How to Get Out of a Creativity Slump

Creativity slumps happen. You’re feeling all awesome and have all these excellent ideas that you want to make happen and then, at some point, it feels like all the air has been let out of your sparkly balloon. Ugh. We’ve all been there, but the trick isn’t to try to avoid them, but to dust your self off and get that creative feeling back, asap. Here are my favourite ways to bounce back.

Make something for fun

Take the pressure off. Don’t worry about the result, just try making something in the same way that little kids do. Not everything you make has to be a masterpiece or to be kept forever. Even if it feels so totally out of your comfort zone at first, just give it a go. There are no rules, only time to try something different.

Can’t paint? Give it a go, no one has to see it if you don’t want them to. Need to just do something, but don’t want the mess? Find some free colouring  sheet downloads from the internet. Print them out and colour to your heart’s content. Get a sketchbook and just draw. Lines, shapes, people, whatever you want.

Have a dance party at home

Turn up your favourite music to dance to and just dance it out. Sometimes you just need to let go of what you should be doing and do something just because it’s a bit of silly fun. If nothing else, you’ll get to listen to music you love and that’s sure to help lift your spirits. If you have little ones at home, have them join in. Make it a competition to see who can do the silliest moves. Laughter helps your creativity return too.

Make a play list of songs that cheer you up and listen to it all the way though. Sing along if you want and try to shake that slump away.

Go on your own a camera walk

Grab a camera and your walking shoes and head out the door for some time in the fresh air and look around for things worth taking photos of. It could be flowers that you’ve never noticed or artwork or even just how the clouds are looking in the sky today. Walking gives you time to think up new ideas and it also helps you solve problems, if your head is in the right space.

If you’re feeling lost as to what to take pictures of, challenge yourself to 15 closeups of things. Or 10 things that look even better in black and white. Or even focus on just one colour. How many things can you see that are Orange? It’s amazing what you find when you’re looking for it.

Write it out

Sometimes, when nothing seems to help me out of a creativity slump, I like to write out all the things that are bothering me. Just on paper, or somewhere safe. I just let it all out and most of the time that makes me feel a bit lighter and like the pressure is off. It gives me the chance to see them for what they are and see if there are simple solutions to them, one at a time.

Sometimes the pressure to be creatively perfect (for ourselves even more than for others) can really stop us in our tracks. Writing it out can stop them feeling like they’re one big elephant sitting on our chests and more like the one to two sentences that they really are. You can always shred the list when you’re done.

Take a nap or the afternoon off

If you can, give yourself an actual break. Burn out and creativity slumps don’t get better by trying to push though, they just make you exhausted. Take a nap if that’s something you can do, or even give yourself an afternoon on the couch watching something that doesn’t need too much brainpower. (Think 90s teen movie or comedy and not a documentary or a foreign language film)

It’s amazing how much easier it is to feel creative when your batteries are fully charged. Be kind to yourself too. No one feels amazing and creative 100% of the time, not even those artists and creators that seem to be always on.

This time of the year is tiring. There’s always so much on in the lead up to the end of the year, and no matter whether Summer is on it’s way or Winter is starting to set in. We all feel a little worn out and it’s important that we slow down that rushed feeling just a wee bit and make sure that we’re looked after too.

What’s your #1 tip for getting out of a creativity slump?