So you’ve been stuck for long, sitting back and staring hard at a blank page with nothing to think of, draw or write about. Have you ever got that feeling? As it turns out, all of us do! Great ideas don’t come often and easily. Sometimes, they appear in the spur of the moment. Sometimes, they jump out of thin air. But there are also days when our minds can be as silent as an empty room. Deafening still, we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves. Even creatives like us run out of juices once in a while. No ifs and buts, not a drop of hint, and just like that *snap*, our heads are all over the place. Besides, coming up with great ideas is meant to be hard. Because if it’s easy for you, then it’s probably easy for everyone.
Just like you, there were also times when we struggled to put together a single thought, times when we spammed our backspace keys, and times we’ve had our trash bins full of balled-up paper too. So if you ever find yourself on a string of creative block lately, that’s perfectly okay. It happens even to the best of us! Maybe you just need a good inspo, a generous sip of coffee, a breath of fresh air, or a step away from your desk to get your ideas flowing again. After all, creativity moves in circles so it will surely come around.
But what would you do when you’re faced with a big deadline? You can’t just sit on it for long nor call it a day every time you hit the wall. So how do you pencil in on this untimely challenge? As riddling as it gets, one thing we learned from our experience is that while we can run out of great ideas, we can never fall short of creativity. Why should we wait for the apples to fall when we can start shaking or climbing its tree? From a team who irons and folds ideas on a daily, here are seven ways you can manage to brush off your creative slump:
- Crack new shells of inspiration
Inspiration can come from anywhere. You can read a book, listen to music, watch a movie or even talk to people. As long as you continue to engage yourself in creative activities, there’s a good chance that you’ll eventually find your usual rhythm.
- Explore beyond your creative bubble
Working on too many projects at once and in a short time can stifle your creativity. Try doing something completely random and mundane like walking your dog or taking a bath. Besides, what you need might just be hiding beyond your office or desk. - Switch between your everyday tasks
One thing to accept is that we can’t be inspired and creative all the time. If you feel that your thoughts are not really there, focus on getting other things done. Sometimes, ideas come to you when they want to, not necessarily when you want them to.
- Put a spin on your typical workday
Peel off from possible distractions by tweaking your routine or shaking up your surroundings. This can also help you get a fresh perspective of things. You can declutter your space, put on a comfy sweater, or work in a coffee shop. it’s up to you.
- Push through your creative block
If you’re raring to scratch that itch, you can jump ahead by scribbling on a drawing pad or writing small pieces of articles on a note. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just start somewhere. Remember that the goal here is to crank up your creative engines.
- Clock in some productive habits
Diamonds are formed under pressure. Same with creativity, a little pressure goes a long way in narrowing your focus. You can try exercises like the Pomodoro technique which bumps you to make decisions and complete tasks within a set period of time.
- Keep your boxes full of ideas
The best way to overcome a creative block is to prepare for it. Start building a word bank or save inspos on your Pinterest board from time to time so when the situation comes, you already have ideas under your sleeves to poke around with.
People have different ways of coping with a creative block— and it simply depends on how you deal with them. For one, there’s no on-and-off switch for creativity. And second, there’s no magical formula to break away from this spell either. So if you hate the nagging feeling of temporarily losing your creative touch, we get it. But you should know that it’s part of the process too. So rather than waiting for the right moment to come, try to observe what you can do and make something creative out of it.
Again, just because you’re struggling to come up with great ideas doesn’t mean that you lack the talent or you’re not cut out for a creative career. Creative block is normal, and those who pushed through them have made it past by leaps and bounds. Your light-bulb moment is only yours for the taking. Just continue doing what you need to do and you’ll just be surprised to see yourself sparking with ideas again!
