We've all been there before. You sit down to do some work and you can't think of anything. It's as if all of a sudden your brain has checked out for the weekend, leaving you an empty shell of nothing to work with. It sucks. You use all your energy and force yourself to push out anything relatively creative so that you can finish your essay or artwork and it's all crap. Here are a few tips to help you through the painful creative block.
1. Eat.
You'll always work better on a full stomach.
2. Leave your desk.
Or at least leave wherever you normally do your work. Routine is comfortable but sometimes you might get so comfortable that things stop moving as fast in your noggin. A change of scenery will force your brain to look at new things and ponder over them, which can always lead to new ideas. (You might want to leave your phone and laptop behind, too. Browsing Pinterest make seem like a good idea until 6 hours has passed and you're planning your future wedding.)
3. Ask a friend.
Teamwork makes the dream work! If it's for an essay or article, you can always ask what's something interesting they've heard about lately, or what's something they wish they knew more about. If it's artwork, friends are always great models for sketching, and the more you sketch, the more references you can have for future pieces.
4. Make gibberish.
Type whatever comes to your head, even if it doesn't make sense. Draw blindly for a few minutes. Put a quick layer of paint on your canvas. Sometimes just getting your hand moving will wake your brain up from its annoying, prolonged slumber.
5. Take a shower.
Because everyone has a great idea when they're in the shower. Just make sure you don't forget it when you get out.
6. Take a dance break.
Don't overwork and stress yourself out by picking your brain for ideas. Relax with your Spotify playlist for a little while. Stress could be what's really stopping you from activating your creative juices, so jam out to your "guilty pleasure" songs until you don't feel the pressure anymore.
7. Check your sketchbook.
Try to sketch and take notes as much as possible, it could be of people on the subway or a weird question you randomly thought of while you were walking to class. Try to not worry about making your journal "look nice". Pay more attention to the process and keeping your brain active (and documenting it). You can look at it later and continue a gesture drawing you did, or expand on a weird thought you had last week.
8. Nothing has to be perfect.
Sometimes stressing out over the end result makes it harder for you to even get here. Art is about the process, and the process is something you should enjoy. Use the previous tips, and start creating. You may not be too sure about it in the beginning but being present in the process will help you make better decisions so that you're satisfied with the outcome.
