How to get out of a creative block. How to overcome creative block? Marina Snezhnaya
Sooner or later, any freelancer faces creative block. And, as a rule, he remembers for a long time that unpleasant feeling when you realize that you cannot come up with a single worthwhile idea. When your head is full of cliches and it is extremely clear that the customer will not accept any of the proposed options. And you won't be able to make money. Creative block is a truly serious problem, comparable in significance to creative burnout, which can deprive a freelancer of his ability to work for a very long time. But unlike burnout, which is most often a consequence of extreme fatigue, the causes of creative block are somewhat different. What are these reasons?
Hard work
Many freelancers, in pursuit of good earnings, completely forget about work discipline and begin to overwork. Some are even proud of this, believing that being tired from work gives some meaning to their work. This is a big mistake. In a field like freelancing, fatigue cannot in any way be a measure of successful work. Quite the contrary, if a freelancer feels completely exhausted and overwhelmed at the end of the working day, he is clearly doing something wrong. And the chances of “catching” a mental block in such a would-be specialist increase significantly.
Yes, to be successful as a freelancer, you need to work hard. Nobody argues with this. But work is different. It is extremely important for a freelancer to maintain his creativity at a certain level, otherwise he simply will not be able to regularly produce original content. And this is exactly what is required of him. Customers do not need an executive worker, they need a person who will solve their problems. A person who will look at the problem with a fresh look and offer the most optimal solution.
In order to never encounter creative block, it is best to eliminate all the reasons that could lead to its occurrence. And the most common cause of mental blocks is fatigue. For a freelancer, if he wants to constantly stay in good creative shape, it is very important to find his balance between work and rest. All successful freelancers have long understood that in order to get everything done and make good money, you don’t need to work a standard eight-hour day. Anything that a freelancer gets paid to do can be done in a much shorter time if you plan well and stay focused on the work. After which you need to give your brain a rest. If you don't do this, generating new ideas will become much more difficult.
Wrong priorities
Any serious freelancer strives to plan his work, otherwise you can get bogged down in routine and completely neglect everything. But you need to plan wisely, setting your priorities correctly. Working according to a plan has a huge number of advantages, but there is also one big disadvantage - for some freelancers, the to-do list can be the cause of creative block. The fact is that the work plan itself is a document that forces work. And for many this is a problem. Nobody likes to work under pressure, especially creative people. But you still need to work, which means you need to do something.
If creative block occurs because the most important things turn out to be unpleasant, then the To-Do sheet needs to be redone. Freelance work should never feel like torture, no matter how difficult it may be. If you try to generate ideas “because I can’t,” sooner or later your creative powers will dry up. Man is not a machine; in terms of creativity, his resources are extremely limited and one cannot thoughtlessly waste one’s creativity on low-priority work. Cases that require fresh thoughts and an innovative approach should always have the highest priority. Therefore, such tasks should be scheduled in the schedule at a time when the freelancer is full of strength and overflowing with creative energy. This approach almost completely eliminates the possibility of mental blocks.
Difficult clients
In most cases, the freelancer himself is to blame for the occurrence of creative block. But sometimes trouble comes from outside if you come across a difficult client. A freelancer can gush out new ideas as much as he wants, but if the customer does not accept them, sooner or later creativity will drop to zero. What to do in this case?
The answer is obvious - you need to be more careful when choosing clients. If the customer himself does not know what he needs, working with him will turn into real torture. In such conditions, mental blocks will appear literally at every step, because it is very difficult to generate ideas if you do not know what exactly needs to be done. There are many ways to get a picky or insecure customer to become more accommodating. And the most effective of them is the brief. Because the lack of a brief is very often the cause of creative block. And the larger the project, the more detailed the brief should be.
A brief is like a guide for a freelancer. It describes everything that needs to be done; it is a ready-made program of action, which in itself is an incentive to work and generate ideas. If there is no brief or it is not specific, this can lead to the fact that at some point the freelancer loses his bearings and simply cannot move on. And each of his next steps will be accompanied by a creative stupor.
Procrastination
Sometimes it can be very difficult to understand whether writer's block is the cause of procrastination or not. If a freelancer tends to leave important tasks until later, it will be very difficult for him to generate new ideas. Many freelance procrastinators know how constant delays affect creative activity. It is very important to understand that procrastination is not laziness, but a psychological phenomenon and the approach to solving this problem should be completely different. If a freelancer knows that he is being lazy, then he simply does not have enough motivation. But if he procrastinates, then this indicates that something is wrong with his work.
There are many reasons why a person begins to procrastinate. But most often, procrastination occurs due to improper planning. For example, if a freelancer sets himself a large and important task. The sheer scale of the problem that needs to be solved can cause an attack of procrastination, which in turn will lead to the appearance of mental blocks.
If creative block is caused by procrastination, then you first need to figure out what exactly is preventing effective work. Something is clearly stopping you from starting to do what you need to do. More often than not, the mental block is caused by some not very interesting work. To combat procrastination and free up creative energy, you can use the so-called “Swiss cheese” method. That is, do not “eat” a large piece of conventional cheese (work) at one time, but bite off small pieces of it. Any work can be divided into several stages, each of which will be quite simple to complete and interesting in its own way. If a freelancer realizes that he has a creative block due to the fact that he cannot proceed to the first stage, then his best bet is to find a task that will inspire him. The most important thing is to start working and it doesn’t matter if the freelancer changes his priorities a little. But this advice is useful only to those who often experience bouts of procrastination. For a disciplined freelancer, poor prioritization will significantly reduce productivity.
