If you’ve ever had creative’s block, where you feel mentally stumped and trapped by your own thinking, I know exactly how you feel. As a podcaster and blogger, that feeling is all too familiar. The good thing, though, is that creative’s block is perfectly normal and happens to the best of us. I started my blog back in 2020 and I was on a roll, but when 2021 rolled around, I just hit a creative’s block. I couldn’t come up with ideas, my creative juices weren’t flowing and I had no idea what to write. I just felt stuck.
After some much-needed self-discovery, I learned some ways to get over creative block and I want to share them with you. Here are five ways to help combat creative block so you can get back to creating, even much better than before.
1. Take a break. Often times, creatives get caught up in their work and they don’t take breaks. This can lead to a creative’s block because we aren’t taking time to refuel and recharge. Sometimes the best thing you can do is step back from your workspace and take a break. When you find yourself mentally stumped, sitting at your workspace trying to force yourself to come up with ideas may actually make things worse. You may just need a second to take a break, focus on something else and recharge.
2. Do something you enjoy. I have a practice where I try to do one thing every day that brings me joy. This practice really helps to relax my mind because for that moment, I’m not stressed, worrying or focused on trying to figure something out. Doing something I enjoy is also a great way to reset and recharge so that when I go back to working, I have a different mindset and my creative juices are flowing. When you’re in a really good mood and mental space, that’s when you get the best ideas.
3. Find your park. Your park is the place, whether real or imagined, where you find your creativity, imagination and best ideas. My park is the outdoors, particularly breathtaking scenery. My park is when I’m floating through the clouds in an airplane, riding bikes through the mountains, or hiking through a scenic trail. My park is where I feel at peace and at one with myself.
4. Phone a friend. Don’t take casual conversations with your loved ones for granted because sometimes you can find your best ideas in a casual conversation about life, career, relationships, and the like. I am a huge advocate of phoning a friend. My best friend and I talk on the phone just about every day and our conversations are always uplifting, empowering and encouraging, oh and hilarious! After talking to her, I always come away from the conversation not only feeling motivated, but I also come away with valuable information, content ideas and topics for my podcast and/or blog.
5. Have a brainstorming session. I have another practice that I call a “brainstorming session” where I cut off everything, set a timer for anywhere from 2-10 minutes, and I write down everything that comes to mind within that time. Usually, I pick a particular topic or topics and I write down everything that pops into my mind that pertains to that topic. You’d be surprised what crazy creative ideas come out of those brainstorming sessions. As a creative, there are a million and one tabs open in our heads, our minds are moving at a rapid pace and we often get trapped by our own thinking. The way to combat that, is to take time to organize our thoughts and translate those thoughts from our mind to paper.