How to Stay Creative When You Feel Alone

Take It of Leave It Creative Advice

Welcome to another edition of Take It or Leave It—the weekend Create.Repeat newsletter where I do my best to give advice on whatever’s going on in your creative world.

This week, we’re talking about what to do when you’re the only creative in your circle, how to break through a creative block after a long break, and why posting your work on Instagram might be both the problem and the solution.

Plus, a mood-board reflection on why we’re suddenly nostalgic for the internet’s awkward, ugly phase—and what that says about where we’re headed.

If you’re feeling stuck, alone, or unsure about how to share your work, this one’s for you.

As a reminder, this newsletter is for paid subscribers. For just $5/month, you get exclusive content while directly supporting the mission of Create.Repeat. And if you haven’t used your free trial yet, now’s the perfect time to start. No pressure, just inspiration.

Let’s get into it.

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Hey Jess, thank you for the question. You’re not alone in this. I’ve been through it many times, and honestly, I think I’m just now starting to feel like I’ve found my rhythm again after a creative drought of my own.

Taking a break from your work isn’t a problem. In many ways, I think it’s part of the process. It’s how we stay honest in what we make. I’ve always felt like my creativity lives in two modes: input and output.

When I’m in output mode, I’m fully immersed in creating. The ideas flow easily, and I feel like I’m finally doing what I was meant to do. It’s exciting. Energizing. You sit down to work and everything just clicks. That’s the space we all chase as creatives.

But that momentum doesn’t last forever. Eventually, I hit a wall. The ideas stop coming, the spark fades, and that flow state disappears. When that happens, I’ve learned not to panic. Instead, I shift into input mode.

Input mode is about rest. It’s about gathering, listening, observing, and living. It might look like you’ve stepped away from your creativity, but really, you’re just filling the well again. You’re collecting the raw material your future self will need to create something meaningful.

Sometimes, you reach a point where you’ve said everything you needed to say. If that’s the case, there’s no need to force more. Go live. Go experience something new. Let time do its thing. When you come back, you’ll bring a new perspective, and your work will reflect it.

I often think about the idea of the “sophomore slump” in music. A band or artist will spend their whole life writing their debut album, and then if it’s successful, they’re expected to make the next one almost immediately. That second album is often written while touring, adjusting to fame, or simply trying to meet a deadline. It ends up feeling rushed or disconnected, not because the sound is different, but because the message doesn’t hit the same. It’s missing that lived-in feeling that made the first one resonate.

So yes, I believe time in between projects is not just helpful, it’s necessary.

Now, as for finding your way back into your creative work, here’s what I’ve found helpful.