What to do when you don't know what to do

Being a creative has many perks.

I can imagine something and watch as it comes to life. A carousel, a video, a blog post, an event, even a movement. I can dream it and find a way to make it exist.

The thing is, knowing I can do this makes it harder when I can’t.

After the Enterprise and Heels Conference in August, I folded. It might have been a combination of exhaustion from planning, lack of rest throughout the year, and the personal load I was carrying outside of work. I lost my spark, it was hard to create, and I was running on empty.

Nothing devastates a creative more than the inability to create.

In that season, I had to learn to breathe. I hardly had any choice in the matter anyway. But it also taught me something important: fall is a season for a reason. A season to rejuvenate, to reflect, to pace, to be still.

So, here’s what you do when you don’t know what to do:

1. Give yourself permission to pause

You are not a machine. Your mind and body need rest just as much as they need ambition. Pausing isn’t laziness, it’s a strategy.

2. Go back to inputs

When you can’t create, consume, but choose wisely. Read a book. Watch a film that moves you. Listen to music that fills you. Listen to a podcast that lifts you. Have conversations that stretch you. Inspiration comes when you refill the well.

3. Simplify your output

Instead of waiting for the “big” idea, do something small. Journal one page. Record a 60-second voice note. Share one thought online. Sometimes the way back to momentum is through the tiniest steps.

4. Reflect on what’s draining you

Sometimes the block isn’t creative, it’s emotional. Ask yourself: What am I carrying right now that’s too heavy? Naming it takes away its power and creates space for clarity.

5. Trust the seasons

Winter doesn’t apologize for being cold. Summer doesn’t ask permission to shine. Your creative life will have rhythms. Some months you’ll be blooming. Other months, you’ll be buried in the soil, getting ready for the next bloom. Both matter.

If you’re in a season right now where you don’t know what to do, take heart: it won’t last forever. Your creativity isn’t gone, it’s just resting. And when it returns, it will be deeper, richer, and more aligned.

Because sometimes the most creative thing you can do is stop, breathe, and trust the process.

✨ Thanks for reading. If this resonates, I dive even deeper into navigating creativity, faith, and personal branding in my book That Internet Thing You’re Doing (out now), on the She’s The Brand podcast, and on my YouTube channel. We’re building something beautiful here together.