Taking inspiration from our previous post, useful websites for creatives, here’s a more comprehensive look at exactly how you can combat the ‘blank page syndrome’ that periodically hinders people in their attempts at creative expression. For people in the creative industry, the ability to come up with an abundance of ideas is clearly essential, but the benefits to being creative are far more wide-ranging. Creative problem solving is a highly useful life skill: being able to see things from multiple perspectives, and consider a variety of avenues you could take, gives you the opportunity to filter out the best ideas and reach the best possible solution. So, if you are suffering from creative block and need to kick-start your flow of ideas, here are a variety of ways you can flicker your brain back into life…

Explore. If you have the freedom to change your surroundings, go somewhere inspiring: or better yet, try something new. Inspiration is fuelled by experience, so the more you absorb, the more resources you possess to help formulate your ideas. If you don’t have the freedom of mobility, explore the web. The internet is an endless resource, so you could directly search for alternative solutions to problems or seek out inspiring articles or images to redirect your train of thought, and return to the task at hand with plenty of fresh ideas.

Share your thoughts. If you attempt to brainstorm on your own, your ideas can become repetitive and lacking innovation: sharing creativity and bouncing ideas with others can inject them with a sense of energy and excitement. Sometimes you can become preoccupied with a certain way of thinking, so if you can’t progress any further, then ask the opinion of someone who has no connection to what you are doing – it may help you head in a direction that is more conceptual. Remember, in the process of creativity, there is no such thing as a bad idea!

Take a short break. Staring blankly at a page or computer screen, waiting for divine intervention, is rarely a fruitful use of time – and worrying about your lack of productivity can make the problem worse. Stress is not conducive to creativity, so clear your mind. If you’re unable to leave your environment, try donothingfortwominutes.com: take the opportunity of two minutes of inactivity to calm your thoughts, and then start again with a more composed attitude.

Try a different way of working. Stuck in a creative rut? Then consider methods of working that are out of your usual comfort zone. This could mean working in a different environment, such as a coffee shop or outside, or employing a different tool to generate ideas.  There are a wide variety of techniques, including brainstorms, mind-maps, checklists, storyboards and lotus blossoms. Different methods will always work better for different types of people and styles of work, so try them out and see what works best for you. If you are unsure of how to use these tools, we will be covering creativity techniques in a future post – so keep watching this space! For now, please share your own methods of idea generation with the team, and re-ignite your passion for creativity!