You’re stuck in a rut. Your deadline is coming up, people are counting on you, your business is counting on you – but the juice just doesn’t seem to be flowing into your head. We’ve all experienced that feeling, that excruciating mental suffocation that prevents you from conjuring that big idea you need.
Following one of our previous posts, “Overcome Creative Block to Make Your Business Soar”, we’ve gathered up some tips and thoughts from leading creative minds from around the world to help you get around the numbness of feeling like your mind has gone blank.
David Burkus: I don’t believe in creative blocks…just a lack of research. Ideas are combinations of preexisting ideas. So if you’re not coming up with a combination you like…it means you likely need to go back a research more ideas.
About David: David Burkus is the author of The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies Generate Great Ideas. He also writes regularly for Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Psychology Today. His website is www.DavidBurkus.com, and you can also find him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/davidburkus.
Christina Katz: One thing I’ve learned over the many years that I’ve been coaching writers and creatives is that people who are true to themselves don’t get blocked. So if someone is blocked, it’s because they are trying to circumvent their true nature in some way. So two questions to ask which will eradicate any block include: 1. What do I really want right now? 2. How would I approach this goal in my own unique way? If you let yourself want what you want, and you approach it the way you would uniquely approach it, all the hurdles between you and the goal melt away. This is the best kept secret about creativity.
About Christina: Christina Katz is a writing coach, platform expert, and a creativepreneur who has trained thousands of writers over the past fifteen years via her books, classes and workshops. You can check out her business on http://christinakatz.com/, and get in touch with her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thewritermama.
Martin Zwilling: If I could give one piece of advice on how to overcome a creative block, it would be to try combining dissimilar subjects in your area of interest, like investors and competitors, to find a new creative result.
About Martin: Martin Zwilling is a CEO & Founder of Startup Professionals, Inc., and Advisory Board Member for multiple startups. His work has been Published on Forbes, Gust, Young Entrepreneur, and many more. You can read his blog on http://blog.startupprofessionals.com/, and also find him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/StartupPro.
Clive Lewis: What most of us fail to do most of the time is simply think about our thinking. Instead, all too often we simply think – try to solve problems and come up with new ideas. If we take the time to think about how we want to think – and give ourselves time – new thoughts and ideas emerge completely naturally. So ask yourself how is the problem or situation you are facing like something else – something you are doing that week or have just done? Just let your mind wander without looking specifically for solutions or answers to your problem. Just allow new insights and perspectives to gently emerge – the more the better. You will quickly feel unblocked with lots of new material to shape in whatever way you want.
Sound simple? Good – it’s supposed to be; using our brains to make new connections is the most natural thing in the world and the keys are relaxation and new stimuli.
About Clive: Clive Lewis is a CEO and a co-founder of Illumine Training, a company that provides management and personal skills development, focused on developing better brains for better business®. His website is https://www.illumine.co.uk, and you can also find him on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/clivelewis.
Shai Coggins: My top advice on overcoming creative blocks is – Get the work done anyway. If you’re looking to write – sit down and just start writing. Even if it feels like the writing is rubbish. If you’re looking to make art – show up at your easel or your sketchbook and create anyway. Even if it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. When you try to get the work done, even when you’re feeling blocked or uninspired, you allow the magic to happen instead of just waiting on it.
About Shai: Shai Coggins is an inspired blogger since 1999, and the founder of Vervely, a digital agency specializing in online branding and social innovation. You can find her on www.shaicoggins.com, or http://twitter.com/shaicoggins.
Ross Quintana: For me this is easy. I would suggest people read content on the area they are trying to be creative in. Not only can you gain inspiration from the quality thinkers surrounding your topic, but you can also see what is missing. When you know your space, you will find what is missing and that is where your creativity will follow. I like to ask myself questions like what do people need to hear, what is not being said, or what is the hidden opportunity here. Questions are a great way to unearth creativity.
About Ross: Ross Quintana is a consultant, thought changer, and startegist with experience in startups, tech, marketing, and much more. He runs a website www.socialmagnets.net, and his Twitter is https://twitter.com/ross_quintana.
Jesse van Doren: Creativity demand focus – and it’s hard if your schedule is always full. So sometimes you just need to take your rest and plan blocks into your schedule where you fully focus on one task.
About Jesse: Jesse van Dore is the founder of Innovation Holland, and www.mappedinholland.com. He currently spends his time on advising multinationals and startups around the globe as growth hacker/marketer. His website is http://www.jessevandoren.com/, and he can also be found on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/jessevandoren.
