Creativity Wall
Has anyone else hit a block in their creativity? It seems all the projects I think to do lately are just a rehash of something I've already done. Any tips for how to get through this (besides drugs)?
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There's nothing wrong with rehashing old projects. There are always ways to refine and improve stuff you've already done.
But it's not as satisfying.
The biggest thing is to not sweat it, don't worry about it. The worst cause of creative block is creative block. If you worry about it, it grows into a monster. So kill that monster. Don't call it a wall or a barrier or something negative to overcome. Think about it as a break to refresh yourself so you can kick butt. You're at a non-creative peak, and just waiting to tumble down that hill into creativeness.
Two things work for me. One is, as Kiteman says, to forget it. Put all of your projects away, out of physical sight and out of mind. Don't say "I've got to start something new today" say "I've got to clean the kitchen or find someone to teach me shogi, or read a book at the beach."
The other thing is to just go 90° from what you usually do. Cross-pollination is a great source of creative inventiveness. If you sew, buy and read a bunch of architecture picture books. If you paint, take a look at mechanical design. If you build machines, study some portrait photography. Whatever, as long as it's different than the creative endeavors that you usually do.
When I think of a "Creativity wall" I think of NotCot, which is a constantly updated wall of creative thumbnails. There's always something thought provoking in there.
But it's not as satisfying.
The biggest thing is to not sweat it, don't worry about it. The worst cause of creative block is creative block. If you worry about it, it grows into a monster. So kill that monster. Don't call it a wall or a barrier or something negative to overcome. Think about it as a break to refresh yourself so you can kick butt. You're at a non-creative peak, and just waiting to tumble down that hill into creativeness.
Two things work for me. One is, as Kiteman says, to forget it. Put all of your projects away, out of physical sight and out of mind. Don't say "I've got to start something new today" say "I've got to clean the kitchen or find someone to teach me shogi, or read a book at the beach."
The other thing is to just go 90° from what you usually do. Cross-pollination is a great source of creative inventiveness. If you sew, buy and read a bunch of architecture picture books. If you paint, take a look at mechanical design. If you build machines, study some portrait photography. Whatever, as long as it's different than the creative endeavors that you usually do.
When I think of a "Creativity wall" I think of NotCot, which is a constantly updated wall of creative thumbnails. There's always something thought provoking in there.
Thanks in part to your words I've gone back and started tweaking past Ibles. Adding things that occurred to me after I was done, implementing suggestions. etc.
Woa, thanks for the NotCot link!
I think the idea of making something useless would be a brilliant contest - make something that, at first glance, is useful, then closer examination shows it is not.
I think the idea of making something useless would be a brilliant contest - make something that, at first glance, is useful, then closer examination shows it is not.
That would include roughly 50% of my projects. Of course they were supposed to be something useful, they just never turned out that way. Yet. But it does sound like a fun contest.
I like that contest idea. ALthough some would argue I hold an advatage as I work for a government agency. :)
Thanks for the tips all. I wnet with the nap and then forced myself to plunge into a project I thought would be a rehash...and I hit a snag and had to do some problem solving. I feel so much better.
Have got some cash? Go to junk/cheap 2nd hand shops markets - find something interesting and hack it - you should come up with something. L
I've been this way for longer than a year. . .can't help. sorry!
Forget about it.
Go off and do something else. Mow the lawn, go for a walk, dig holes on the beach. Have a shower and go to bed early.
Anything useful-but-mindless. Something that lets your mind wander.
Browse ebay, go through the collectibles section, science, medical, visit thrift stores and antique markets, looking for things that might inspire you, even if you don't buy them.
Whatever you do, though, keep a small pad and pen handy, so that fleeting idea that pops up just as you reach the lowest part of your hole in the sand won't be forgotten and misplaced by the time you get home.
And keep the pad beside your bed as well.
Go off and do something else. Mow the lawn, go for a walk, dig holes on the beach. Have a shower and go to bed early.
Anything useful-but-mindless. Something that lets your mind wander.
Browse ebay, go through the collectibles section, science, medical, visit thrift stores and antique markets, looking for things that might inspire you, even if you don't buy them.
Whatever you do, though, keep a small pad and pen handy, so that fleeting idea that pops up just as you reach the lowest part of your hole in the sand won't be forgotten and misplaced by the time you get home.
And keep the pad beside your bed as well.
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