On Getting Unstuck
At some point, every creative person has the experience of feeling stuck. The ideas no longer flow. Your direction is unclear. There is so much to do, and it is hard to know where to begin. Or, you may know what to do and find yourself avoiding it—which is often the more difficult position.
In my experience, the specific cause matters less than what follows. If a period of stagnation continues long enough, it is usually accompanied by self-doubt. Over time, that loss of confidence becomes the larger problem. That is what needs to be addressed first. The initial step is straightforward: make work a habit and set achievable goals.
I met with a former student from one of my classes. Photography was her primary interest, but she had studied something else as an undergraduate. Several years later, she returned to photography, eventually enrolling in graduate school. The transition afterward was difficult. School provides structure—regular critiques, deadlines, and the presence of others working toward similar goals. Without that structure, maintaining consistency can be unexpectedly challenging.
When we met, she had stopped working. I asked her to write down what she wanted to accomplish. She did, but the goals were described in broad terms. Lists like that tend to be discouraging. They are difficult to act on and difficult to complete. My suggestion was to rewrite each goal so that it was as specific as possible, and then to build a schedule based on that revised list.
The aim is to break larger intentions into manageable parts, so that at the end of the day you know whether or not you have done what you set out to do. For example, if the broader goals are to update a website, begin a new body of work, and identify potential galleries to approach, a single day’s work might be defined as processing a fixed number of files, spending 2 hours of time photographing, and one hour researching galleries. The same level of specificity can be carried through the rest of the week.
Each item on the list should be measurable. You either processed the files and spent the time shooting or you did not. If the number is too high, adjust it. The point is not to impose a standard, but to create a structure that allows for consistent completion. Goals such as “make one excellent photograph each day” are not useful in this context. They are too open to interpretation. The objective is to define tasks in a way that removes uncertainty about whether they have been achieved.
Once the work is structured in this way, something begins to shift. A pattern of completion replaces hesitation. Confidence returns gradually, not as a result of a single success, but through repeated follow-through. For a period of time, it is best not to evaluate the results too closely. Follow the schedule, and allow the work to accumulate.
One final point: notice what has not been mentioned. Inspiration. Waiting for it is rarely productive.
The Grammar Sequence is structured to support this kind of sustained practice and development over time.