Inspiration Slumping? "Cure" Your Creative Rut

The Princeton Review

Yesterday, you were on a roll, spitting out a string of great concepts for a new project. But when you woke up this morning, you somehow hit a wall - your brightest ideas are nowhere to be found inside your head. Feeling frustrated and anxious, you take a hot shower and pour yourself a fresh cup of coffee, hoping to get your creative juices flowing again. Unfortunately, hours pass and the right idea just won't come to you.  Creative blocks can be disconcerting but they’re completely natural and, at times, inevitable. Nearly everyone has suffered from a lack of inspiration at some point in his or her career.  So, whether you need a new choreographed dance, topic for a paper, lyrics to a song or photography inspiration, try these ways to venture out of your creative rut:

1. Break out of your routine. Is your work routine safe and comfortable but also restrictive? If you go a certain route each day, who knows what you may be missing on a different path? Shake things up just a bit by taking your traditional workday and rework it. Find new ways to explore. Set up your laptop in a different setting.  Take a break at different times than normal.  Test new things out just to get outside of your routine. You never know, you might discover something that will get your mind going in a whole new direction.
2. Find your creative comfort zone. Do you have a special place you find stimulating - a peaceful park, a secluded beach or even a certain spot in the house. Seek out an environment that is meaningful to you and spend time relaxing there. The right atmosphere may be all you need to spark new ideas.
3. Temporarily divert your attention. When you've been hyper focused on one idea, your mind may not be open to other inspiring thoughts. Engage in an activity that's entirely unrelated to the issue at hand. Take a step back and focus on simple, menial tasks that don't require a great deal of concentration – take photos, clean up the kitchen, mow the lawn, jog through the neighborhood, or watch TV. Keep your brain and body busy, which gives you a brief respite from your day-to-day and provides a fresh perspective.  It’s like recess, but for adults.  Once your mind is cleared, there is more room for that perfect idea to come to you! 
4. Unplug. Mentally check out from your mobile devices to avoid distraction. No Instagram, no tweeting, no texting or Facebook. This mobile-silence can reset your mind and get you back on track.
5. Look elsewhere. Surf online, flip through a magazine, swap a book with a friend, read a blog, or open the newspaper to find something that triggers your imagination – choose a different place than normal.  Continuously fill your mind with compelling content and inspiring stories; these will fuel your process.
6. Create an “inspiration file.” Keep images, words, things that inspire you and put them in a file on your computer or a folder in your drawer.  Next time you’re in a rut or just getting ready to brainstorm new ideas, pull it out.  Organize it based on different criteria such as color, style, subject matter, emotion you want to convey, etc.
7. Diagram your ideas. Take a sheet of paper and write down all the ideas that pop into your head. Using different colored pens, draw lines connecting the ideas that you feel relate to one another. Group each mini cluster together by summarizing them with one keyword. Then take those keywords and continue brainstorming.
8. Seek out your friends and talk it out.  Make plans with a few inspiring friends and articulate what is holding you back and what you can do to change your perspective. An outsider’s perspective may give you a better handle on your current situation. Consider it like a brainstorming session, but with your friends, not your coworkers.  Also see how they get out of their creative ruts.
9. Stream Of Consciousness.  This is unstructured, unedited writing (or talk) that reflects your observations or feelings about a person, event, or item. Give yourself a time limit that’s at least 5 minutes long and just write (or record). Then regroup to see what you did.  You may find a nice surprise in unlocking new ideas.
10. Adopt a new angle. Sometimes a creative block stems from an unworkable concept. Consider approaching the project from a completely different angle. For example, if you're trying to write a humorous best man’s speech and it isn't as funny as you'd hoped, consider taking a more sentimental and emotional approach. Or maybe something in black and white (photo, ad, etc.) is the way to go to create what you need.

The creative process isn't always a reliable one. Because creativity tends to fluctuate in relation to a number of factors, including family obligations, stress level, and physical health, it's sometimes tough coming up with original ideas on demand. But using these practical blockbusters can help you break through any productivity barrier - or better yet, avoid them before they even arise.