Photo: Kim Cook
Dan Lyons: For me the best way to overcome writer’s block has been to have a deadline. Also sometimes I do a trick where I just start writing and tell myself not to worry if it’s bad because I’m going to throw out the opening once I get the middle and ending written.
About Dan: Dan Lyons is the author of the NYT best seller Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Startup Bubble. He has also worked as a screenwriter on the HBO comedy series, Silicon Valley. You can read his blog on http://www.realdanlyons.com/, and find him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/realdanlyons.
Chris Guillebeau: Ask yourself: is this creative block here for a good reason? Because if it is, I don’t necessarily think you should overcome it. Sometimes our mind, our body, or the world around us is sending a message that we need to do something else for a while. If it’s not, well, focus on the outcome and get to work!
About Chris: Chris Guillebeau is an entrepreneur, speaker, and the author of The Art of Non-Conformity, and The $100 Startup. You can find out more about him on http://chrisguillebeau.com/, and also https://twitter.com/chrisguillebeau.
Rick Ramos: If I ever get a creative block, I’ll step away for a few minutes from what I’m doing. I’ll try and change my location if possible. Sometimes I’ll go for a walk around the block or hit the gym and get the blood pumping. I think staying creative is all about having lot of new experiences all the time. Things like traveling is amazing but even something as simple as taking a different way to work, works your brain. Never get stuck in a rut.
About Rick – Rick Ramos is a seasoned veteran in online marketing with over eighteen years of experience developing global brands, and the author of several best-selling books. You can see his work at http://www.rickramos.com/, and follow him on https://twitter.com/ricktramos.
Raghu Vohra: Advice is relative, but what works for me is that I have learnt to stop forcing the issue. The key is to recognize that you are stuck, often times folks don’t. Usually a walk in the neighborhood, going for quick run, or playing with my dog Junu works – so do physical activities that stimulate the brain & which you enjoy doing. That doesn’t mean that once done, I have my answers in front of me but attacking the creative block again with a renewed focus helps me get over the hump.”
About Raghu: Raghu Vohra is an angel investor, and the Founder of Blackstone Valley Group, an early stage Venture Capital Firm. You can find out more about his business at www.blackstonevalleygroup.com/, and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/blackstonevg.
Jake Nielson: My main advice would be to look for inspiration and start connecting the dots between what you see and what you’re working on. The more sources of inspiration you can find the better.
About Jake: Jake is an award-winning product manager and thought leader in the areas of innovation, business management, marketing and entrepreneurship. You can find out more about him at www.TheInnovativeManager.com, and follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jakenielson.
Ralph Talmont: All I can say is I have spent many years tuning into my persona and if there is one thing that makes things flow for me it’s music – different kinds for different types of work. If the work is spatial, non-verbal then it can be rock. If it is written then it needs to be instrumental, probably ambient or jazz.
About Ralph: Ralph is a photographer, entrepreneur, multimedia producer, and communications consultant. You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ralphtalmont.
Linda Naiman: My advice is to put as much effort as you can into solving the problem, then give your brain a break. Put your problem on the back burner and let it incubate. You can set this in motion by doing mindless rhythmic activities to awaken your intuition and imagination. For me, this usually means going for a good long walk in nature. Biking, gardening, washing dishes and meditation practices help too. If you stay present in the moment while you are incubating, you stop the incessant mind chatter in your brain and create a space for intuitive insights or imaginative solutions to reveal themselves to you. Be sure to write down your ideas because flashes of insight can easily be forgotten.
About Linda: Linda Naiman is the founder of Creativity at Work, a company that helps organizations develop creativity, innovation and collaborative leadership skills. Her website is http://www.creativityatwork.com/, and you can also find her on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/lindanaiman
Marc Donahue: To overcome a creative block, I get out of the house and go for a drive listening to my favorite music throughout the years. Listening to music from years ago gives me a nostalgic buzz that floods my brain with imagery and emotion that I can play off of. To overcome a creative block, I also like to go to crowded areas, be it shopping malls, public parks or even a (Giants) baseball game, and people watch: Peoples expressions, what they are wearing, what they are saying, who they are with, where are they going? People watching enables me to use my imagination. Sit at a bench with a friend and make up scenes of a movie using the people walking by. But remember to play nice;)
About Marc: Marc Donahue is the director of creativity at PermaGrinFilms.com. He specializes in film production, timelapse, stop motion & GoPro array. His website is www.PermaGrinFilms.com, and you can also see his work on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/permagrinfilms/.
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