High expectations
Overly high expectations can also lead to creative block. Sometimes a task seems so interesting that a freelancer loses objectivity. It begins to seem to him that in order to cope with the problem posed, some non-standard moves are needed. Needless to say, attempts to create something brilliant usually remain just attempts. And then comes fatigue and the understanding that there are no original ideas and it’s unclear where to get them.
Inflated expectations are a real problem that can affect creativity. In order not to fall into a creative block due to unfulfilled hopes, you need to look at things realistically. A job is just a job and it needs to be done as well as possible. And no more. And if, while working, a freelancer continually encounters mental blocks, then this means only one thing - the task at hand is beyond his capabilities. Yes, this happens very often. If creative block is caused by a difficult task, then the freelancer has little choice. He needs to either give up the job or hire help. No other way.
Instead of a conclusion
Freelancing involves intensive mental work on an ongoing basis. And you need to understand that during work various problems may arise, including mental blocks. Yes, creative block is an extremely unpleasant thing, but you need to be prepared for its occurrence, since it is part of the job. To always stay in good creative shape, you need to follow a few simple rules. For example, don't recycle. Or don't deal with problem clients. Over time, any freelancer begins to understand what exactly can lead to creative block and builds his work in such a way that it does not interfere with the emergence of new ideas. And even if he faces writer's block, he always has a few reliable ways to cope with an unexpected problem. After all, the absence of ideas in one particular head does not mean that there are none at all. There are always ideas, you just need to find them and implement them. And the more a freelancer knows about the reasons for the appearance of mental blocks and ways to bypass them, the more successful his career will develop.
It’s long past midnight, you’re sitting down to read another “useful and interesting” text about choosing “the best mattress that you can buy inexpensively in our online store” and... you realize that you can’t squeeze a word out of yourself. It would be great if the problem could be solved by the usual (albeit so unusual for copywriters) eight-hour sleep. What if the creative block lasts for several days and overwhelms you more and more often? Take advice from our author Victoria , who shared reliable remedies for combating creative burnout. And at the end of the article you will find a couple more useful recipes for calling the muse from our team (we promise, no black magic 😉). We give the floor to Victoria.
How do I keep writing even when the muse is on leave?
Everyone knows that copywriting is a creative profession. But I felt it to the fullest. I have been writing for more than five years and from my own experience I have felt the “burnout” of a creative personality.
Despite experience and professionalism, the writer constantly needs recharging. N and throughout my entire career I have noticed that continuous creative work tires the author and exhausts his style.
I think only a copywriter’s copywriter can understand this. As a person who makes a living exclusively from copywriting, I can say that for a salary you need to create a fabulous number of characters per month.
Most of my acquaintances always tell me with dreamy envy in their voices about the advantages of a flexible schedule, although it is not that flexible, because the deadlines are specific, violation of which will result in fines. Every day you need to write more than 10-15 thousand characters, but the topics are constantly repeated. As a result, you get the feeling that all the words have already been said by someone, and many by me. And it’s not that you don’t know what to write (experience makes its own), but a real creative crisis sets in. Hands try not to hit the keyboard briskly, but push it away with all their fingers. The very thought that you will need to create another text is stressful.
There is nothing unnatural in this, because every creative person generates and creates beauty within himself, but inspiration is not a machine, the author cannot work relying solely on technical abilities.
First of all, I want to say that with the constant writing of a mass of texts, the style becomes meager and repetitive, if you do not read literary works, for example, the classics. Modern prose is also possible, why not? This enriches your vocabulary. When you feel that you are starting to talk to the reader in a new way, it gives you creative strength. So II read intensively: It improves mood and enhances professionalism.
Personally, Japanese writers have become an example for me, because when reading their books, you forget about the time and number of pages you read. The style literally flows, so even in large works you don’t lose the thread of the plot, all events are clear. My literary favorite is Haruki Murakami. Almost all of his works that I have read have impressed me, especially Norwegian Wood. I consider Frederick Beigbeder’s book “Love Lives for Three Years” to be excellently written: it’s pleasant to read when the presentation of the text is interesting and understandable. I recommend Steve Harvey's "Act Like a Woman, Think Like a Man." The list can go on and on, and that’s great, because it means there are a lot of professionals in the world.
Going out to crowded places.For me, as a copywriter, the problem with my job is that I have to work at home, sitting at my laptop all day. If you're in a rush, sometimes you don't even have enough time to go to the supermarket. But, you must admit that the absence of an office environment and a boss in a glass office also has disadvantages. One of them is a lack of communication and the flow of external information. Therefore, in moments of creative crisis, I give myself everything that I lacked - I walk more.
Armed with a glass of coffee and breathing the air in the park, it would be great to take a walk along the embankment. A beautiful view gives rise to beautiful words in us, and in work this, again, is only beneficial. You can meet nice people and chat.
