Imagine a friend is stuck creatively and can't seem to make anything they're happy with. What would you say to them?

A natural way to answer

I'd reassure them that creative blocks are completely normal and rarely permanent. I'd suggest stepping away from it entirely for a while - going for walks, consuming other people's work, refilling the well, so to speak. Sometimes the harder you push, the more it eludes you. The ideas often come back once you stop forcing the issue.

Key phrases to use

• back in the swing of things — comfortable with and active in a routine or activity again“After the holidays it took me a week to get back in the swing of things.”
• forcing the issue — trying too hard to make something happen before it's ready“Don't force the issue - let it come naturally.”
• lying fallow — resting and unused for a time so it can recover and be productive later“Her creativity was just lying fallow, not gone.”