I’m an art student, and for the past couple semesters I’ve been taking 3 studio courses at a time… which basically means I am trying to be creative and come up with new ideas 24/7.  There are only 3-4 weeks left in the semester and it’s about this time that my artistic brain decides to quit.  I need to be working on final projects, all of which will be due at the exact same time, but my mind just refuses to give me anything to work with.

I know everyone has mind blocks like this, whether it’s about art or writing or whatever.  So I made a list of ways to bust through a creative block =)  Enjoy!

• Take a shower. You always hear people say “I do my best thinking in the shower” or “I get my best ideas in the shower” so the shower should be an obvious place to do some brainstorming.  It’s a mindless, relaxing activity where there is no pressure to be creative at all, so the ideas just start flowing.  But don’t rely on the shower for ideas.  You’ll waste tons of water and you’ll stress yourself out, completely defeating the purpose.
• Procrastinate. I know this one sounds a little counter-productive, but sometimes you need to take a step back and forget about what you need to get done for a little while.  You should come back refreshed and ready to work…just don’t procrastinate so long that you don’t leave yourself any time to get things done.
• Rock out. Turn on some upbeat music, and make it loud.  Dance.  It’ll ease your stress and put you in a better mood, and your brain will be more likely to start churning out the ideas.  Confession:  B.Spears’ Blackout works for me (just don’t tell anyone.)
• Do something else. Anything else.  Just stop thinking about how you need to think of ideas.  Let your mind rest for a little while.  It’ll help.
• Drive. This is another mindless, relaxing activity (as long as you’re not in traffic) and it will let your mind wander.  You might drive by things that inspire you or trigger an idea for you.
• Sketch. If you try to sketch out your ideas and you don’t have any ideas, you’re just going to stress yourself out over a blank piece of paper.  Just start doodling, or sketching whatever you want.  It will get you into a creative mindset and lead to some good ideas.
• Don’t watch TV. I’ve named a couple of mindless activities that will help, but watching TV is not one of them.  Watching TV sucks all motivation out of me and I turn into some sort of drone who just can’t turn it off.  Next thing I know, hours have passed and I haven’t given my projects a single thought.  Oops.  Save yourself the time and just don’t turn it on.
• Take a walk. This one is helpful in the same way that taking a drive is helpful, except that you see the world differently when you’re walking.  You may see things you didn’t notice before or hear bits of conversations, all of which could lead to some inspiration-and the end of your creative block.
• Journal. Privately, with no pressure from an audience.  Getting your thoughts and feelings out in an uncensored way makes it easier to go through your thoughts and figure things out… and may bring to light some ideas you didn’t even know you had.  Some people feel silly journaling, but it really does help.  Give it a try.
• Take self-portraits. Grab your camera and start snapping away.  Make crazy faces, be overly dramatic, whatever.  Make sure you look at them as you go along-it will make you take yourself less seriously and take a little bit of the pressure off, as well as lighten your mood.  You’ll be more willing to get back to work after you laugh at yourself a little bit.
• Clean. There is nothing worse than a cluttered, disorganized workspace when you’re trying to get things done.  The mess will discourage you and you’ll end up getting frustrated.
• Stop trying so hard. The harder you try to think of something brilliant, the less likely it’s going to happen.  Relax, and just let the creativity happen.