Those who belong to a creative profession must have experienced the frustrating state of
Even the most creative people go through this state where they fail to come up with ideas and their productivity decreases noticeably.
This state affects the career-growth as creative professions are dependent on the creativity and artistic ideas for developing a good reputation and getting opportunities for growth.
They need to be constantly creative in every project that they put their hands on, in order to sustain a good reputation and engage more loyal clients.
Artists and creative people have been facing these issues forever and they have come up with different solutions in the past. Poets, artists, writers, and other creative individuals have tried various options for inspiration including drugs and meditation.
Of course, professional artists now do not want to lose their sanity. They also lack time to practice meditation for the sake of creativity and inspiration.
However, there are some really good practices that can help modern artists in stimulating their creative juices and use them without any kind of disruption.
Below are the best ways to cope with
How to Conquer Creative Block
1. Change Your Perspective
When you are working on a certain project and you come to a point where you feel that coming up with ideas is taking a lot of effort, you should probably try and change your prospective about the problem.
A good way of doing this is by choosing to think of yourself as another person (to be more exact another professional artist who inspires you).
This will allow you to understand the problem from a different point of view.
Read also: The Creative Spaces of Steve Jobs, Ernest Hemingway, John Lennon, and More
2. Tap into Your Sub-Conscious
Creativity has a lot to do with your sub-conscious activities. Ideas are often surfacing from the depth of your mind so it can be really useful to tap in there.
There are numerous ways of tapping into your subconscious and you can pick an activity that will go with your particular art.
For instance, free writing or keeping a journal is one good way to access your subconscious. The activity clears up your mind and helps you focus better as well.
3. Look for the Pattern and Resolve the Problem
Professional artists and creative people should always try to keep a record of when exactly they feel the creative block so that it will be easier to point out the reason if there is any.
It can be a certain project that puts you off, a specific environment, or a certain time or a day of the week.
Whatever the reason is, you need to find it out and work on it to resolve the issue.
Try avoiding the situation. If you cannot, try to find a way to distract your attention from what causes creative block by doing something you love to do.
4. Set Deadlines to Create Pressure
Artists, especially the ones who work privately, often face the issue of procrastination.
Since they do not have any authority looking over them and demanding the work on time, they tend to become lazy and distracted.
To resolve this kind of blockage, you need to build a habit of working with deadlines.
Make sure you meet them by setting up a system of reward and punishment.
Pick something that will motivate you to work and set that as your reward while in case of delay, punish yourself by restraining from your favorite activities for a while.
5. Take a Break
Sometimes, the reason for a creative block is constant hard work.
Your mind and body get tired and thus, fail to produce good ideas. In such scenarios, taking a short break can really help.
You can sleep, read, eat, or socialize and communicate with your favorite people for a while and then get back to work with new energy.
6. Browse the Internet
The Internet can be an excellent and quick source of good ideas.
Browsing good sites that are related to your field of work can inspire really great ideas.
The Web is also really helpful for those who are new in a career.
Take the example of a logo designer who has to make a logo for a business industry that he/she has never worked for. They can look up online and design websites for inspiration and ideas.
7. Travel to Seek Inspiration
If you are facing a long-term art block where you want to work and already have a good experience in the field, you should try traveling.
Traveling is a very effective activity for boosting your spirits as it gives you a chance to experience something new.
It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on traveling a foreign land to have the benefits. You can travel to a nearby place that will allow you to observe and experience something new with a small budget.
8. Ease Yourself and Get Rid of Anxiety and Stress
Often the core reason for creative
Artists are sensitive beings and they can be facing these issues often.
There can be many reasons for
In such times, you need to simply relax and try to keep your nerves cool.
Overcoming anxiety and stress needs a long-term training and you cannot fix it in a few minutes.
9. Watch TED Talsk
Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in a rut? How do you usually spark new ideas or come up with creative solutions? Maybe you have a set plan in motion for times like this. Maybe you get outside to recharge. Or maybe you’re unsure where to start.
Not knowing where to begin is always the scariest part of just about anything. If only you had that creative spark, right?
Here’s the thing, you do!
Believing that you are capable of being innovative and inventive is half the battle. Whether you know how to get your creative juices flowing or are looking for some motivation to get you there, being inspired is always a step in the right direction too.
Inspiration is defined as the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. When we’re inspired, anything is possible.
The popular media company TED (short for Technology, Entertainment and Design) has got inspiration down to a science.
Devoted to making powerful ideas accessible and sparking conversation, innovation and change, their global community welcomes some of the world’s most inspired thinkers to share their wealth of knowledge and motivate you to spread your greatest ideas. Ted speakers range from a wide variety of professionals including authors, producers, entrepreneurs and more. Lecturers are thinkers, doers and idea-generators!
To help you replenish your creative spark and get inspired, Invaluable compiled a list of 15 must-listen Ted Talks on creativity. Browse the highly viewed list of speakers below, find your favorite and be inspired!
Above are the few ways to deal with creative block. Some of them can become a part of your routine in order to enhance creativity.
Keeping a journal, traveling often, and browsing the web frequently for ideas can be added to the routine to have prolonged benefits.
About The Author
Jessica Ervin is a professional graphic designer who works with Design Iconic, which provides free online logo maker services.