Breaking Through Creative Blocks

Breaking Through Creative Blocks

Author: Matt Tommey: Artist, Best-Selling Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur and Artist Mentor June 10, 2025 Duration: 16:19

Send us Fan Mail

The frustrating wall of creative emptiness hits every artist at some point - that moment when you walk into your studio excited to create, only to find nothing comes. But what if these creative blocks aren't random? What if they're signaling something deeper happening within you?

Drawing from over three decades of artistic experience and mentoring countless creatives, Matt Tommey unpacks the three primary sources of creative blocks: spiritual issues, internal mental clutter, and practical inspiration deficits. He reveals how feelings of fear, anxiety, doubt and inadequacy often mask spiritual lies that need to be confronted with biblical truth. When we recognize these thoughts as contrary to God's Word, we can take them captive and replace them with truth that sets our creativity free.

Beyond internal struggles, Matt addresses the reality of spiritual warfare in the creative process. When artists collaborate with the Holy Spirit, they become dangerous to the enemy's agenda, releasing light into darkness and beauty into brokenness. This spiritual impact makes creative blocks a battleground where understanding your God-given authority becomes essential. The practical side of creative blockage often comes down to neglecting regular inspiration - you simply can't draw from a well you haven't filled. Matt shares five actionable strategies to overcome blocks, including creating without pressure, keeping an inspiration journal, priming your creative pump daily, and staying connected to Christ as your ultimate source.

The path through creative paralysis isn't found in hiding your struggles or pushing through alone. Instead, Matt encourages artists to throw themselves at Jesus' feet, inviting the Holy Spirit into the very center of their stuck places. Whether you're experiencing momentary frustration or persistent creative drought, this episode offers spiritual wisdom and practical tools to help you break through and create with renewed purpose and divine partnership.

Fuel Your Creative Calling with Weekly Encouragement
Join thousands of Christian artists who are growing in faith, creativity, and purpose.

Subscribe to The Thriving Christian Artist Weekly and receive powerful, faith-filled content every week—designed to encourage your heart, spark your creativity, and equip you to walk boldly in your God-given calling as an artist.

👉 Click here. It’s free. It’s faith-filled. And it’s just for you. 


For artists who feel their creative work is a spiritual calling, The Thriving Christian Artist offers a grounded conversation about merging that faith with a sustainable practice. Host Matt Tommey brings his perspective as a working artist, author, and mentor to discussions that tackle the real intersections of studio life and spiritual life. This podcast moves beyond theory, addressing the specific hurdles-like creative fear, financial uncertainty, and finding clarity in your purpose-that can stall an artist's journey. You'll hear from a variety of voices within the community, sharing stories of both struggle and breakthrough, all centered on building a resilient artistic life that feels both spiritually and professionally fulfilling. The aim is practical encouragement: how to cultivate a mindset rooted in your identity, develop effective business habits without burning out, and see your creativity as an integral part of a larger story. Tune in for honest talks that treat your art as both a ministry and a meaningful career, providing actionable steps to help you move forward with confidence and purpose.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 578

The Thriving Christian Artist
Podcast Episodes
402 | 5-Minute Mentoring: Why You Should Stop Doing Things For God [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:27
Send us Fan MailStop doing things for God. “Matt, why would you say that? Aren’t we supposed to spend our lives doing things for God?Aren't we supposed to spend our whole lives doing things for God? Shouldn't we be doing…
401 - Art, Missions and the Marketplace with Veronica Anzorena [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:10
Send us Fan MailNever underestimate God's ability to find a place for you in advancing His Kingdom. When my friend Veronica Anzorena heard God calling her to missions, she wasn’t sure if her artistic skills and talents c…
400 | 5-Minute Mentoring: What I've Learned From 400 Podcast Episodes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:09
Send us Fan MailToday we celebrate 400 episodes of the Thriving Christian Artist podcast. Can you believe it? That’s almost as many episodes as Bob Ross made of “The Joy Of Painting” (403, according to Wikipedia)! When w…
399 - Trusting God In Times Of Struggle with Rebekah Middleton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:24
Send us Fan MailYou know, being a Christian doesn’t mean every day is sunshine and lollipops. We have the same struggles in our lives as anyone else, and they can lead to heartbreak, anxiety, addiction, and all of the ot…
397 - The Importance Of Art in God’s Kingdom with Darrow Miller [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:46
Send us Fan MailWhen you look at all the difficulties facing the world today - like poverty, hunger, war, depression, and so on - it can be easy to think your calling to art doesn’t matter that much to the world. But don…
396 | 5-Minute Mentoring: Why Your Art Can Change the World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:32
Send us Fan MailIt can be easy to think that your role as an artist in this world is somehow unimportant when weighed against what else is going on. After all, it's easy to downplay the role of the arts in light of the h…
395 - Leaning Into God's Call To Create with Stanton Lanier [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:24
Send us Fan MailStanton Lanier grew up playing the piano and writing songs, but he never seriously considered it as something he could make his living doing. Instead, he went the more practical route, attending Georgia T…