Creative subjects and careers are hard, contrary to popular opinion. It is not everyday that you will wake up in the morning feeling extra inspired for your job – there are days you will struggle to find something to do, or you seem to hit a wall with creative ideas.
Creative arts are difficult in a slump because of two factors – art is subjective, meaning that what you produce is related to your interpretation of events, situations and people, and the second reason is it is difficult to find some inspiration when you are in the middle of creating something. The inspiration will never come from sitting at your desk and being frustrated at your inability to produce something, so these tips can assist when you go through this phase.
Go outdoors
Many times sitting at your desk and scratching your head in frustration will not give you any inspiration. In this case, it is a better idea to take a break, and go outside for a walk.
Going for a walk in a picturesque place like a park, or going to a new area that you have never been to will help you to de-stress your mind and activate your ideas at the same time. In fact, science backs up this tactic, as a 2012 study found that backpackers tended to be more creative by almost 50% after coming from a hike.
Pick up a sketchbook or a camera
This can come in handy, especially for students of art, whatever art form it is. It also goes very well with going outdoors and seeing what else is out there.
Going to an interesting place and taking pictures of interesting scenery,plants or animals that you see will help you to reflect on these pictures later and find some inspiration from what you see to make a painting, write a story or sketch a fictional character. Carrying a sketchbook can help as well; maybe you may come across an interesting thing on your way that you want to record, or the scenery can inspire you in various ways.
Reading a book
In this case, we do not mean motivational or self-help books; we mean literary fiction. This tip can be particularly useful for writers, because within a story is an idea or two that can spark your thinking and help you find new perspectives to write on, new words to use or new plot lines to develop.
In fact, a study from the University of Toronto revealed that people who enjoy reading and regularly read fictional stories had higher levels of creativity, as well as having better judgement on situations.
Meditation can also help
People underestimate the effects of stress in terms of reducing productivity. When you are working towards a deadline, or you are pressured to complete a task, the resultant stress can cloud your mind and leave you feeling frustrated.
It is therefore essential to clear your mind frequently, or at least every now and then. Instead of turning to harmful activities like taking drugs that make you end up in a drug rehab in Mississippi – meditation techniques can include taking deep breaths, and going to a relaxing place where you can clear your mind off work and listen to the relaxing sounds of nature.
Watching a TED video
This may seem a strange piece of advice, but TED talks are more useful than you think in the creative process.
The basic idea for TED is the spread of fresh ideas and perspectives, all in the form of an inspirational talk. If you need ideas that are related to your work, this is among the best sources for getting new ideas, new topics and new information tidbits.
In addition, they cover an endless range of topics, and you can find whatever you are searching for – even the creative fields like design, dance, theatre, writing and art. If you need some fresh inspiration for your life, you can find it here as well – topics such as happiness and being mindful of others.
Find some inspiration from the world of social media – constructively
Social media can easily become a source of distraction for us, and you can scroll through your timelines as a means of procrastination.
However, it would be even better to look to it as a source of new ideas and perspectives, as long as you are constructive in using it. For instance,you can type in ‘inspiration’ in your search bar, and you will find various posts of people talking about it, or putting interesting artwork regarding the topic that can spark a new idea in your mind.
Putting together a vision board
If you have certain work that inspires you to create, it is a good idea to consolidate all that into one place and use that as a mood board.
That will help you see certain fonts, colors, images or themes that can bring some new ideas. If you are writing something, having a notebook where you can jot ideas down as they come to your mind is a good idea.
These ideas and themes do not need to be perfect; they just need to be there. As long as you have a plan of attack, even if it is vague at that point, you can be in a better position to visualize clearly what you want to make.
Get some sleep
Our present lives and the pace of the current day has led us to believe that sleep is for the lazy. However, contrary to popular opinion, this is not the case, as a nap can actually help you clear your mind and give you some new ideas when you wake up.
In addition, getting some sleep will reduce your stress levels (a major cause for lack of productivity).
Doing new activities
Creation at the end of the day, depends on the experiences you have. When you are stuck in a rut, perhaps that is a sign you need to shake things up. For instance, going to a new place, learning a new language, or taking a different route to class or your workplace.
Final thoughts
The basis of creativity is change – the more things change, the more inspiration you get. Overcoming slumps such as this therefore requires that you shake things up and change how you find your inspiration, and you will get inspired to create again.