In this series, we’re diving deep into themes that emerged during our virtual artist residency — a beautiful, experimental 8-10 weeks where two incredible artists, Charley and Naledi, joined me as they each developed their own creative projects.
If you’re just tuning in and wondering what this residency was all about, I highly recommend starting with Episode 1. There, I explain the structure of the residency and introduce you to both Charley — who was working on a play titled Transgendent — and Naledi, who was composing two songs inspired by the stories of Ruth & Naomi, and David & Jonathan.
Each episode of this series takes a theme that surfaced during the residency and explores it more deeply. You'll hear some light research insights, plus reflections and audio excerpts from Naledi and Charley that really bring these themes to life.
This week’s theme: Creative Block — or, as many of us know it, writer’s block. I’ll be joined by my friend Karis to share a high-level look at what the research says about what gets in the way of creativity — and what gets it flowing again. Then, we’ll jump into the studio with Charley and Naledi, who talk candidly about how they navigate blocks in their own work.
And here’s what I love, listening back to those conversations: You can hear that both artists were leaning into this dance — balancing free experimentation with structure. They were actively removing expectations while also setting up enough form and discipline to guide their early process. It’s a powerful mix: permission and push.
Now, just a quick note — the excerpts you're about to hear are mostly from the second week of the residency. So even though they sound energized and full of ideas, remember: they had already done some internal prep through the application process. These are still early days in their projects, but not quite day one.
And hey — before we dive in — a few real-world updates from our featured artists:
If you're in Ottawa, you can actually catch Charley on stage in Frankenstein AI, a play written by a local artist and presented by 9th Hour Theatre, opening June 25th.
And big congratulations to OK Naledi — not only did Naledi let us use the instrumental of their song Bones as the theme music for this series, but OK Naledi was just nominated for Group of the Year at the Capital Music Awards! You can find their music on Spotify and follow them on Instagram at @oknaledi.
I also want to give a heartfelt thank you to this podcast’s behind-the-scenes community — to Kaitlin, for helping me break through my own creative block while shaping this series, and to Karis for your thought partnership and presence in today’s conversation.
Alright — let’s get into it. Here’s Creative Block — what holds us back, what pushes us forward, and how Charley and Naledi make their way through the stuck places.
Citations from Research
1. Ahmed & Güss. The Four Causes of Writer’s Block. Retrieved from [Suwca Substack](https://suwca.substack.com/p/the-four-causes-of-writers-block).
2. Everyday Psych. Psychology of Writer's Block. Retrieved from [Everyday Psych](https://everydaypsych.com/psychology-of-writers-block/).
3. Wikipedia. Writer's Block. Retrieved from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writer's_block).
4. Mental Floss. 10 Cases of Extreme Writer's Block. Retrieved from [Mental Floss](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65031/10-cases-extreme-writers-block).
5. Final Draft Blog. 25 Famous Quotes on Writer's Block. Retrieved from [Final Draft Blog](https://blog.finaldraft.com/25-famous-quotes-on-writers-block).
6. Literary Hub. Is It Real? Famous Writers on Writer's Block. Retrieved from [Literary Hub](https://lithub.com/is-it-real-25-famous-writers-on-writers-block/).
7. The Conversation. The History of Writer’s Block. Retrieved from [The Conversation](https://theconversation.com/the-5-000-year-history-of-writers-block-190037).
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