Everyone has experienced a time when their creative mind just wasn’t functioning properly. Whether you’re suffering from writer’s block, lack of motivation or just plain boredom, you’re not alone. In fact, according to Katrina Pfannkuch of Kapost, over 75 percent of people feel that they aren’t truly reaching their creative potential. Luckily for you, you don’t have to lose hope in your innovative juices. Sometimes it just takes a few simple things to bring your ingenuity back to life. Try out some of these options to help breathe new life into your creative mind and projects.
Disconnect For a Few Hours
While technology can be an avenue for finding inspiration, it can also hinder your ability to create something on your own. So, despite the fact that an infographic created by The Gnomon Workshop states that 53% of people find creative stimulation from technology, it can be extremely beneficial to turn off the screens if you feel yourself in a creative block. This will allow your brain to think for itself for a while, giving you the chance to uncover your own ideas and expand on them without any outside influence.
Get In Touch With Your Inner Child
According to a blog on Patch.com, 5-year-olds tap into about 80 percent of their creative potential. If this is the case, then they must be doing something right! To get your creative juices really flowing, try participating in an activity that you would primarily associate with children. This may be running around in your backyard or building a fort in your living room. Even just being around children can help ignite your creative productivity. A great way to make sure this part of your creative side is never lacking is to spend a few hours with your family, children, nieces and nephews, or your friends’ kids each week. You won’t believe the ideas you can come up with just by allowing yourself to feel like a kid again.
Break Away From Your Schedule
Monotony is the antithesis of creativity. When you become comfortable in your routines, it becomes difficult to think creatively because you’re basically operating on cruise control. On the other hand, spontaneity can be a catalyst for creativity. When you feel that you’re bogged down in a creative rut, simply break the mold of your average day routine. Walk a path you don’t normally take or add something exciting to your day that’s out of the ordinary. This change will give your mind the freedom to think along different lines, opening your brain up to creative ideas that may not have been able to reveal themselves previously.
Finding yourself stuck creatively can be frustrating, especially if your livelihood depends on your ability to think in this way. But one of the worst things you can do when you feel like your creative tank is running on empty is stress out about it. The ebb and flow of genius ideas is a natural process, so allow yourself some time to relax, reconnect and entice yourself back into your creative stream by using some of the strategies mentioned above.