How to overcome Creative Block

As a creative there's nothing worse than getting to your paper/tablet/whatever and feeling every idea you've ever had slowly fall out of your head. Still, it happens.
Quite often for a lot of people (and I'm assuming you if you're reading this) so here are some things I do to refresh my mind.

I'm not claiming to be some guru guy here btw, I'm just gonna tell you what helps me and hopefully it can help you too. If they don't work, keep trying new stuff and you'll get there. Then let me know what you did.

1. Music Block Out

This one is gonna sound so shit and basic but it is 100% effective with me. I'm starting to think I'm about to come across weird here but I dunno what to tell you.... this has worked every time I've ever never had an idea and been in desperate need.

It's also super easy:

• Lie on the floor with your eyes closed
• Turn on music (in headphones) until you can't hear anything else
• Clear your mind and only think about the music
• Ease yourself back into thinking about your project, but start from the very beginning of it.
• Wait

Ok, so I know that sounds like nothing you weren't already doing but honestly I swear by it. I dunno if it just works for me through some kind of weird placebo thing because I think it works so well. Or maybe it's the song I use (which is the same every time). It's The House That Heaven Built by Japandroids. I can't remember how I found the song because it's not my normal scoop, must have been fate I suppose.

2. Animated Films

Maybe it's just because I'm a visual artist, but there's something about animated films that I find pretty inspiring. It's always a nice reminder that you don't have to do everything realistically.

No one actually looks like this but... still cool

Example- If I'm trying to get inspiration for a character idea and I'm too focused on real life human qualities then it's probably not gonna be very exciting. Turn on a quirky animation and you're reminded about pushing the boundaries of the human body and bringing in new characteristics. Maybe based on animals or f*ck knows what. Also it's more fun.

There's only two steps to this one and it's definitely the easiest on the list:

• Pick an animated movie that looks interesting 
• Watch it

I think when you're watching an animated movie for inspiration rather than just accidentally being inspired by it you notice loads of things you wouldn't have noticed otherwise too. All good inspo.
And if you hate it and it doesn't work for you then at least you know what not to do so.... still helpful.

3. Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

Ridiculously broad I know but stay with me.

Inevitably, doing the same thing (even if it's your thing) over and over is just going to end in a lack of ideas. It's natural.
It's all about changing perspective. Which I really think is a key and overlooked stage of idea generation.

I'm gonna use my Final Project in my degree for an example, I'll simplify the story.
So my degree was in Illustration and Graphics and the whole first part of my project was creating illustrations for a calendar and a booklet (all focused around spirituality and positivity) and then BAM. I'm finished with 4 weeks left and no ideas that I thought fit in with the theme of what I'd done. I knew I wanted a more interactive way of viewing my illustrations but could I think of anything? no.

Anyway along comes a change of perspective and I end up making a meditation teepee. From scratch like wood, twine and materials and stuff, with my illustrations printed around the edges and inside.
I know this is a bit extreme but it felt so good to do. It lead me to a whole new path for the actual illustrations (which is the subject of the whole thing).
Basically up to that point they'd been animal themed and I ended up doing sea creatures at the foot of the teepee and birds around the top.
It might sound obvious but I wouldn't have got there without thinking about making the whole thing.

Now I'm not saying if you're a writer or photographer that you should go and make a tent. Just think about changing your medium for one tiny part of your project, or the start of a new one. You might be pleasantly surprised by how transferable whatever you create will be to the medium you choose to go with in the end.

This one only has one step but I don't think that makes it easier:

• Do some mad shit

This method is also just fun.... you might end up with a new hobby or discovering that you're awesome at something you didn't know about.

4. Mind Maps

I'm about to turn into every teacher you've ever had and I'm not sorry. Mind. Maps. Work. 

Every major project I EVER do starts with a mind map and it always will. I'm not talking about those shitty little spider diagrams with like 5 legs.

Basically, if you don't know what a mind map is:

• You get a piece of paper (go for A2 and stick it on the wall if you wanna go hard with this)
• Write the subject/theme/title/whatever you're doing in the middle  
• Write down literally anything you think of
• Stand back and admire yourself

The key thing about successful mind maps is (IMO) not restricting yourself. You have to write down everything that comes into your head when you think of whatever it was that you put in the middle of it. 

Then you expand on the idea to see where it could lead. If it's a story you're creating, you can follow different potential storylines the plot could take.
The best thing is, you can see how easily you could expand whatever you're making and where it could end up. Then along the way you can branch off and take it different routes and if it's a shit one, who cares? Just move on to the next. 

This is a good looking mind map, gotta expand all your options

They're great because they're easy, fast and unlimited. It's also extremely helpful to be able to see the logical path your project is going to take because it really helps with time management and planning. If you have 8 weeks for something but only a couple of steps in your mind map, expand. If you only have a month and you have 10 steps, you know you've been too ambitious and should save some ideas for other projects.

 I promise you have more ideas in your head than you ever realised and you won't know until you make one of these. 

5. Go Out

Simple. Quick. Effective 

Literally just go out and do something.
Something relevant to what you want ideas for is probably best, but not necessary.
I mean, if you're creating a concept design for an alien planet for example, go to the zoo/aquarium/woods and just immerse yourself in it all. 

This should have been further up on my list because it's a good one but... oh well here we are at number 5.

Inspiration always strikes when you don't look for it so just take a day off and go live your life. The likelihood is that something good will come of it. And if not then at least you took a stress-relieving break and can now get back to testing the other methods. LOL, every cloud has a silver lining. 

Method: 

• Go out into the real world and live.

Easy. And if you wanna feel professional about it just say you're "conducting primary research"... which brings me to the final method: 

6. Secondary Research

Ahhh secondary research... the fancy term for "look at stuff". 

I wasn't sure whether or not to put this one in but, it does work and if you're in a position where none of the other options are possible then it's better than nothing. 

Websites like Pinterest, Instagram and.. well literally hundreds more are full of inspirational crap waiting to be read, watched and seen. They're also going to be helpful when it comes to how to do things not just what to do, so keep up with all that too.

The only worry here is that you're more likely to be smashed with other peoples' ideas and not create original ones but, as long as you remember you're only there to be inspired, it still works. 

ok, that's everything I have to offer here.... go make something cool.