Dealing With a Creative “Block”

What should you do if your creative life has ground to a halt?  A good very first step is to take a look at our articles on how design can support creative/innovative thinking in this month’s issue (June 2021).

There are a couple of actions that might be particularly important for you to take if you want to crack through a creative “block.”

You might want to try to be creative in a new spot or return to a spot where you’ve been creative in the past.  Yes, I have just suggested two seemingly contradictory solutions, both in the same sentence (not even separated by a comma!).

Research has consistently shown that people often experience a burst of creativity if they relocate, from one room in their home to another or from a breakout area to a space far from others with minimal distractions, for example, if they’re at work, for instance.  It seems that sometimes just changing our environment, alone, gives us enough of a jolt to move us from a creative doldrums.  On the other hand, people create “action/behavior/ways of thinking” scripts to accompany the different locations in their lives, so if you have a space that your mind links to creative thinking, it’s entirely possible if you return to it, if you’ve been trying to work elsewhere, you might find your creative juices start flowing again.

Go on a walk, inside or out.  Walking consistently boosts our creative performance.

What else can you do?  Try spending time in leafy green nature or looking at leafy green nature, in photographs, art, videos, or any other option that’s available to you.  That’s mentally refreshing and mental refreshment could be good if you’re “stuck.”  You’re also going to be mentally refreshed by staring into a fire or fish tank or listening to quietly playing nature sounds of the sort you’re likely to hear in that green leafy nature mentioned above (gently rustling leaves or grasses, burbling brooks, softly calling birds, etc.).   If you have a sort of traditional church near you, one that might be plucked from a centuries old religious compound or monastery, spend some time there; being in that sort of architecture has been shown be mentally refreshing.

The Power of Awe!

Trying awing yourself.  Go to look at majestic nature or something that features exceptional craftsmanship, or anything else that makes you feel awed.  Being awed and thinking creatively have been linked.

If you’re experiencing a creative block, take action!  It’s likely you can restart your stalled creative machinery.

Refresh With Van Gogh

 Do you live in Houston or Amsterdam or anywhere else with a stock of Van Gogh’s you could visit?

Looking at paintings of nature that feature realistic (unsaturated) colors and curving lines is both mentally refreshing and relaxing, and many of Van Gogh’s outdoor scenes do just that.  The Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam shares lots of Van Gogh’s works with the public and there is currently a show at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston that does also.

Relaxing and refreshing colours, shapes, and nature images are discussed here , here , and here , for example.