As all creatives know the spark and the spirit of creative mode are not constantly in supply. This goes for designers, artists, musicians but also business people too. Wouldn’t it be nice it be if we could just turn on the tap of inspiration and let it flood the workspace?
And wouldn’t it be nice if this article gave you all the secrets to doing just that? The magic alchemy to transform the block into a gush. Sorry! The best we can offer is a top 10 tip guide to help you get the spark back, to turn to went all is not going as swimmingly as you envisioned, to give you a little nudge in a different direction when you’ve reached the dead end.
The creativity is still inside you, we’ve just got to find ways of letting it out.
1. Organize Your Day
Photography by Marissa Grootes
It may appear an antithesis for creatives and when all is going well, fine go with the flow. But when you are struggling to get your juices flowing, as it were then the organization is a great fallback position.
Intense or busy days – in fact, most days – are full of all the things that can jump into your brain, throwing distractions and obstacles in the path of creativity. One way of alleviating this problem is by planning. If you organize all the things you have to do on that day and make a plan and order to do them, this gives you a surprising amount of time to do the things you’d like to do and want to do. It also means that you can concentrate on one job at a time and you avoid the dreaded feeling of overcommitment.
Lists are good – ticking things off lists is especially good. Even when you know you are doing it to fool yourself into creative mode, it still strangely has the effect of making you feel progress is being made, and it often is.
2. Plan Creative Time into Your Day
Even when you are ultra-busy with tasks and thoroughly organized, make sure to schedule creative time. The time when you can put the admin aside, the time when creativity is the sole focus. Scheduled time takes away any odd feelings of guilt you have because you are not “working”. This is the time to create and nothing else, it’s surprising how creative you can be in a fixed time.
These times can break up your day, be positive experiences to look forward to, and get you excited again. And if you get on a roll, be flexible, and keep going.
3. Set Your Goals As Well As Your Timelines
Photography by Startup Stock Photos
It sounds very much like horrid “business speak” but goal setting is a great way of maintaining focus, feeling progress, and gaining momentum. All ways of motivating your creativity. Goals should be doable, and not too far-reaching. We are not necessarily talking about the final product or design, we are talking about the steps to reaching the final goal. Goals create good habits, they help you push forward and provide structure to abstract concepts which are great for creative mode.
And don’t be afraid to set timelines and deadlines. Deadlines are incentives, some people need them and only work best with the added pressure. They can provide that kick you need. Douglas Adams famously loved deadlines or more accurately “the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” In just this one area try not to be like Douglas.
4. Adapt and Personalize Your Working Environment
Your working environment is YOUR working environment. Be creative and use it to boost your creativity. Design a space that fits you, that makes you feel comfortable and confident, that you want to be in and that inspires you. This is personal and it should be. From inspirational quotes and art to copies of your best work, photos, your favorite chair, a fridge full of goodies, books, lighting, coffee machine – things that you can look at, things that make you smile, and things that remind you what you can do.
The creative mode works best in a safe space.
Another big creativity boast for some people is music. Creating a playlist or listening to your old favorites is a way of setting the mood for creation. If you need energy, or a more relaxed afternoon -set the playlist of your choice and create the correct ambiance.
And no matter how cozy you make your space, remember it always feels better when you’ve been away from it for a while. Step outside, get some air, work in a different place for a day, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
5. Go Old-School With a Notebook
As a creative worker, you know that the spark of an idea doesn’t always come when sitting at your desk, no matter how cool you’ve made your surroundings. More often you’re lying in bed, queuing for a coffee, overhearing a snapshot of conversation, reading, dancing, halfway through your second bottle of wine…..you get the idea! The point is that inspiration is all around you, and you need to capture it whilst you can. The old-fashioned -carry a notebook around with you everywhere – may have been replaced by a smartphone, or other gadget but the idea is still the same. Note it down, photograph it, record it, pick it up, and put it in your pocket.
If it’s not right for the present project design, what does that matter? It will come in in the future, or inspire some sort of variation. The key thing is that you’ve got it as a recorded inspirational resource.
6. You Need Stimulation
Creative mode needs stimulation, it could be from external sources- something you read or see, or from the people around you, but the truth is most people struggle to be creative if they are isolated.
One way is to surround yourself with creative people, your colleagues, friends, and even your creative competition. These not only provide a spark of interest but also drive you forward. True creatives pick up on not only what but who is around them. It may be practical, in terms of the latest fashions, and technological developments, or social – fun is stimulating. Add to the competitive edge they provide and your group is a vital source of inspiration and motivation.
No less important is the inspiration from other creatives that you don’t know. Think of all the material that is available over the web. Everything is covered, the latest styles, predictions for the future, every type and oeuvre of art, examples of every type of design concept, portfolios of top artists and designers from all over the world – there can be no excuse. Check out the sites in your field but don’t forget to browse through other ones. You need to keep up-to-date and be aware of what is happening around you.
7. You Also Need Some Space To Think
With all this stimulation and goings-on around you, it is still important to give yourself space and time to think. There are distractions, emails pinging, messages notifying, and social media begging for attention. Give yourself some time off, it doesn’t have to be a holiday. some think during the course of the day where you step away from the screen and the daily grind. Give your mind time to calm down, doing nothing can be an active strategy but it’s not easy to switch off. Doing something completely different is just as good, it focuses the mind on something else reading, cooking, yoga, and some active sports are all great ways that will benefit your creativity in the long term.
8. And Space for Something Else
Photography by Serkan Bayraktar
To make space to think and stimulate one step further, it’s time to step outside your routine. Trying something different is a sure-fire way of rekindling energy. It doesn’t have to be dramatic or dangerous – although don’t let us put you off, but something that makes a real difference to your day. Small things like taking a different form of transport to work, or a different route, working through the night and sleeping all day, a full day off (no thoughts of work at all) right up to bigger more exciting things.
Look around at what is on offer, go to the train station and jump on the first train you see, take in a random film, walk into a strange bar and strike up a conversation. You try to be creative at work, so why be so dull in your routine, time to mix it up.
9. Experiment
Photography by Olia Danilevich
If you are going different in your routine, why not go different in your work. Try a completely new style, work on ideas that parody or are influenced by things you wouldn’t normally touch. Be playful and have some fun with it. Even if you don’t stumble on the answer or your future style, it will let you think outside the box for an hour or two. Push the boundaries, share some work and see what others think.
And if it’s moving even if you feel yourself going in the wrong direction, sometimes it’s worth just going with it. You can always edit it later, and pull it back to where you need to be, but or might, just might end up not where to expect to be but where you want to be.
10. Expect to Make Mistakes. Nobody is Perfect
Photography by RODNAE Productions
Great works don’t normally appear on the first take, classic books are rewritten, edited, proofed, reedited, and rewritten. A great song will be recorded dozens of times and produced, even live gigs are practiced. How many takes do even the finest actors need before the final cut? Be a little easier on yourself, if the client doesn’t like what you’ve done, well that’s life. Try again, take the feedback, and it will help you improve.
To Sum It Up
If it’s working for you and the muse is gracing you, then it’s a blessing, everything you touch turns to gold and the ideas are spilling out. The thing is, blessings often come with curses. Staring at a blank page can be one of the scariest nightmares any creative person will face. Hopefully, these 10 practical tips will help you quickly get into creative mode.
Creative mode is one thing, but being organized and knowing how to manage your time is as equally as important for your success. This is why you might be interested to continue with some of the related articles: