Got a Creative “Block?” Here’s What To Do!

Got a Creative “Block?” Here’s How You Can Break Out Of It!

Have you ever had a creative block-it’s just about like “writer’s block” that you’ve probably heard of no doubt. If this has happened to you you’re not alone!
Some days you can’t turn off the good ideas, but others, not a one in sight….what’s going on?

Well, the truth is, this is very normal! The truth is we are never “on” 100% of the time. Yes, I get this too! Sometimes I don’t have my A-game on all the time…and you know what?

That’s OK! None of us do 🙂

Sleep on It!

You might be surprised….this one is true. Taking a short nap can be very helpful here. Whenever you feel fatigued you can also feel mentally drained and you just might need to recharge. I’m unsure of who the famous person was that quoted “The answer might come to me if I sleep on it…” Pretty much someone who understood the importance of periodic “winding down” because good ideas don’t have as much leeway to come in if you’re feeling drained or emotionally spent in some way.

“Take naps. Often new ideas come together when you are half asleep, but you have to train yourself to remember them” – Jane Smiley, American novelist

Taking a Walk

This one can really be good for you. Exercise is good….it is good for your health but also good for clearing your mind too. A clearer mind can pave the way for some good ideas. On a good day, being out in nature can have some benefits. Pretty colored leaves in the fall, blooming flowers in spring can be the basis of relaxation and inspiration.

Just Relax

Don’t force yourself to come up “with something good”. That has a way of putting unnatural pressure on you to “do something” which can have the opposite effect and can stress you out. If you find yourself in a loop of “Should I do X? No, that’s no good, come on, come on, think…” you know you’re in the wrong frame of mind here.

“You have to have an idea of what you are going to do, but it should be a vague idea”- Pablo Picasso

Prepare for the Unexpected

Some of the best ideas I’ve had just came out of nowhere. Enter the iconic image of the lightbulb over someone’s head in a cartoon symbolizing one of those “A-ha!” or “I’ve got it!” type moments. Many times good creative ideas just do that, sneak up out of nowhere, who knows why? There’s some days when I just wish I had a pad and pen nearby to write it down when it does happen, so I don’t forget it later on.

“A good artist has less time than ideas” – Martin Kippenberger

Don’t Strive For Perfection

It’s OK if an idea is not a total winner in every way, shape or form. Start working with something good, but remember it isn’t set in stone….it can be reworked. Not too long ago I did a re-do of a handmade lamp just by changing some of the parts – case in point.

Every now and then, I find myself wanting to put something like a sculpture or painting together that seemed mundane, but there’s been some projects that I felt like needed to be kept simple. You can certainly take something that’s been done and add your own personal signature to it.

Create An “Idea File”

I used to do this with magazine clippings, yep, in one of those traditional manila folders. I did this long enough and I ended up having enough picture clippings to create a collage like this one (first image )! Of course in this day and age you can do this with digital images on a thumb drive. Find something really good? Bookmark it, or if you’re old-fashioned like I’ve always been, clip it with scissors and add it to your file folder to retrieve at a later date.

You could probably create a Pinterest board for this, too…you know how you can create some non-public boards by setting them to “keep this board secret”…and name it your “idea board” or something like that. Pinterest is one of the best repositories for new ideas, especially those of an art, craft and DIY nature since it’s easy to dig up large groupings of them based on idea keywords alone. ….so this is where I’d go first.

Need More Inspiration?

One of the best books on the subject is The Artist’s Way…Definitely worth a read on the subject. it’s been around awhile and includes a good bit of exercises on getting in touch with your inner artist.

This is a good article that expounds further on beating the creativity “blahs” and worth a read 🙂

Do you have some ideas of your own for breaking out of the creator’s block?