10 Ways to Get Creatively Unstuck

In this hub you will learn 10 Ways to Get Creatively Unstuck.

#1.) Identify the Problem

What is it that has caused you to stop moving forward creatively? Name it and push it out of the way! Make room for new movement, even if you’re not sure what’s next.

#2.) Remember What You Love

Sometimes we get creatively stuck because we have consciously or unconsciously let go of our love(s). The heart needs to be warm and actively loving in order to bring forth anything creative, innovative, or fresh. Who is it that you love? What is it that you love? Take time to rediscover what your heart treasures above all -- this will be a beginning point for your creative breakthrough.

#3.) Unclutter Your Mind

When the mind is full of many little half-hearted ideas, it is so burdened by them, even if they are small and not that meaningful to you. You need to take immediate action and clear them out. They all need to go into the garbage can for immediate removal so that there is space for new and larger ideas to come.

#4.) Unclutter Your Space

External atmosphere has much to do with inner atmosphere and so you need to take your living and working space seriously if you are looking for a creative renovation. My favorite thing to do is to throw away or donate anything in my space with words or advertising. In doing so, a neutral, ad-free zone is created. This is very rare and special in today’s media saturated world, I highly recommend removing as many labels and advertisements as you can. Really just throw away all that you don’t need. Try to minimize as much as possible, to make space for the new - or to even just have more space to look at. This will inspire creativity.

#5.) Rekindle the Imagination

The imagination is like a garden - if it is unwatered, unattended, and unnutured, it will wither and die and will need full and major resurrection. Rekindle the imagination by surrounding yourself with creative health-promoting images, sounds, colors, and stimuli. You need to reaffirm the power of the imagination and give it a safe structure to exist within. Giving your mind a clear, clean space will encourage imaginative growth. When rekindling the imagination, stay true to you - try to break any habits of dependency on other artists’ or friends’ imaginations. Find out what inspires you and push it.

#6.) Play

Play is major in the realm of creativity. Have you looked at children's artwork recently? If not, find a young artist and their work and ask them to share with you what it is about. You will be taken on a journey led by a thriving imagination. The beauty is that they are totally uninhibited about this imaginative force. I would attribute this surge and wealth of imagination to their regular partaking in play. Children play when they are alone, with family or with their friends - it seems to be their primary activity of choice. Write down a few ideas of what ‘play’ would look like for you. For me, it would be something like initiating a snowball fight. Write down some ideas and set up a play date. Partaking in play will definitely help you break through a creative rut. Give it a try.

#7.) Organize Your Thoughts

Organizing your web of ideas is crucial to helping you take decisive actions in your creative process. Find a format that works for you to first get the ideas out and recorded, then find another format for clearly organizing them. Do whatever is needed to present your thoughts in a way that will inspire action.

#8.) Let Go of Strategies

Allow yourself a simple lifestyle that incorporates your creative passion, but will not rule your mind and heart at all times. Creative living is difficult because it works against all of our utilitarian mindsets which are continually enforced by a necessity for practicality. Practicality has a purpose but do not let it invade your creative space. Art and creative living in essence is beautiful and needed because of its extravagance. Creation, with millions of flower petals and butterfly wings, speaks of a certain extravagance that goes beyond practicality. This is what we as artists are to reflect on and bring remembrance to as we live and create.

#9.) Breathe

Your art is important, but you and the world will be okay if you haven’t yet found your vision this evening. Give yourself some space to move away from your creative dreams and visions and goals and hopes -- sometimes we get smothered by our own desires and have to let them take a swim as we go do something else.

#10.) Identify Your Word

Select a word that will act as your ‘key’ out of despair, fear, or creative stagnancy. I am choosing the word ‘carelessness’ because I have been too careful in all of my approaches creatively. I need an element of carelessness in this next season of creating.

I invite you to comment with your own personal experiences with getting creatively unstuck. Please share your wisdom on this topic by authoring a comment. Thank-you!