Once again re-evaluate your work. I have often been disappointed that copywriting and journalism are professions that are often confused. And our professional community works much harder, but we can’t wait for titles and laurel wreaths. The copywriter's publications even go without a name. And sometimes I really want to leave a mark on the history of The New York Times... In moments of creative crisis, I watch films about people who also write and do freelance work, and this inspires me. Looking from the side at a person typing at a laptop, I can’t help but be tempted to sit down at my laptop. We create the Internet!
One of the “therapeutic” films for creative depression for me is “ Breakfast at Dad's ", where the plot highlights the comical and not-so-comical moments in the life of a copywriter. The film gives strength and inspiration “ Trainee ”, which, although not related to freelancing, shows how hard people who create businesses using the Internet have to work and how dedicated they are to their work. I would like to draw the line at “cinema therapy” with a simple videoThe Expert , which has received over 5 million views on YouTube. The plot reflects the difficulty of “hitting the top ten” that all creative people face. After all, customers expect exactly what will correspond not so much to the specifications as to their vision of the result, and this is not so easy to understand. But we all have to have a sense of humor about it to do our jobs positively. This video will definitely help you smile and gain a dose of faith in your professionalism.
Before starting work, after a short vacation to recharge, I make myself a cup of aromatic strong coffee, for complete happiness I add a couple of slices of my favorite chocolate and start creating again in a pleasant atmosphere. I realized for myself that the more beautiful the environment we create around us, the greater the likelihood that the wondrous and elusive muse will want to be in this cozy place.
Thanks to the copywriter Victoria for such a sincere text, Great tips and inspiration!
Victoria has already taken advantage and receives all the promised “goodies” from us!
Have a cool idea for our blog? Do you want to go down in history, if not The New York Times, but at least the Miratext exchange?
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Recipes against creative burnout from the team« Miratext»
Victoria’s article inspired us so much that we had a real brainstorm and want to offer you a couple more life hacks to combat burnout. We don’t presume to say that each of them will suit absolutely any person, but it’s definitely worth a try: maybe you’ll find exactly what you need.
Try the Pomodoro Technique
If you don't look away from the screen for several hours, don't be surprised by burnout: your poor body just turned on"to the fullest" function of the self-preservation instinct and tries to preserve at least a little of your health. A technique will help force the body to turn off the self-preservation function and turn on the brain"Pomodoro" . The trick is to break the work down into parts. So,you should work for 25 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes, then work again for 25 minutes and rest for 5 minutesetc. This will be easy to do using a special timer http://tomatotimer.ru/ or similar application for Android or iOS . What to do in 5 minutes of rest? Crack your stiff neck, move around, drink a cup of aromatic tea, holding a cookie in your free hand and not a mouse - anything, the main thing is to stay away from the computer.
Get out of your comfort zone (even if you haven't entered it 🙂)
Every copywriter has topics that he understands and that are easy to write. And this is the main trap! No matter how much you adore children, believe me, after 58 texts about choosing the best diapers, you will cringe at the mere thought of “children’s themes.”Take on an article on a completely new topic.At first it will be terribly scary, because you don’t know anything about it, you will need to spend time studying the nuances, and doubts will arise that everything will work out at the proper level. But as a result of such “shock therapy,” your brain will “reboot” and you will again be able to return to the same children’s topic (unless, of course, the new topic captivates you).
Change your location
A change of environment is an ultra-useful thing. Try itwrite that impossible article in the park, on the beach, in your favorite cafe. This is not only pleasant, but also very effective: fresh thoughts, interesting phrases, and ideas for structuring the article begin to come to mind. Be sure to try it!
Alex Cornell
Famous blogger, musician and designer Alex Cornell
Faced with a creative crisis once again, I decided to ask twenty-five creatives a question: “What means do you turn to in order not to lose creative inspiration in your daily professional routine?” As the designer expected, he was presented with a variety of strategies, from listening to "Boards of Canada" all alone in the woods, to cooking up a storm and waiting for his mind to enlighten.
NicholasFelton
Graphic designer, New York
I have several tactics that allow me to keep my creativity flowing. I alternate the course of my life, like crop rotation in agriculture. In odd-numbered years, I try to travel more and mostly work on personal projects and personal initiatives. And in even-numbered years, I prefer to work more and earn money, so that later I can go on long trips. For example, in 2005 I spent five weeks traveling around the world. In 2007 I traveled to Nepal, China and Tibet for three weeks. These trips were so impressive that I returned to my desk with my head full of thoughts and ideas.
Graphic designer, Belgium
I very rarely fall into a creative stupor; a large number of different ideas are constantly bubbling in my head. Everything else is a matter of time and priorities. For a whole year now I have been starting, then giving up, then continuing to work on the headset again. And this process gives me great pleasure, and also gives me invaluable experience, but it also prevents me from working on any other project. Therefore, you can say that I am falling into a kind of intellectual stupor: I want to develop and continue to move forward, but not before I finish the project with the headset. I can call myself slow and meticulous, I want everything to be perfect. So I continue running in circles. The very idea of the typeface came to me while I was looking through an old typeface that I myself had designed (yes, sometimes my own work can also become a source of inspiration, that’s what notes and sketches are for), the Wim Crouwel “Hiroshima” poster "and a vintage book cover. Therefore, the subject factor works in the end.
