or nuanced, while painting and writing allow me to explore layers that might not come through visually.
Being an artist in a world that doesn’t always have the infrastructure or patience for it is challenging. But finding ways to keep that creative cycle moving, like crop rotation, feels essential. For me, rotating between painting, writing, playlists, arthouse film reviews, the bit, outfits, and photoshoots reclaims the joy and freedom in art that perfectionism can sometimes steal.
Whether switching between mediums or simply taking a break, the goal is to keep the creative juices flowing and allow each idea to evolve in its own time. No creative process is linear, and that’s the beauty of it. There is no shame in resting anymore.
A practice I’ve found particularly helpful is the one from The Artist’s Way, which includes daily, 3 page stream-of-consciousness writing. This process helps unlock a part of your flow you might not otherwise access.
I know my paintings aren’t polished or perfect but that’s not the point!
