The Art of Running Away

You're working on a project and you make a certain amount of progress.  After a while, though, you hit a roadblock. You find that your mind is like a horse shying at a jump. I'm sure you've seen the video of the horse running to a jump, getting spooked and either stopping in its tracks, throwing the rider over his head or prancing around in front of the jump.

Once the horse has been spooked at the jump, trying to get it to try again takes finesse and wisdom by the rider. If the rider forces the horse, she risks losing the horse's trust, which is critical to completing the course. 

I think hitting a hurdle in the creative process can be like this at times. 

You can force your way through the problem (and let's face it, if it's to meet a deadline sometimes you have to do that), you risk losing faith with the vision and the passion you have for it. 

The better way might just be to walk away from it. Not all the way away, perhaps, but at least across the room away. Let it bubble away in the back of your mind while you do other things. 

It's likely that you'll wake up in the middle of the night or an idea will hit you in the shower that will kick you off down the way again. That may take a few minutes or days or months. It may take a year. But it will be worth it in the end. 

Remember when Sheldon was having a block in his research and he decided to do what Einstein did and get a menial job to help stir his creativity?  He ended up working with Penny when all of a sudden his breakthrough came. 

So, don't be afraid to walk away when you need to. Walking away may actually get you closer to where you want to be than fighting your way there.