AudreyKawasaki
Artist, erotic painting, Los Angeles
When I feel like I'm falling into a writer's block, it's because I'm distracted and thinking about something unrelated to my work. Or I just can't sit still and concentrate on what I need to do. To cope with this, for many years I simply turned on music in headphones, or watched various kinds of information programs. Listening to them while working allows my brain to work in two directions: freeing the creative component from unnecessary thoughts and working calmly. Creating a barrier to daily distractions and dividing myself in two is the best way for me to enter a meditative state while painting.
KhoiVinh
Head of the design team at NYTimes.com
Draw and read a lot. I can compare reading to strategy: it is a constant replenishment of ideas, metaphors, points of view, details. You store everything you read in your head so that later you have an impressive catalog of “starting points” at your disposal. Drawing makes it possible to activate all the information that is stored in the head and helps to solve problems. The drawing process itself is a visualization of various ideas and allows you to classify a large number of elements and establish unexpected connections between them. The main thing is to draw quickly and not be distracted by execution technique. This is the only way to stay within the content and not get hung up on the form.
KalleGustafson
Photographer, Sweden
If I have a feeling of lack of inspiration, then I need to take a time out. In my case this is the best option. I go on vacation for a week or two to just listen and watch. I look at people, listen to music. I could say that I am inspired by everything around me, regardless of place and time. To find inspiration, you just need to go beyond your usual work and get distracted.
Illustrator, designer, Atlanta
When I need a source of inspiration to get my creative juices flowing, I turn to experimental music, mid-century design or cinema, wildlife, and more. To achieve maximum creative potential, I need to simultaneously sit in the woods, listen to Boards of Canada, and watch Mad Men.
ChadHagen
Designer and artist, Minneapolis
Staying creative all the time is hard work. To be honest, I don't think I was talented enough when I went to art school. I needed to work to stay creative. The only thing that kept me focused was my endless desire to be a good artist. And I thought about it all the time, if I constantly do hard work, study the fine arts, like complex and not so mathematical equations, then I can relax and do cool things, and also let things take their course.
When I get writer's block, the best way to deal with it is to put myself in a place where I want to be even better. And to do this I need to look at other people's work. In my opinion, there is no better way to spark your own creativity than by looking at the amazing things other people have done. Similar things can be seen in museums, galleries, and exhibitions. It always inspires me and also makes me want to get back to work and do something worthwhile.
Freelancer, illustrator, England
I can give you some advice: First of all, you need to take a break from your computer/sketches/notebook, take a walk down the street, visit a new city. One day I was sitting in a cafe in Berlin, and so many ideas came into my head that I had no idea what to do with them now. Sometimes I visit the library and dig into old graphic design books or photography magazines. From them I snatch things that simply amaze my imagination. Then I go home and print them out or paste them into my scrap book. After this I usually have a lot of ideas left in my head.
KimHoltermand
Photographer, Denmark
Whenever I run out of ideas, I usually listen to music to get my spirit back. She is a huge source of inspiration for me. Many of my robots were created by listening to musicians such as Sigur Ros (my favorite), Max Richter, Trentemøller, M83, Helios, Dead Can Dance, Jonsi and Alex, Air, Olafur Arnalds, Johann Johannasson... the list goes on and on. Musical melancholy creates a certain mood in me, in which ideas can easily begin to be produced.
ErikSpikermann
Legendary German typographer
1 Avoid(Do something different, back up your data, wash the car, run errands, etc.) 2 Think(Try to relax and think about the problem, give free rein to your thinking). 3 Explore(Look for suitable material, look at past projects. The main thing is to avoid Google; it takes a lot of time to find something worthwhile and useful). 4 Collect(Everyone has a lot of all sorts of rubbish. And it is among it that there should be something that will be most useful). 5 Sketch(Drawing is a very cool thing, even if you have no talent for drawing. Visualizing simple things helps bring them to life.) 6 Remodel(The problem needs to be broken down into parts and looked at each of them separately, and then put all the parts together).
SiScott
Illustrator, graphic designer, England
I have creative crises quite often (as do most creative people, I assume?). To combat them, the only sure way is to continue working and generate ideas, even if they seem insignificant. Beating your head against the wall in search of a solution is the most difficult and most hopeless thing in the world.
I draw my inspiration from books and poems. Besides reading, music also has a very productive effect on me. Words are able to ignite something in me and there is a desire to create further, to think, to research, to analyze.
Artist, designer, Michigan
The first and best option for me would be to stop trying to force myself to do something and just take a break from work for a while. Taking breaks is quite important.
When looking for inspiration, I usually go to a bookstore. This is my favorite way to spend time. There I can truly relax. A stack of books, magazines and coffee. Sometimes I can take the computer with me, but mostly I take the opportunity to tear myself away from the screen and flip through paper pages, watch, read and learn something new for myself. A publication about music, art, design, culture, tattoos, music - that’s what I like most. I get overloaded with this information and this fact helps me get out of a creative block.
Illustrator, artist, California
I don't get into writer's block very often, but when I do, I just take a break. I don't draw and do whatever I want until I feel like I want to get to work again. I try to avoid creative crises, so I constantly intensify my mental activity, read, listen to podcasts, watch DVDs. I also like to meet friends who have other interests.
