Get Rid of Creative Block

As a creative myself, I often deal with creative blocks. This could be not being able to come up with new ideas for photoshoots, videos, or sitting in front of a computer and staring at it for a while without having anything to write.

Throughout my years of work in the creative field, I have come to find some practices very helpful when dealing with this, which I wanted to share with you today.

Here are some ways to help get rid of your creative block:

1) Don’t Force It

You might think to yourself that you have to come up with new ideas, and it has to happen now! That mentality itself puts a lot of pressure on you as a creative, and stress is the biggest enemy.

If you are stressed, you definitely cannot think straight, let alone being creative.

If it doesn’t work for you today, just leave it. Go for a walk, drink some tea, listen to some music, do whatever that makes you chill. Come back to it later with a fresh perspective and watch the magic happen.

2) Set Your Environment

Different people thrive in different environments.

For me a clean desk, headphones on with some instrumental music (Lofi Beats on Spotify), and no distractions is what gets the job done. That is when I’m most focused and creative, or “in the zone”.

I do know of people who thrive in busier environments. They like to be surrounded by sounds, people, and the busier the place the more they are creative.

Find what works for you, and setup your environment before you begin work. It really makes a huge difference.

03) Collect Inspiration

Being a creative does not only work on days that you want to work on the task. It really is an ongoing experience and a lifestyle. You should be constantly looking for inspiration and saving them for later references.

For example, I only follow pages on social media that really inspire me. I save their posts from time to time and come back to them later when I am working on a project.

I mainly specialize in video production, however I look at all forms of art. Poetry, music, painting..etc they are all things that inspire me from time to time.

It’s great to see other creatives work, and refer to them once you need an inspiration. Even if you don’t pull them the next time you are doing some work, it still inspires you subconsciously.

04) Excercise

I like to go for a walk from time to time and those are days that I am thinking most freely and I’m more creative.

Exercise in general is great to clear your mind, and that’s all you need to be creative. A clear mind.

Get some exercise on a daily, eat healthy, and see the change that it does in your work.

05) Create Everyday

A very important thing that inspires creatives is productivity. Its a Ying Yang thing, the more you create the more creative you are, and that lets you create more.

By creating I don’t mean only the medium that you are an expert in. For example I do not need to make videos everyday, but writing, taking pictures, or even cooking are things that make me more creative.

I am creating something.

Set a time during the day to start and finish up a small task which will warm up your brain to think more creatively for the day.

For me it is writing, I start my day by opening up my journal (Day One App) on my laptop or iPad and write down whatever I’m thinking of that day.

The action of putting thoughts into visual words and sentences is a great relief by itself, and it makes me want to create more.

Conclusion:

Creative block could be overwhelming and you might think that you can never work on that task again. There are no good ideas, and it will never get done.

However, by doing some simple things you can free up your thoughts, clear your mind and get creative.