Interior Design: What To Do When You Feel Stuck

I've been working on something behind the scenes for a while now. It's for my business, and it's important to me. While I often get a quick burst of inspiration and energy to work on it in the mornings this week, I haven't had that same motivation.

Each morning I sit down at my computer, ready to attack it like I usually do, and then nothing happens. I feel stuck, and it makes me uncomfortable.

Sometimes I'll go do something else for a little bit. Just to see if I can shake up the energy and let the ideas come in. Sometimes I meditate. Sometimes I take a walk. Sometimes I do household chores.

I gave myself a lot of space to allow it to happen naturally this week. I love when inspiration occurs naturally. It feels great. But it's Wednesday now, and there has been no bolt of lightning.

This happens a lot for homeowners as well. The decorating or designing process can seem so fun like every choice should be exciting and creative and, of course, important. We often overestimate the value of one aspect of design, forgetting it's a part of something bigger. We can feel gripped by the decision and convinced we need to get it right the first time, but that just isn't true.

Even now, I can make adjustments to the work I've created in my business. And likewise, we can always make changes to designs. We can return something we don't like, paint over it, sell, donate, or give away something that just doesn't work in the space. We're only stuck if we choose to be.

I follow a designer on Instagram who recently finished completely redoing her bedroom for the second time in 2 years, tearing down expensive wallpaper and putting up new, among other things. This is the nightmare most of my clients have. I wouldn't say that type of change is typical for most homeowners (she is, after all, a highly creative person, and she does need content for her IG feed). But it's a great reminder that we can always change things. Life is ever-changing. Why should we hold ourselves to such unattainable levels of perfection?

Instead of waiting for the inspiration to hit, I sat down at my computer today. I made the decisions that allowed me to move forward. And without any of the usual joy of creation, I finished what had been bothering me so much. No, the experience wasn't what I thought or hoped it would be, but the finished product is what I wanted, and I've very pleased with the results.

If you're struggling with a design decision today. If the search for the perfect whatever is holding you back, I urge you to push forward anyway. Imagine how happy you'll be when the project is done, and you have your new space. You got this!