There are very few direct sources of inspiration in my field, so most of the work I create is what my friends talk about and what interests them most. For example, I'm not a big fan of horror films or films about the dead rising from the dead or films about magic crystals that have magical powers, but I draw all this because my friends talk about it. In general, this happens differently for everyone. This is how I have it.
Creative Director, Google Create Labs
— I take a long shower. Standing in the shower, I think completely differently. It has the ability to wash away all my old thoughts and makes me feel renewed.
- Do the cleaning. The clutter around me makes it difficult for me to think clearly.
— If these two options don’t work, then I get behind the wheel of a motorcycle and go for a ride, trying not to think about the project at all.
In the end, in some incomprehensible way, the stupor passes.
Design studio, Denmark
Our studio consists of two designers who work quite closely with each other. We very often collaborate with freelancers; they cannot be considered part of our creative process. We try to constantly look for inspiration in something, so we add everything that can inspire us to the archive so that sources of inspiration are always at hand. Anything can serve as such sources. If it's something we see on the street, we take a photo of it. In addition to street events, such sources can be magazines, fashion shows, books, blogs, movies and much more. If we start working on a new project, then first we discuss it, tell each other about how we see it, then leaf through our “inspiration archive” and make sketches. Once the visual component is already put together, we can begin the creation process.
Designer, illustrator, artist, Brooklyn
For me, the best way to get out of my funk is to take an Amtrak train in any direction. But, unfortunately, I cannot resort to this option as often as I would like. However, I really like this forced sitting in one place. It is much more comfortable than on airplanes. My grandfather traveled to Alaska every year and wrote novels while traveling. It seems to me that traveling by rail is somewhat similar to my grandfather's trips to Alaska. When you move around the world, you begin to feel alive.
However, this is not always easy to do. And most of the time I just rush through my work. If I start to feel a lack of inspiration, then I accept the fact that I may make some mistakes. And I continue to work further.
MINE
Christopher Simons Graphic Design Studio, San Francisco.
There are three factors that contribute to the onset of a creative crisis: the awareness that you are in a dead end, the awareness that you are in a dead end and you don’t know how to get out of it, the awareness that you are in a dead end, you know how to get out of it, but you have doubts that you will be able to do this. First I ask myself, am I really at a dead end? It happens that we think we are stuck or want to think so, but in fact we are following the right path and don’t even know it. Some paths are inevitable. A crisis may be just a hole in the road. I don't do anything. Being at a dead end means not having a clear idea of the problem at hand. In this case, the best medicine is perspective. It is considered in territorial and temporal aspects. When I am distracted from the problem, it becomes easier for me to look at it from the outside. Sometimes, instead of struggling to find a solution, it is better to do something less relevant. Watch a movie or go to an exhibition, for example. Something from another world might be the solution to a problem I'm trying to ignore. I'm becoming cool. Sometimes there may be a problem for which I can find a solution, but it seems very difficult to me. I overcome such uncertainty with the help of one trick: I take on other, easier tasks that are not relevant to the task: finishing a blog post, cleaning out the garage, and so on. After successfully completing these tasks, I become confident that I can do anything. And when I once again return to an insoluble problem, it already becomes another item on the list for me. And there is no excitement.
Creative agency, England
Set your alarm for 5 am, and when it goes off, you have only two options: either get up and enjoy the unique sensation of this time of day, or fall asleep further and have strange delusional dreams. One of the two options will definitely inspire you. Don't sit in a creative meeting waiting for something to click in your mind. Don't read about design or look at pictures on Google or YouTube. You shouldn’t force yourself, it’s better to leave the studio and go to the theater or a concert, or a museum. The main thing is to take a break from work, get some fresh air, stop staring at the monitor, turn off your mobile phone, talk with friends about any nonsense. Expand your interests. The wider they are and the higher the cultural awareness, the more significant your projects will become for clients. Try to put yourself in the client's shoes and try to imagine their train of thought. Produce a bunch of ideas, exchange them with colleagues, test your thinking on them. Think about the project, consider it from all points of view. Be strict and unyielding while creating your project. Or, on the contrary, follow your instincts, because you are tired of far-fetched and forced answers that only take away the joy of life so much that you cannot even imagine why you went into the creative field if committees and compromises decide everything. Draw a lot, just for the sake of drawing. Be bold in your judgment if you are extremely talented, otherwise just listen. Listen anyway.
Dan Covert and Andre Andreev, design studio, New York
Dan: If I happen to get into a creative block during my day job, I go for a walk or surf the net, or take a movie to watch, maybe buy a book or go to a museum, do some of the standard set of inspiration clichés. However, sometimes I get tired of searching for these sources and just try to clear my thoughts after leaving the office. Ideas come to me when I least expect them.
Andre: In terms of day-to-day creativity, I have a strict schedule that I try to stick to. I'm working on a project, that's all. I don't spend all day on one project unless absolutely necessary. I try to turn off IM and email, or check them only once an hour. Having a strict time management helps me a lot. If I have two hours to finish a piece of work, I focus on details and elements that I might have overlooked.
