Stuck in a Writing Rut? How to Bring Fresh Eyes to Your Work

I work with words all day, every day. I write and edit memoirs. I help others learn how to write memoirs. I ghostwrite people’s life stories. I’m a copywriter and a content marketing strategist. I write in my sleep. Literally. Just the other night, I spent a good part of my dreams writing an ideal customer avatar, or persona, for a new client whose content marketing strategy I’m developing. My brain is constantly working to find a better way to say something. I can’t help myself. Words are my medium.

Sometimes my brain gets overloaded with all the words. When I feel worn out from writing, I end up at a loss for words, literally. It’s like my brain fizzles out and can’t keep connecting the word neurons. This is my clue that it’s time to give my brain a rest so I can come back to my work with fresh eyes. 

Give Your Brain a Break

One of my favorite ways to refuel my creativity is to head to the Art Institute of Chicago. I have been visiting this world-class museum since I was a child. (My dad went to school here.) It has always been a source of awe and inspiration for me.

Now, as an adult, it’s the place I love to go to give my brain a break from words and tap into other artists’ creativity to help me see the world in fresh ways.

I have my favorite exhibits that I return to again and again: the Thorne Rooms—68 meticulously crafted, historically accurate, miniature period rooms (also the best-kept secret in the museum, IMHO); the Impressionists—Monet, Renoir, Degas, and the rest; American Gothic, A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte, and more.

Recently, the Art Institute featured an exhibit of the Obama Portraits, the first stop of a five-city tour. We picked a weekday lunch break for our visit. The exhibit itself was simple—a series of about three connected rooms that led you through stories about the artists, Kehinde Wiley, who painted President Obama’s portrait, and Amy Sherald, who painted Michelle Obama.

The simplicity of the gallery rooms themselves gave my brain space to rest, to soak up what I was seeing instead of having my senses assaulted and distracted by too many pieces of art to look at all at once.

Seeing the former President and First Lady on larger-than-life canvases caused me to stop and marvel at not only the artistic excellence of the works but also the magnitude of the Obama presidency. Whether they were good leaders or not can be debated. But the fact that they broke through racial barriers and became the President and First Lady caused me to pause and ponder the significance of their portraits. Thinking beyond my own day-to-day existence gave my brain a breather and reminded me of the bigger story I'm part of.

Discovering New Worlds

After lingering in front of the Obama portraits, we ventured over to another exhibit I had heard rave reviews about—Bisa Butler: Portraits. As soon as we entered the gallery, it was like walking into a new world I hadn’t known existed—a Narnia of quilt art.

Bisa Butler’s quilt creations are based largely on photographs of Black life. She re-interprets personal and historical narratives captured first in photography and re-interprets them as textile paintings. Her canvas—quilt batting. Her medium—vivid fabrics layered the way a painter builds dimension with oils. Thread is her pen and ink, and she uses stitchwork to draw and add detail and texture.

I used to sew a lot (by machine), and I’ve dabbled in quilt work, so I was in awe of Butler's mastery of stitch work. But where I lost myself in her work was in the way her art opened up a new way for me to see. Her quilts tell a story in vivid fabrics, which allude to the rich African heritage and culture of her subjects. She uses different types of fabric—cotton, chiffon, lace. An oil painter couldn’t get away with mixing that many mediums, but on Butler’s quilts, the result is eye-popping. Her pieces make you lean in as close as the security guard will let you so you can examine the detail without actually touching the work itself (though, admittedly, I wanted so badly to touch her quilts).

I moved slowly from quilt to quilt, my heart beating faster with each new one. Internally, my brain was in flight. I was seeing something brand new. My eyes were being opened and a mystery of creativity was unfolding before me. How does someone think of this? I kept asking myself.

Unlocking Wonder

Seeing Butler’s quilts unlocked wonder in me. Like a lock opening on a river, I could feel my own creativity opening up and flowing again. This is the magic of taking a break from my chosen medium—writing—and letting other forms of art speak to me.

Bisa Butler’s quilts made me realize afresh that an artist’s goal isn’t to create something out of nothing. There are very few things artists and writers can create that are truly unique. Our job as writers isn’t so much to tell a story that has never been told but to tell a familiar story in our own unique way. To invite our readers to see something familiar from a new angle, to bring a deeper understanding and empathy to common experiences.

Writing with Fresh Eyes

Years ago, I was in a writer’s group, and it was my turn to read part of a memoir I was working on. I felt sheepish to share what I had written because the theme of my story—confronting a child’s drug and alcohol use—felt like a well-worn story. What new insight or experience could I write that would compel someone to want to read my story?

A wise writing mentor reminded me that we don’t write to tell a unique story. We write to tell a story with fresh eyes; to help people see a familiar thing from a new perspective, in a new way. That’s what Bisa Butler’s quilts reminded me of too.

Where can you find inspiration to help you get out of a writing rut and see your work with fresh eyes today? Maybe it's not Bisa Butler's quilts for you. But be on the lookout for the things that get you out of your own head and inspire you with wonder and awe.