As artists who work through various mediums, a huge part of our lives, if not all of it, depends on creating and producing art–whether it's for personal projects, school assignments and most of all, our actual careers. We can't afford to find ourselves in an inactive place, but as much as we wish it wouldn't happen to us, we've all been in those horrible positions when we've either felt stuck, unmotivated or just straight up uninspired.

And it's terrifying! I asked a few artists of various majors at Columbia what they do to get back to creating when they hit a creative drought. Here are a few ways they try to reignite their artistic sparks:

1. I just keep going at it even if I don’t feel satisfied about it. I’ll keep going until it stops. If there’s no deadline or if it isn’t an assignment: listen to music from movies, going to new music concerts.

–Daniel Thao, Music Composition Major

2. I try to creative an incentive for myself.

–Jonathan Obdin, Cinema Arts & Science Major

3. I try to surround myself around good people.

–Kengi Yang, Cinema Arts & Science Major

4. I only create when I am emotional! Love, fear, anger and excitement are all amazing tools for your fingertips on that keyboard. And when you make something, don't make anything you wouldn't die for!

–Jaime Herrera, Cinema Arts & Science Major

5. I sing.

–Sally Rodriquez-Diaz, Graphic Design

6. Listen to music and even getting out. Outside walking. & sometimes Taking a break from it and come back to it later.

–Josh Brown, Business Advanced Management

7. Smoke, drink coffee, stay up and watch dramas to open my mind.

–Sihe Zheng, Interior Design Major

8. I think of romantic memories. Recently I channel those emotions into my art.

–William Cohen, Cinema Arts & Science - Post Production

9. Just look up other people's art.

–Amber Tsai, Photography

10. I sometimes try to find some of my stronger work or explore great works of another medium. For instance, if I'm having writer's block, I listen to a lot of great music that gives me strong visuals for writing.

–Carmen Gabriel, Musical Theatre and Political Science Major

11. I do something out of my comfort zone. One day I went to the beach, and started a conversation with a stranger. I left feeling enlightened from what we talked about.

–Earl John Ulit, Film/TV - Post Production

12. Whenever I feel stuck, I usually go for a walk or talk to other people and maybe get their opinion on the draft. I usually make music or films. I find that talking to different people helps because I get different perspectives. But at the end of it all, I have to make the decision. I usually get inspiration from the things I see or things I hear. I might watch a movie or listen to an album to freshen up my mind and ideas.

I usually motivate myself by listening to my older stuff and realizing the progress I have gone through. I once thought I couldn't do something like this but now I can. So that assures me that I can continue improving in my craft.

–Ysabel Yaneza, Arts Management Major

13. I take a step back from my work and watch a skit from SNL or a funny video on YouTube because there's a focus word or phrase that they use throughout the scene and I create a piece based off of that.

–Nicole Wisdom, Graphic Design Major

14. Honestly, I always have more than one project going on at once, so I just switch which project I'm working on. When I get back, I tend to have more ideas. Basically, my method is to take a break from whatever I can't think of and come back to it later.

–Atiyya Shahab, Graphic Design Major

15. Sometimes you try to focus on things you're stuck on too much that you unconsciously limit other possible ways to solve [the problem]. When I'm stressed out or too exhausted about design, sometimes I'll take a break from it, do something new or something that would be relaxing or fun before going back to it. Creativity and motivation comes from feelings we generate in experiences that we encounter.

–Faith Ringor, Graphic Design Major

The next time you feel stuck, alone and insecure as an artist (like we all feel every now and then), don't lose hope! Just remember, we've all been there. Maybe next time you find yourself stuck, you'll think of these methods and create something better than anything you've ever done before!