10 Ways to Break Through Creative Block
Now that we’re a couple of months into a new year, the excitement and adrenaline to get things done and be super productive might be wearing off. We all get tired and the one of the most important things you can do for your business is to take care of yourself, your mental health, and physical health, so that you can bring your best to your work every day. But even worse than just being tired and practicing self-care, if you’re running a creative business, you might hit a creative block.
Creative block in a design business isn’t just frustrating, but it can affect your quality of work, derail your business (and therefore income), and take a huge toll on your love for your business. After 8 years in the creative field, I’ve been there and it sucks! Here are ten of my favorite activities to try to break through creative blocks.
1. Go for a walk
I have 2 dogs, so this is the absolute easiest thing for me to do to get out of my office, my eyes on new things, and some sunshine. That said, I don’t do it every day or often enough so I view it as a way to break creative blocks or practice self-care. I am also someone who absolutely loves to hike but never takes time for it. Sigh. Personally, a hike is a better creative block breaker for me than a walk around my neighborhood. When you take time in nature to break a creative block, make sure you spend time looking at the textures of plants, structures, and the sky, as well as colors. This can really help new ideas spring into your mind.
2. Talk to a friend or a fellow creative
Stuck on a project, a problem, or an obstacle in your business? Talk to someone you trust! I can’t even count how many times I have come up with my own winning ideas or broken through my creative blocks while just explaining my problem or obstacle to someone else. This is also extremely helpful to bring another perspective into your creative process to see new avenues for concepting or negative perceptions of your artwork/graphic/etc. that you may need to address before bringing it to a client.
3. Read something inspiring
I’m a reader, but if you prefer listening to audiobooks or podcasts, or prefer to watch something visual, then do the option that works best for you. There are tons of great and motivating podcasts out there (my faves: The Honest Designers and Hello Seven) to listen to if you feel unsure of your work, your business, or just feeling blocked. I also think documentaries, educational videos, or just a fun movie can do wonders as well. However, my go-to is to read a book that inspires me, makes me think of my own experiences, gives a new perspective, or makes me feel motivated to try something new. Some of my favorite books are: The War of Art, The Artist’s Way, The Heart to Start, Steal Like an Artist, and Keep Going. When I’m specifically stuck on projects, I’ll check out: Creating a Brand Identity, Know Your Onions, The Graphic Design Idea Book, and The Personal MBA to name just a few! I’m also pretty impatiently waiting for Rachel Rodgers’ new book We Should All Be Millionaires to ship out because I find her podcast so motivating.
4. Meditate (if you’re into that)
My journey with meditation began long before I felt creatively blocked in my career and even before I transitioned my career from advertising and marketing to graphic design. I personally find meditation helpful for so many parts of the human path in life. It can ease tension, clear your mind, help you think deeper, provide a new perspective, or even help you fall asleep. I recently watched a video that mentioned the “flow state” we can get into when reading, creating something, or just watching TV. This is the same feeling meditation can give you. I used the Calm app to learn how to meditate, then used a chakra focused app for tension easing, and now I use Insight Timer most often to break creative blocks, re-energize my mind, and help myself fall asleep.
5. Listen to music
This sounds simple but I find it complicated sometimes, because when I say “listen to music,” I don’t mean to listen while doing something else. Just sit there and chill while listening. When was the last time you did that? I personally do not do it enough. For this reason, I keep a lounge chair and record player in my office. I can sit in my chair to read, take calls, or decompress with a record on and I LOVE IT. Some of my favorite records at the moment are the XX, Leon Bridges, Poppy Ackroyd, and of course Pink Floyd. Of course, when I’m not listening to a record I’m usually browsing Spotify.
6. Try something new creatively
As a small business owner, it’s far too easy for me to get wrapped up in using every minute of the day productively or asking myself if something I’m making will be profitable. That’s why my favorite thing about trying new artistic mediums is that no one will see it unless I say so. It’s not a client project, it’s not being sold, it’s not for anyone but me. Trying something new creatively is a MUST for anyone, in a rut or not! I like to call it “playing” or “exploring” because that is always my goal with it when I am just trying something new to break a creative block. Lately, my favorite mediums to explore have been watercolors, ink drawings, and canvas paintings.
7. Read a fiction novel
Motivational books about my business are great, but sometimes, you need to escape the current reality and step into a new one to really find a new perspective and your brain a chance to reset itself. Some of my favorite fictional books to read (and re-read) are the Harry Potter series. I also began Authority in 2020 after finishing Annihilation, the first of The Southern Reach Trilogy. However, I currently have Midnight Sun on my bedside table for casual reading. I haven’t read the Twilight Series for years now, but when I heard this latest installment came out, I couldn’t help myself! I love fiction novels and have many more in my library and on my read list - should I put my whole collection in it’s own post?
8. Play with kids toys
I know… this one might sound strange, but hear me out! I am a very proud aunty and spent a lot of my down time in 2020 with my nephew. One thing I discovered that changed the way I think about creativity, creative block, and just being an adult, is that when I played hands-on with my nephew, I felt better and came up with ideas while playing with him. Some of my favorite things (and most thought provoking) were Play-Doh, cube color/letter blocks, color mixing blocks, balancing stones, and train track building. If you can also hire a toddler to knock down and break apart what you build over and over, that will help even more! These moments made me remember just how many hundreds, thousands ideas we all have in us at any moment in many mediums - and it builds patience for redesigns and revisions! ;)
9. Travel somewhere new (or that you haven’t seen in a while)
This one is tough coming out of 2020-2021 but I am choosing to believe we will be able to travel again (relatively) soon! This one is pretty straightforward. There is just absolutely nothing like a change of scene, seeing new sights, meeting new people, and trying new things. The same goes for places you love, miss, and haven’t seen in a long time. I’m in my own personal heaven when I’m at the beach - really, any beach. As of writing this, I haven’t been to one in over 18 months (cue sobbing), so once it feels safe again to travel, that will be the first place I go - and I bet it will show in my style of work. If you’re able to, traveling when you’re feeling creatively blocked can help. If not, I also love to browse online about specific places, look at pictures, colors, textures, and read about the community/culture.
10. Take some time off
I know what you’re thinking - “Um… I can’t, I’m running a business here!” I hear you and I agree. I’ve seen a lot of entrepreneurs recently tout taking weeks off your business if you’re feeling blocked. Although it may be one of the fastest, most direct ways to break a creative block, this is just not an option for some of us and sometimes blocks come during a project. What I mean by taking time off is to basically treat yo’self, even if it's just for 30 minutes to an hour or two before bed. For me, these things include visiting my mom or sisters, sitting on my porch (literally just sitting), not looking at my email for an entire 24 hours (shocking lol), buying and using a new face mask, taking a weekday off of work, or just taking a nap. These are just examples; you can do anything or absolutely nothing with your time. Sometimes you need to just get up from the desk you’re bangning your head on and walk away. We all have this moment but we don’t all take the action.
*Bonus: Take up Journaling
I kept this one as a bonus because writing in a journal is not something I stick to well on a daily basis and not my personal favorite medium. That said, starting up a morning journal to clear your mind or a daily journal practice to review your feelings/ideas can be a wonderful and extremely helpful idea. My sister is a writer and I gave her this journal for writer’s block last Christmas - perhaps it can be helpful to some others out there as well! :)
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