How many times a day have you heard that phrase?
It is usually used as a reward, “You’ve done all the tedious part of your job, now you get to have fun and be creative.”
But what about when being creative is your job?
I’ve heard the words “Be creative” said so many times like a reward or something fun that I get to do. Being creative is fun, don’t get me wrong. It’s exhilarating and challenging to come up with new ideas, to think outside the box, and to see those ideas come to life. It is truly rewarding. But now, it is my job to be creative. All the time.
While being creative can be a ton of fun and very rewarding, it is also really hard work. And being creative all the time is extremely taxing. So how can you keep your creative juices flowing after they’ve come up against a dam? Here are a few of the techniques I use:
Copycat
Coming up with brand-new ideas is extremely difficult. Looking at what others have created is a great way to help your creativity. Just seeing what other people have done is often enough to spark a new idea. You might also discover an idea you really like or a concept that really interests you. You can take a part of that idea and let it fuel a different perspective or a different take on that idea.
Freedom Writer
Freewriting is a great exercise. It doesn’t usually yield any useful ideas – at least not for me – but it is a great way to get over writer’s block. The idea of free writing is that you just write about anything that pops into your head. It doesn’t matter if it is structured, if it tells a story, or even if your words are spelled right. It is intended to help you get your thoughts out on paper and help stimulate your creativity.
Give Me a Break
Sometimes, when your creativity seems blocked, all you can do is give it a rest. Take a break, and do something totally different. Don’t think about it for a while. It can be really easy to overthink certain ideas, to get stuck on one particular idea, or to just draw a blank if you’ve been concentrating too hard on one particular idea.
Walking away (figuratively or literally) is sometimes the only option. Taking a break for a little while helps to refresh your brain and can help you find new solutions.
Much success,
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