Secrets to Shaking Your Creative Rut
Shaking your creative rut can be difficult so I’m sharing my secrets on how to shake them and how to find creative inspiration again.
Creative ruts suck. It represents a period of time where you feel a lack of motivation or inspiration which makes it difficult for you to start, continue, or finish a project. It could also represent a period of boredom with your work. Or even go as far as feeling depressed about your artistic direction and purpose.
Being a natural problem solver and the need to be creative, I understand how frustrating these moments can be. While there is no magical formula or sets of rules that will make creative ruts stop happening all together, I’ve accumulated a list of my secret weapons that I enlist to find my way back to creativity again.
ACCEPT IT, creative ruts happen
Regardless of the where it came from or why it happens, creative ruts are part of a creative life. They’re only temporary moments in time if we let them be.
TIP: Don’t take them to mean more than they are. They have nothing to do with our ability or success. They are simply an “off” moment in the timeline of our careers and creative path.
Having said that, why they’re happening could lend us some clues as to how to move beyond them. So first, we must get creative and do some detective work.
STOP and take stock of where you’re at
What’s happening in your life?
Maybe there is good reason you feel the way you do.
Are you stressed?
Are you mentally struggling?
Have you recently received some upsetting news?
Are you dealing with any self-doubt?
Are you pressuring or comparing yourself?
Are you frustrated with your work? Or the direction of it?
Are you challenging yourself?
Are you giving yourself appropriate time & space to explore, create, and learn?
Do you have too much on your plate?
Are you sick?
Are you sleeping well?
Maybe this has happened before? If so, what did you do to get out of it?
As a person who has been creative my whole life, I’ve had my fair share of ruts and burn outs to varying degrees, triggered by all sorts of things. They have sometimes lead me to a point of wanting to quit art & design all together. Regardless, when I learn the source of my creative rut, it helps me navigate it more easily and figure out what I might need in that moment.
TIP: Understanding where it might be stemming from, might help us remedy the situation or help us find patience in getting through it.
If you’re still unsure what’s influencing this creative rut, here are a few more tips that I have found helpful.
STEP AWAY to gain space & clarity
For a couple of hours, a day, a weekend, or an entire week; Step away.
I know how that suggestion might be tough to hear and do, but I have found by stepping away (and maybe into a new space for a bit) is the best medicine. It offers a break for your brain and gets you into a different “space” both physically and mentally. It also offers that mental stimulation we might need to spark a new idea.
I never used to do that because I hated walking away from an unfinished thought or project. But my frustration would only continue if I sat and stewed. Or tried to force creativity to happen.
Stepping away allowed me to get out of that frustrated head space and gain some perspective. In the end, it allowed me to come back rejuvenated and ready for creating again. Which brings me to my next tip…
SURROUND YOURSELF with positivity & inspiration
Books, podcasts, portfolios, articles, places, people…whatever YOU find inspiring, I encourage you to find that and dive in with both feet for as long as you need to.
Some of my “creative inspiration” book recommendations:
Unf*ck Yourself / Do the Work / Stop Doing that Sh*t – Gary John Bishop
Steal Like an Artist / Show Your Work / Keep Going – Austin Kleon
Some of my “creative inspiration” podcast recommendations:
The Quickie Podcast – I was on episode 143
TIP: To maintain a positive mindset during this time, take note of the things that might trigger feelings of self-doubt, anxiety, or comparison and avoid them. This might mean not checking social media for a few days. Additionally, take note of the things that excite you or bring you joy! Fall into those more.
EXPLORE & EXPERIMENT without judgement or purpose
A random doodle page from my sketchbook, birthed a fresh idea for “greetings from home” postcards
Exploring new avenues and experimenting with new ways of doing something is a way to break routine and shake things up.
Switch up your materials or mediums to help challenge yourself and see what happens.
Instead of designing something, trying painting it. If you typically write about experiences, try photographing them. If you’re an acrylic painter, try paint pens.
TIP: Explore and experiment with reckless abandon. Free your mind of judgement and any pressure to make it look perfect. Allow yourself to make mistakes, get ugly, and get a little messy.
When I’m stuck for ideas, I grab my sketchbook and draw whatever comes to mind with brush pens. I’m a digital illustrator so by switching my medium, I’m able to think a little more organically and get off my computer.
I’ll even pick a topic if I need some kind of anchor for what I’m drawing – like flowers or animals or 70s kitchens.
I find that 10% of the things I explore and experiment with, lead to new ideas or help me find that creative inspiration again, so it’s a worthwhile exercise. But don’t be frustrated if that doesn’t happen. Simply move on to the next trick.
DOCUMENT / TALK ABOUT your experience
By documenting your experience, you’ll be able to start figuring out how creative ruts find you and what works best to get you out of it.
Documenting could be in the form or writing, drawing, or talking to a close person in your life that can offer some feedback and perspective as to what they see. Sometimes we can be too close to see our patterns of behavior so stepping out of it in this way will allows us to see it for ourselves. If you find something that works, make note and refer to it when your next creative rut rolls around.
CHALLENGE YOURSELF to a short-term creative project
It may seem a little counter-intuitive to work on a project in this low mental state but a challenge might be just the thing to jump start the creative engine again.
TIP: Create consistently through this challenge. And create with limitations in mind.
Challenges like this typically involve:
Setting a daily, weekly, or monthly goal
Using a limited color palette
Working with a single material or specific shapes
Focusing on a subject matter / prompt
Even if you’re not feeling it, you must have the discipline to complete your challenge. Again, this doesn’t need to be shared with anyone as it’s simply an exercise.
I recently created a prompt challenge for myself. On separate pieces of paper, I wrote down 5 places, 3 styles, and 5 purposes. It looked something like this:
Mountains
Camping
Backyard
Ocean
Sky
60s Hippie
70s Groovy
80s Neon
Ad
Magazine
Sticker
Beer Label
Poster
Once I had those, I threw them into 3 different bowls and picked one from each bowl. This not only helped me focus on a specific direction with specific limitations but it only took a few of these before more ideas started flowing again.
KEEP WORKING at creating
In order to see progress in your work and get out of that creative rut, persistence is key. Try all the things or, do nothing for a little bit and see what happens. But don’t stay away from your craft too long.
In order to be creative, you must practice being creative. Avoidance or staying away for long periods of time will deflate any momentum and will contribute to the loss of our creation “habit”, making it even more difficult to move passed our creative rut.
TIP: Persist, even if you have no goal or purpose. Even if the outcome is not ideal. Even if you feel like you’re getting no where. Keep going.
BOTTOM LINE…
The truth is, creative inspiration won’t come knocking at your door or punch you in the face. You have to actively seek it in order to find it. I hope these ideas are just the thing for you need to break free from your creative rut.