Creative people go through two kinds of days — the ones where your mind is brimming with great ideas that you can not wait to put out.
And then there are those days when there is nothing. Your mind remains quiet, free of inspiration, no matter how many times you beg it. You are left with nothing even though you have deadlines to meet.
When the latter happens, it usually feels like there is no way out but the good news is that you can get yourself out of this dry spell with some effort. Here is what to do the next you suffer from a creative dry spell:
The first thing to do is step away from your work tools. It makes no sense to continue sitting in front of your laptop or canvass if nothing is happening so take a break. Walk away from your tools and do other things for a while.
Sleep, take a shower, see a movie, hang out with friends, just do something different from what your work. The goal is to distract yourself and resupply your creative energy in the process. Spending time away from work can act as a refresh button for your mind and help you come back with your mojo intact.
Sometimes the solution to a dry spell is to simply remember and focus on your why. Remember why you started and choose to create for the sake of creating not for a paycheck.
This simple trick can help you find your purpose, the reason you love what you do and could just unlock your frozen mind.
A creative whose livelihood isn’t threatened when a dry spell occurs can afford to take a break to find inspiration. A professional creative on the other hand might not have the same luxury. If you fall under the latter group, your solution may just be to do the work.
You could try approaching it from a different angle or talking to an experienced colleague who could help you come up with new ideas. You could also try taking a nap or a quick break to help you deal with your slump.
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