With the smell of Expo pens in the air, I know one of our graphic designers is stuck and taking it out on the whiteboard. The drawings are often humorous, thought provoking, and edgy, and usually have nothing to do with the current work load. It’s more of a way to allow a freedom back in his workflow, of pushing the boundaries around in an area he is allowed to so he can get back to the confines of the project and hopefully see it in a new light.
I wonder how different this is to my choice of walking around the block while thinking out a problem. Sometimes I purposely place it in the forefront of my mind and picture seeing the solution, but most often I just walk, watch, and listen. I let the thoughts percolate, hoping to brew a beautiful marketing design or proposal.
This got me thinking…what techniques do people use when they get stuck or feel confined creatively? There are a lot of writing tips—mapping, brainstorming, journaling, etc.—but what if the problem isn’t you but your surroundings?
How important is the place we work, live, breathe to our work, our creativity?
Secondly, what do when we are faced with a crappy place to work? We can’t always ask our bosses to move and we can’t always just get new jobs—especially in this economy.
Here are some ways I’ve found useful and some links that take you to more ideas:
Website on overcoming creative blocks
Blog on overcoming creative blocks
Second blog on overcoming creative blocks
Think about it—do you already have a process and you just aren’t aware of it? How will it help you to figure out what the process is?
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