Visual Block vs Creative Block: Why "Tomorrow" Stops Your Art Before It Starts

by Martin Osner | 15-04-2026

Every creative has faced it, the temptation to wait for the perfect moment. Martin Osner explores why "I'll start tomorrow" may be the most dangerous phrase in any artist's vocabulary, and what it really takes to move forward. 

There is a saying that sounds harmless and completely reasonable:

“I’ll start tomorrow.”

We say it often. We believe it when we say it.

But over time, I’ve come to realise something quite different.

Tomorrow is the most dangerous place for a creative idea. We tell ourselves we’ll start tomorrow, but tomorrow has a quiet way of becoming never. I have learned from experience that creative inspiration doesn’t come from wishing. It comes from action, simply rolling up our sleeves and just starting.

That thought has stayed with me for many years, and in many ways it began long before I fully understood it.

My late father used to say to me:

“Martin, one thing I can tell you for sure… it ain’t gonna come from wishing.”

At the time, it was just a passing comment. Today, I see it for what it really was: a truth about life, about time, and very much about creativity.

Two Types of Block, One Common Experience

In my line of work, I see two distinct kinds of block that keep showing up again and again. We often group them together, but they are not quite the same.

Visual Block — Photography

This is when you’re behind the camera and nothing gels. You’re looking, you’re searching through the viewfinder, but nothing speaks to you. There’s no clear subject, no strong composition, no place for the eye to rest.

It’s not that you don’t want to photograph. It’s that you cannot yet see what to photograph. It all feels like a waste of time and creative energy.

Creative Block — Art and Craft

This is something different. You’re not looking at the world; you’re trying to build something from within it. An edit, a painting, a mixed media piece, a conceptual idea. And here, the block often comes from uncertainty:

Where do I begin? What direction should I take? What if this doesn’t work?

It’s not about seeing. It’s about creating without a clear path.

Even Experience Doesn’t Remove It

Even in my own work, whether I’m creating for the gallery or working on a commission, I experience both. Interestingly, when there is a deadline or a commercial requirement, the work moves. The block doesn’t get a say.

But when the work becomes more open, more expressive, more personal, that’s when the hesitation returns. And it often begins with something very simple: not knowing where you’re going.

The Truth About Visual and Creative Block

Over the years, I’ve come to understand something quite clearly. Neither visual block nor creative block disappears before you begin. They begin to dismantle because you begin.

As photographers, we don’t wait for the image to fully form in the viewfinder. No, we move, we adjust, we eliminate; we may then need to wait, and slowly something starts to reveal itself.

An artist doesn’t wait until the idea is complete. They start, they experiment, they respond, and direction begins to emerge.

"Clarity is not the starting point. It is the result of action."

The Trap of Tomorrow

This is where tomorrow becomes so dangerous, because tomorrow gives us a way out.

“I’ll start when I have a clearer idea.”

“I’ll go out when I see something better.”

“I’ll begin when I have more time.”

“I just don’t have the energy today, maybe tomorrow will be better.”

But tomorrow, as I have said, not only does it have a quiet way of becoming never, but lack of time, which we use as an excuse, is not the real issue. Making time is. And staying true to it is even more important.

Wishing Doesn’t Help You See, or Create

Underneath all of this sits another quiet trap: wishing.

“I wish I had more time.”  “I wish I felt more inspired.”  “I wish I knew where to begin.”

But wishing has never created a photograph, nor has it built a piece of art. More importantly, wishing does not help you see or create. Both require engagement. Both require action.

The Turning Point

I’ve seen this so many times, in students and in my own work. Someone hesitates. They don’t yet see the image. They don’t yet feel the direction. But they begin anyway, and slowly something shifts.

A photographer starts to notice. An artist starts to respond. Not everything becomes clear, but something does. And that something is enough to move forward.

A Simple Reflection

How many times have you picked up your camera and put it down again? How many times have you stood in front of your materials and walked away? Not because you didn’t want to create, but because you didn’t yet see, or didn’t yet know.

That is where both visual block and creative block live. And neither of them will move until you do.

Final Thought

The camera is in your hands. The tools are in front of you. Your ability is already there.

What you are waiting for is not time. It is not inspiration. It is permission to begin without having the full picture.

“I really wish I had done this.”

And by then, you’ll understand: tomorrow was never the answer.

If You’re Ready to Start, But Not Sure How

If this discussion has resonated with you, then perhaps you’re already closer than you think. Sometimes the block isn’t just about starting. Sometimes it’s about not knowing where to begin, or feeling uncertain about what comes next.

If your block sits in understanding photography itself, how to use your camera, how to see more clearly, how to build confidence in your images, then that’s something you can learn. And more importantly, it’s something you can start learning today.

My Advanced Photography Course is a comprehensive six-week programme designed to guide you from a beginner level to a more confident, capable photographer, giving you the tools to move forward with clarity.

On the other hand, if your interest lies in moving beyond the technical and exploring a more expressive, creative, and artistic direction with your work, you may want to consider my Getting Started in Art Photography course. This course is designed to help you take your photography into a more interpretive space, where ideas, creativity, and personal expression begin to shape the work.

Both courses can be started at any time. Because, as we’ve already said, starting is where everything begins.

Already Shooting Well But Lacking the Spark?

If you feel confident behind the camera and it isn’t new techniques you’re after, but simply the motivation to get going again, then sometimes the answer is closer than you think. Surrounding yourself with like-minded artists can make all the difference.

Consider joining our Inspire Community, where you can enjoy great work from fellow creatives, take part in conversation, share your own ideas, and invite comment and feedback from others who genuinely understand the journey.

If you’ve been feeling like you’re on your own in this, you’re not. The answer is right here.

Kind regards,

Martin