It seems to me that this helps to be creative. I'm looking forward to taking on the project again and forcing myself to step away from it a little and think about what I could do for it next time. Thanks to the schedule, I can switch from one activity to another. A large number of tasks are not for me, I do not know how to simultaneously talk via IM, carry on a conversation with an intern, sign a contract, try to project something and wait for an e-mail. I need to get rid of all the distractions and also focus on just one project.
Dan: Our studio is set up in such a way that there is very often overlap or overlap in what each of us does. We don't put pressure on people that relates to creative responsibility. This can be a little discouraging, but it allows us to be much freer in some things. And if we talk about creative crisis in the broad sense of the word, we are always trying to develop our business in several directions.
Andre: If we talk about my inspiration in the broad sense of the word, it appears and disappears. It's hard for me to predict when I'll be able to get excited about a new project again. I try to be happy in my personal life, which has a positive effect on my performance in many ways. The productive component is one of the main factors in a happy personal life. For this reason, I try to do as much as possible of what I love: reading books, dating a girl, playing football or video games, getting drunk, it all depends on my mood. In my opinion, it's hard to stay creative if you're worried, angry, or upset about something.
Dan: We're working in different directions, which is a bit refreshing. One day we can do motion graphics, and the next day we can do branding or a T-shirt. Training also helps a lot, so every week we work with new ideas or talents. We learn from them just as much as they learn from us.
Graphic studio, Rotterdam
Our studio is a designer and an artist. This combination can be called very dynamic, in the sense that we always look at the problem from several sides. The methods and views we use are often quite contradictory, but this creates a driving force. We consider this way of working to be very productive. Our union turns out to be quite lively and progressive, so we never stand still. In addition, we like to create work for ourselves. This helps maintain clarity and sharpens your craft. Therefore, in order to move forward, you need to keep yourself busy with work all the time.
Christpher David Ryan, design studio, USA
I often experience a kind of creative block. I can’t say that I can’t do anything creative at all, it’s just that from time to time I don’t perceive anything that comes to my mind as particularly special. For as long as I can remember, I would just sit down and let my creative thoughts flow. But this juice was not always sweet.
I noticed that the more I demand results from myself in such situations, the more likely I am to be left with nothing. But in my arsenal I have a stock of weapons against creative block: talking, drawing, walking, vintage shopping, reading, yoga, watching old records, red wine, TV, whiskey and so on. When looking for inspiration, I only avoid the Internet. This option seems too banal and simple to me.
The brightest ideas come to me at the end of the day, when I least expect it: when I'm on the subway, in the shower, in bed, at a meeting. In those moments when you are least inclined to search for ideas. I get the impression that the energy that I spend in the flow creates a cloud around me in order to therefore dissipate and then the ideas reach me.
KevinDart
Freelance Illustrator, Los Angeles
I have a lot of ways to get rid of creative burnout. For example, search the Internet for cool photo references, find and listen to new music, look through old drawings, draw in a cafe, leave the house for a walk. The best way for me remains to talk with friends. They can always demonstrate a new way of looking at a problem that would never even have occurred to me. Or some beautiful illustrations that I have not seen before. Or just encouraging words that make me move on.
Design and illustration studio, USA
Run away. This simple word has so many different interpretations. If we take the simplest one, then we leave. Where? It always turns out differently. It could be a bookstore, an antique shop, a coffee shop, a cinema, a forest, a river bank, a park, sometimes even just a living room. The goal always remains the same - to feel or see something that would inspire us. Moreover, it does not have to be something new or fresh, but it must be something that could return us to the desire to get to work. We very often discuss our projects in a coffee shop, rather than in the office - in such an environment the best ideas are born.
Overall, these refreshing moments of reflection, whether they last a whole day, a few minutes, or half a day, can be very fruitful. We have included them in our work schedule for a long time.
Creative Think Tank, California
Justin Krietemeyer: I often go on long runs, walks with the dog, or on a motorcycle. I do anything but work related to the project. Good ideas are stored in fat and if I burn some of mine, I can release them and use them. I take my phone with me to write down ideas that pop into my head. The worst option is to stress out and do everything at once.
Tess Donohoe: If I'm feeling uninspired, I get up and walk away from the computer. A surefire way for me to get frustrated is to stare at a picture or a blank screen. I like walking and jogging outside. You walk or run, looking around. I find solutions to complex problems at a time when I don’t think about them at all. I get interesting patterns and images in my head when I just look around: at the asphalt, at the ice cream truck, at the trees. More often than not, when I stop thinking about a project, new ideas come to me.
How often has this happened to you? You open the file with the work you started or the notebook with it (if you write by hand), stare blankly at the white sheet for a minute and close it. I think this state is familiar to many creative people. And if some are unfamiliar, then they can only envy. Or doubt that they are telling the truth.
What is this strange condition? It is called stupor, creative crisis, lack of inspiration, etc. How to overcome this nasty state and return to the normal rhythm of work?
To begin with, I will give a few phrases. And you put mental checkmarks where you recognize yourself at the moment when you think that you are in a stupor.
1. I’m not in the mood to write at all today. Maybe it will appear tomorrow?
2. Now I’ll look at my page in contact (Facebook, SI, etc.), look at the latest updates, see what’s new with my friends, answer the message and immediately start writing.
