How to (actually) deal with creative blocks.
Probably you right now
Let’s be honest, as creatives we don’t just come up with amazing ideas on the fly all the time. We all wish that was the case, but the truth is that most ideas come to us at the most random times (and not always the right times). It is incredibly frustrating to force yourself through a project with a creative block and then have the most earth-shattering, mind-blowing, genius idea one random Tuesday in the shower, a month after the project is over. If this sounds like you, welcome to the club. Hopefully, some of these tips will help you break this endless and annoying cycle.
Unfortunately, the world is demanding, and we can’t just take a break from projects when we’re stuck in a creative rut and come back when the perfect idea comes along. Although this would be ideal for most creatives, we still have deadlines to adhere to (which we all struggle with). This realization can lead to more stress, which only digs a deeper grave for our creativity.
Read Something
There’s nothing better than reading to get those creative juices flowing. Reading can take many forms, you sure as hell don’t have to sit down and read non-fiction business books to benefit from it. Read a fantasy story you love, a blog post, threads and tweets, snippets from copywriting and marketing portfolios, or non-fiction books if that’s your jam. Podcasts and audiobooks will also do the trick. The key is to have no visual stimulation, so your brain is forced to create images on its own. This will boost your creative thinking and expand your knowledge and vocabulary.
Record Your Ideas
Creativity ebbs and flows. When you do go through a period of limitless creativity, make sure you write those ideas down. I find it especially helpful to write them on paper. Keep a journal specifically for your creative ideas and categorize it into topics you typically work with (ie. copywriting, marketing, design, drawing, songwriting, creative writing.) This way, you have an arsenal of creativity to pluck from in those desperate times. Having this library of ORIGINAL ideas will ensure you’re not forced to scour the internet for inspiration, thus ending up with generic, cookie-cutter work. Showcasing unoriginal work with no personality is almost as bad as doing nothing.
Stop Trying To Be Perfect
One surefire way to kill your creativity is perfectionism. There’s a difference between quality assurance and perfectionism. Quality assurance involves refining your work and eliminating errors before sharing it. Perfectionism is when you delay creating or constantly change things due to fear of imperfection. Perfectionism will force you to scour the internet and change your work to be more like someone else’s who “did it better” in your eyes. This leads you to eliminate the personality and passion from your work, ensuring that it’s the same as everything else out there. It’s good to admire work you love and draw inspiration, but don’t lose yourself in it.
Be Ridiculous
When it feels like your brain isn’t braining, and all you can come up with is ridiculous, unserious ideas; maybe that’s exactly what you need. Stop taking it so seriously and enjoy the ride. Take those “awful” ideas and roll with them. If your idea is so bad, use it to create something funny, or reverse it. Make a “what not to do” piece, or a shitpost (if it meets the objective). This tactic has been gaining a lot of traction within the Gen-Z community on social media (we love sarcasm and satire).
Eliminate Stress
I know this one sounds cliche, but I have to include it because it’s so important. Stress locks your creativity in a dungeon and starves it. There is no way for your brain to exercise its creativity while trapped in stressful thoughts. Some ways to eliminate stress are to: have alone time, practise hobbies, exercise, get outside, be proactive, and meditate. Even if you don’t have a lot of free time, a 10-minute walk or 5-minute meditation will improve your stress level.
If you are or have ever struggled with creative blocks, I hope these tips are helpful, and address the root cause of your creative deficit. We can’t always just take a break or change our schedule, and we definitely can’t all take a vacation to get inspired by new surroundings.
Are you not creative at all? Maybe you require my services, let’s chat!
