If you're an artist or have ever been in a situation where you need to think creatively, you may have experienced creative block. It is hard to summon creativity whenever your client/reader/lecturer demands it of you and, in a way, it completely squashes the notion of spontaneity and the '*va-va-voom*' of your creative spirit. You may find yourself running in circles with a trillion ideas going on in your head with no place to focus this confused energy into, or you may just be completely... stumped.
This post will attempt to help you (and me) to motivate those creative energies to focus on a project or simply to find those lost little neurons (creativity? Where art thou..?) and use the creativity that you know you've got.
Here are 5 things that I can suggest:
1. Firstly, everyone is different, so try and find something that works for you.
It is interesting to read other people's stories on how they combat creative
block. Here is an interesting perspective from a website that involves
creativity coaching.
2. Being over-stressed can cause a complete blockage of thoughts and creativity.
Take a break. A small amount of time off where you do something completely
different to the project that you are working on can do you the world of good.
You might come back and look at the project with brand new eyes.
3. For the brainstorming part of things, looking at other artists or pictures may
give you some inspiration. Also think, "what is my intention?". For instance,
you might want to send a message or make a statement in your artwork.
Think of visual things that symbolise what you are trying to say and investigate
the topic. Make sketches or take photographs and work from those to form
your idea.
4. If you think you are over thinking things (this is often my problem), try to get
away from all the thinking and dive into the doing part of the creative project.
Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just start and then work from there.
5. Listen to music. Music is often the birthplace of creativity. My favourite music
to listen to, that inspires creativity, is The Beatles :o) However, you might find
that classical music or another genre works better.
I'm looking forward to your thoughts, comments and stories about struggles/triumphs over creative block.
Have a great week!
Music always helps me when I'm in a creativity rut. I also think looking through blogs and even looking at pictures on pinterest help start my creative juices. :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! I like to throw on Explosions In The Sky and space out for awhile while I play out ideas in my head. Then when a song ends I snap back to reality and dive in...
ReplyDelete...Only just to space out again. It's a vicious cycle, but you get the concept.
Inspiration comes when you least expect it. I find that if I'm struggling with creativity, taking a break is a great help!
ReplyDeleteI looooove music! It's the one thing that's constantly around me when I paint. I can't live without it ^_^. We are on the same wavelength regarding creative blocks :D. How cool!
ReplyDeleteLove this article!
I never try to be creative, it's not a high priority with me. Most of the time my aphorisms just write themselves.
ReplyDeleteI think your ideas are good ones. In the past when I had to produce I used brainstorming but these days I no longer bother. I walk on the beach or in the forest and draw and listen to music every day. I also blog in my private journal almost every day. I don't fret when I don't have the urge to write and publish in my blogs. I create blog posts when I have something worth sharing only.
ReplyDeleteI tend to take breaks, take photos, and write out 'snippets'. Sometimes just a phrase. Other times an image or a metaphor. Sometimes I read. I think that for me, the key is in the variety. Because I try to post once a week, instead of daily, I feel a little less pressured than I otherwise might. I also, like you, listen to music at times. But I find that I tend to listen to music without vocals as the words often get in the way.
ReplyDeleteI like points 2 and 4....they usually work the best for me : )
ReplyDeletehi heart. For me, to relax and cut off the subject totally from my mind.. go do something else, before starting back all over again later. maybe a few hours or overnight
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments! It's really interesting how different people tackle the issue of creativity, or view it.
ReplyDelete@ Alyssa: Yep, music really stimulates the creative part of the brain apparently. It really helps, and visual inspiration from the internet is awesome too (our techno-age is really privileged with that :-)
@ Beardinaround: Sounds awesome! Sometimes daydreaming can lead to these 'brain-spark' moments...
@ pigtimes.cartoons: Agreed:-)
@ TJ: Thanks! Haha, cool- we have the same approach! Music always helps (the right music, though... :-)
@ nothingprofound: You're one in a million. It's great not over-thinking things:-)
@ timethief: Thanks:D I really like your philosophy on the matter. It makes blog-posts so much more genuine when the person was inspired writing them.
@ PhotoDiction: Hmmm, true. I suppose words would get in the way with writing, but for painting, any music works pretty well. It's very true what you say about variety. So often, an artist gets bored with the artwork. It helps to get a new perspective on things.
@ SprigBlossoms: I think that's key. It's great to find what works best individually. I also like 2 and 4, but with 2, sometimes the break becomes too long. It's good to take a proper break and come back refreshed. Sometimes my breaks lead to laziness though. Lol. So I guess there is a balance:-)
@ cooking varieties: True. That is the key to taking a break (a clean break where you take your mind off the task completely, to come back refreshed:-)
I love your ideas. I also like that you are creating an inspiring blog. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Melinda:-) I see you also have an inspiring theme. I'm going to pop in now. Have a fabulous day!
ReplyDeleteNice list! Number 4 really resonates with me. I used to get caught up in the thinking/planning phase, but now I've learned to just start writing - even if I start in the middle. The act of getting my thoughts down on paper, even if the thoughts are jumbled, seems to trigger the creative flow.
ReplyDeleteI was going to write a post just like this, but just couldn't bring myself to type the words... Kidding :P I tend to find the times when I so feel like writing blog posts are when I'm nowhere near a computer!
ReplyDeleteHaha, the ironic thing is that I put off writing this post for quite a long time... Lol:-D
ReplyDelete