3. First I will drink coffee, eat cake, turn on some music to get me in the mood and immediately start writing.
4. I’m completely fed up with work, I can’t devote enough time to creativity. Plus a lot of housework. You also need to meet friends, help so-and-so, go there. (The stream of thoughts can concern anything, but the main thing is that they all attack you at the very moment when you opened the ill-fated novel and are trying to force yourself to write it.)
5. Without inspiration, nothing meaningful will come of it. Therefore, today there is no point in even trying to write something. It will still turn out to be garbage.
6. I am mediocrity, no one likes my works anyway. The critic Pupkin said that my work sucks, and the critic Loshadkina said that I would never learn to write. So who am I kidding? Why write anything at all if there won’t be a normal result anyway?
The list can be continued indefinitely, but if you have checked even one box, you are driving yourself into a creative stupor. You can't blame anyone but yourself for this. Vitya, Masha, Petya, Vasya will not come and the magical Muse will not fly in on the wings of inspiration and write anything for you. If Muz flies in on one of your rare lucky days, then you will shoot him down on approach, so that next time he flies as rarely as possible.
Why can someone put out 3-4 novels a year without really straining themselves, but you couldn’t even write one this year? Do you think that he has it, but you don’t? Nonsense and more excuses. It’s all about perseverance and inner attitude. Don't expect to get something without putting in the slightest effort. Everything is in your hands.
If you are determined to complete the task, start immediately, and do not wait until tomorrow or the New Year.
Guide to action:
1. Remove things that might distract you. When you open the file, the Internet should be tightly closed. No tab should be open. If you find it difficult to stop answering calls, or if you get confused by the beeping sounds of your smartphones or tablets, turn them off too.
2. Banish extraneous thoughts from your head. All other thoughts and problems should be banished from your head for this half hour, hour, or any other amount of time that you decide to devote to creativity.
3. Create a creative atmosphere. If music or dim lighting helps you concentrate, create that atmosphere. But if they distract you from your work, work as usual.
4. Create a special mood in your head. Don’t think now that tomorrow at work you will need to do this and that, take the child to grandma, and so on. You will have plenty of time for these thoughts. Now try to immerse yourself in the world that you describe in the novel. Dive in headfirst. If it helps you, imagine yourself in the place of the hero who is now the focus of your attention. Get into his shoes and live these minutes as his life.
5. Just start. It's enough to write a few sentences and that's it - your brain will start working. And you can no longer be stopped. You've caught inspiration by the tail. That’s right: it doesn’t come when it wants, it’s always with you, you just stubbornly don’t notice it. It is enough to understand this simple truth - and you are always on top.
6. Write regularly. The more you take a break from creativity, the more difficult it is for you to get into the right rhythm again. Even if you miss two days, it’s hard to get ready. I’m already silent about weeks and months. Try not to take long breaks. Even if you write just a page or a paragraph, that already counts. You keep yourself in great writing shape.
Think of writing as exercise. If the second is necessary for your body, then the first is for the divine spark with which you are endowed, unlike many others. Don't bury your talent and act like a petulant child by rejecting it. Who will be better off if you give up and succumb to your laziness and reluctance to work? It will be better than a bunch of your competitors who are rubbing their hands gloatingly. It will be better for the critics Pupkin and Loshadkina (Wow, we screwed up another boss. We're cool!) One more loser. Do you really want to be such a loser? Your will. It's only worse for you.
But if you want to prove, first of all, to yourself that you are capable of something in this life, go ahead. All in your hands!
P.S. For those who will now start coming up with new excuses (I don’t have time, I’m so busy, etc.): How much time have you spent reading this article? How many times before have you clicked your mouse aimlessly, opening and closing various Internet pages? Even if 10 - 15 minutes, then think about the fact that during this time you could write a whole page. And don't talk about what you couldn't. They could, they just didn't want to. This is the whole point - just want and do it.
Anyone who has ever completed any creative task is familiar with the situation when work has stopped, inspiration has disappeared, there are no ideas, and everything around is distracting and does not allow you to gather your thoughts. In English there is a special term for this - creative block. The author of the blog ISO500 decided to ask sought-after designers, artists and representatives of other creative professions about how they overcome creative block and where they get ideas, and as a result, he received 15 tips on how to regain lost inspiration.
Kim Holtermand
The Danish photographer, who specializes in architecture and landscape photography, started his career just a couple of years ago and continues to work as a fingerprint expert in the forensic department of the Danish police.
“Only music can return my creative spirit - it is an inexhaustible source of creativity. Many of my works were created with tracks from Sigur Rós (this is music for all times), Hammock, Max Richter, Air, Dead Can Dance, Helios, Johann Johannsson, Jonsi and Alex, M83, Olafur Arnalds, Trentemøller... In general, I I can go on forever."
Jasper Goodall
Freelance illustrator based in Birmingham. She promotes her own swimwear label, JG4B, and calls them wearable art.
“Several things help me: first, get away from the computer. Go to some city I haven't been to before and just wander around: I sat down in a café in Berlin one day and so many ideas came to mind that I honestly didn't know what to do with them.
I also go to the library at the local University of Art and Design, where you can look through old editions of design and photography magazines. Then I come home, print out the articles and pictures I like and paste them into a thick notebook. After that, there are more than enough ideas.”
