As every artist understands, there’s nothing worse than that blank page, that blank screen, that silence, that white canvas upon which you are too blocked to make a mark. The creative block – it’s irritating wall that seemingly just blocks your imagination. But don’t despair! These creative humps happen to the best of us, but luckily, there are many ways to work through them and regain your inspiration.
Decoding the Block: Why You Can’t Move Forward
There are loads of reasons you may experience a creative block. Perhaps it’s pressure to perform, fear of failure, or experiencing an extreme case of being overwhelmed by a project. Sometimes, that lack of progress stems from a lack of inspiration, burnout or becoming trapped in a particular way of thinking. Identifying the likely cause can be the first step to finding a cure.
Brain Hacks for When You Get Stuck
Here are some practical tips to work through when inspiration seems to have run dry:
- Just Start (Terribly): So many of us, when we are perfectionists, can get frozen and paralyzed before even starting. Lower the stakes and allow yourself to make something awful. Flow can often be kicked into action by the act of starting.
- Change Your Surroundings: We all need a simple change of scene now and then. Go into another room, outside, a coffee shop – Atrasentan, your environment may be what you need to gain a new perspective.
- Experiment With Mediums: If you’re a writer, try drawing. If you are a musician, free write. Taking a step with another part of your brain an unlock new ideas.
- Brainstorming: Put your free-writing and brainstorming on a timer for 10 to 15 minutes and freely write or list out whatever you come up with, whether it seems ridiculous or entirely off-topic. Just keep going; you might find a little nugget in there.
- Take a Break: Sometimes the most productive thing to do is walk away from the project altogether. Walk around, listen to music, do something unrelated to clear your head.
- Go Find Inspiration Elsewhere: Lose yourself in someone else’s work – read a book, watch a film, listen to some new music, check out an art gallery. Not to imitate, but rather to kindle new thoughts in your own mind. It’s like getting a couple of free spins for your brain to see what combinations might pop up anew.
- Work With Key Constraints: Paradoxically, limitations sometimes have the effect of improving creativity. Give yourself a strict constraint — a limited color palette, a fixed number of words, a particular musical scale — and see how you operate within it.
- Collaborate: Think of a problem or creative challenge, then tell another person about it and ask for feedback or suggestions. A different point of view, or simply a little brainstorming might show you things in a different light.
- Get back to the Basics: What were the original basics of your Discipline? And sometimes, a refresher can remind you of the pleasures buried within a field or reignite the flame.
- Change the subject: If you’re down on an element of work, write about something else. Tackling a smaller problem can get momentum going.
The Block: Just Part of the Process
And remember a block isn’t a failure, it is just part of the process. Don’t rush, try different methods and believe that eventually your creativity will come back to you.
Wrapping Up
So next time you get hit with that creative wall, don’t worry. Lean into the struggle, experiment with some of these tactics, and know that in the calm of a block, that door just waiting to be opened remains filled with the possibility of new and exciting ideas.
