Ways to Kick Your Creative Blocks
Sometimes distractions aren’t a bad thing. Society drills it into us, but we need them to get us out of our creative funks sometimes. Follow that bliss even if it leads you away from the computer for an hour.
Get Inspired by Other Designers
Taking 10 minutes to look through Dribbble, Medium and/or other design portfolios can be extremely inspiring when we feel stuck in a creative block. So many times it gets the creative juices flowing to see what other creators can design. It definitely gives my brain a kick start for color ideas, shapes, texts and the use of other design elements that I haven’t thought of yet.
Keep an Instrument Nearby
If you’re someone who needs a little output before you can have your artistic cup filled then try picking up an instrument. If you’ve never tried that, maybe you like to rap or sing in the car. Throw on some beats from Spotify or Youtube or even pick the karaoke version of your favorite songs and take a break to belt it all out. It’s hard to fill a cup that’s already full and sometimes this is a good way to let frustrations or inspirations find a natural rhythm to flow through you. I personally like playing my saxophone in periodic breaks. It helps rev my brain in all the right ways. Or I’ll rap over a song with my own lyrics and laugh at the ridiculous things I say. It helps break up the mundane work days at home.
Go for a Walk
Nature and a change of scenery can be such a necessary break from sitting at a desk. If you have a dog, all the better! Go to a park and throw the ball, walk next to the water, or even walk to another coffee shop location. Go on a tiny adventure and observe the world. Take a moment just for you and enjoy the fresh air.
Workout
Exert all those stagnant thoughts with movement! Working on the body has been proven to stimulate the brain from the ground up instead of the top down. Society is very focused on the human brain, which is great, but sometimes putting our focus on another part of the body can be just as effective for getting the creative juices flowing.
Meditate
Oddly enough slowing down the thought process and focussing on our breath can release any control we want to have of the situations we’re in. Letting go, focussing on the breath, and allowing thoughts to come and go without any expectations might be just what we need to let the next great idea float into our awareness.
Read a Book
It seems all the ideas have already been done, maybe there’s a book with another perspective that you haven’t read yet? Looking at things from a different angle can definitely help! I know I like to read books on science or the esoteric in my free time to look at life from a completely different angle than I have before.
