Blocking Out "Writer's Block"
Greetings friends, followers, and art fanatics! Today I wanted to touch on the subject of "writers block," or in this case creative block. Basically I wanted to talk of ways to strike your inspiration.
I'll be honest, this has really been something I have been struggling with lately. Staying home all the time quarantining, all the negativity on the news, and unhappy thoughts circulating is more than enough to drag anyone down; I am sure most of you are feeling this way too. That being said, it has been really challenging to find my creative drive and inspiration lately. So! If you are feeling like you could use a little push to find that creative spark, lets talk about some ways that we can dig deep and find that creativeness inside us all!
Most of the time when you google ways to help writer's block -- and believe me, I have a googling problem so I am right there with you -- there aren't really helpful answers. The answers you do find are, "take a walk, listen to music, read an inspiring book," etc. etc. Those things are all fine and dandy, but honestly, how much does it really help?
Today, I am here to share some different ways of getting down to thinking outside of your box! Depending on what your interests or desire is for creativity, some suggestions may not apply, but I always find them helpful for at least getting "unstuck". To begin, one cure I have found for writer's block, or artist's block, or... work block? (you get the point), is journaling. Sounds simple and dumb, I know, but honestly writing things down whether it be thoughts/ideas, my day, or just drawing a picture, really can be mind opening. I find my favorite part is when I look back on something I wrote in the past and it ends up becoming a great idea; something that I have let cook for a while and now I can formulate it in to a logo, or a better way to market my business!
The next thing I do when I am feeling artistically congested is a form of collaging. No this is not solely cutting out magazine pieces and gluing them together, but it could be. There are many ways to collage! Traditional: cutting out images and gluing, bulletin boards, or my personal favorite, digital boards! Digital boards I can create in several places and it is super easy, because I can do it from anywhere. On Instagram, in my notes, in my photo albums on my phone, or of course on Pinterest. Looking back through images that I like or find inspiring helps me find my creativity and often gives me ideas for designs, patterns, or posts on my personal and business social media accounts.
Finally, my personal favorite way that always gets my creative juices flowin' is research!
"I'm not in school, I'm not about to do some history research project to get inspired!" You say?
Well let me tell you, this is seriously the best thing you can do for yourself and it can be fun! I am in no way saying, "go learn about Benjamin Franklin and be inspired," no, not at all. What I do is if I come across a person(s) (from the 20 & 21st century), whom I find worthy of doing a little digging in to, then I will save them for a rainy day, so to speak, and when I am feeling I am in need of something to break down my creative blockers, I look said person(s) up and learn all I can about them. Typically the person who interest me the most are fellow designers, artists, or business entrepreneurs, because I like to try and model my business/work ethics after their success. I find that it is the best way to truly get inspired, for me at least.
In the end, I hope you found some of my suggestions helpful and will perhaps take them under your wing and give them a try. I promise you won't be disappointed. Or you can go a hit up good ol'Google..... but I don't think you'll find much satisfaction.
Comment below if you have any ways you find your creative side! I would love to hear them all and try them myself!