Eric Spiekermann
Legendary German typographer, professor at the University of Bremen, compatriot and successor of the pioneer printer Gutenberg. He considers his interest in printing to be an incurable disease and calls it typographic mania.
I have 5 tips:
Take a break. Do something else that will distract you - wash your car or sort through old files on your computer.
Think. Sit back in your chair and just stop controlling your flow of thoughts.
Explore. Search for information, pick up your old projects, but avoid Google -
you can spend too much time before coming across anything useful.
Make sketches. Drawing is great, even if you are completely incapable of it. Visualizing thoughts immediately revives them.
Divide. Take your mind off the problem, break your project into small parts and put them back together into one whole.
Ji Lee
Currently holds the position of Creative Director at Facebook. Before that, he worked in a similar position at Google. He not only conducts creative developments, but also gives lectures all over the world - including giving a master class at St. Petersburg State University.
“When “ideological block” sets in, I do several things. I take a long shower - old thoughts are washed away there, and I feel renewed. After that, I clean the apartment: I can’t think when there’s a mess all around. If there is still no result, I go for a bike ride around the neighborhood and try not to think about my project at all. One way or another, this scheme always works.”
C Scott
Graphic designer and illustrator from the UK, famous for his 3D paper models. He lectures at Leeds College of Art and Design and periodically in different cities around the world. His clients included Vogue, Nike and Tiffany&Co.
“It happens to me quite often that I can’t come up with anything, but this happens to all creative people. I realized that there is only one way to overcome this: do not sit and wait for inspiration to return, but continue to work, use all the ideas that you have, no matter how inappropriate they may seem.”
“There are only two creatives in our studio. For each individual project, we attract different people, freelancers, who, in our opinion, are most suitable for the job. We are always looking for sources of inspiration and make sure to write them down so that we can return to them again later if necessary. These can be objects on the street that your eye catches (they must be photographed), books, fashion shows, films, blogs, etc. So every time we start a new project, we discuss things that might put us in the right mood and make mood boards - collections of pictures that inspire us."
MINE
A San Francisco-based graphic design studio with nothing on its website other than this one statement: “We make books, packaging, graphics and interactive campaigns for scientific visionaries, educational revolutionaries, best-selling authors, museums, giant telecommunications corporations and Hollywood producers."
You are stuck if you seriously believe that there are no ideas, you don’t know how to get out of stagnation, and if you know how to get out, but doubt your abilities. In these cases, you need to do this:
I ask myself, am I really stuck? Sometimes we still generate a lot of ideas, but for some reason we convince ourselves that this is a creative crisis. And then, a creative crisis is also something new: you need to perceive it as a new experience.
I do nothing. If you're stuck, it means you can't clearly identify the problem that's stopping you from moving on. The best medicine in this situation is a new perspective. By abstracting myself from the problem, I can look at it better. I can go to the cinema or to a museum - one way or another, new experiences themselves will lead me to the right decision.
I switch to what I do well to remind myself that I'm awesome.. Sometimes I know how to solve a problem, but the solution seems very difficult. Then I take on other, simpler tasks: it could be a blog post, cleaning out the garage, whatever. By completing tasks quickly and well, I become convinced that I can do anything: and even that most difficult task seems like just another item that needs to be crossed off from the to-do list. And no unnecessary panic.
Airside
A creative agency from the UK that knows exactly what ideological stupor can lead to a dead end and what to do about it. The creators of the studio, which won many awards from D&AD and Design Week, decided to close it this year and take up their own projects: record a music album, go to Tokyo, go to work for another agency.
“Set your alarm for 5 am. When it rings, either get up and enjoy this unique time of day, or go back to sleep and have vivid, crazy dreams: since you will be in the stage of REM sleep, they will remain in your head even after you wake up, and will charge you with creativity for a long time. all day.
Don't sit and wait for something to pop into your head. Don't read magazines, don't search on Google - go outside, to the theater, to a museum, for a walk. Be sure to turn off your phone and do not take your computer with you.
Expand your area of interest. The more you consume a cultural product, the better you can understand what your client ultimately wants to see. Exchange opinions with colleagues, look at your project from different angles.
On the other hand, you can, on the contrary, not listen to anyone, abstract from all the rules and work the way you feel and how you like. If you are tired of the fact that in the creative industry everything comes down to a compromise between the client and the performer, just rely on your creative instinct and try to infect others with it.”
“I have a lot of tricks for such situations: for example, look at photos on the Internet, change your desktop to a table in a coffee shop and much more. But the best thing to do is just talk to your friends. They look at things completely differently than I do, and tell a lot of new things: they can throw in a cool inspiring photo or just encourage you with a couple of good words - it always makes you move on!”
Invisible Creature
The Seattle-based design studio's two founders are former punk rockers who embraced the DIY aesthetic and incorporated it into their design work. We received orders from Esquire, New York Times, Nike and Sony.
"Leave. This simple word has a million possible scenarios. We're just leaving the office. We never know in advance where we will end up: it could be a bookstore, a cinema, a park, a forest, a river bank, or just a house. The goal is always the same - to find something that inspires. It doesn't have to be something new: it has to be something that makes us want to come back to our desk, pick up a pencil and start drawing. We also hold our weekly meetings not in the office, but in a local cafe - we always get to sketch out more good ideas there.”
