One thing my team hear a lot from clients is “I’m not creative” which is of course why they come to us for design help. Sure, we may be creatively blessed when it comes to graphic design but, we’re no strangers to those head-scratching, coffee-chugging moments when our creative juices seem to have pulled a disappearing act. And let’s be real, when you’re living and breathing design for 40 hours a week, hitting a wall is about as surprising as finding a unicorn in your backyard.
What’s neat about being human is that we can learn skills to help us when creative blocks stop us from serving our clients. After 20+ years in the industry these 6 things have helped me move from frustrated and stuck to free and clear!
1️⃣ Draw from Inspiration: Seek design inspiration on platforms like Behance, Dribbble, and Pinterest.
2️⃣ Shift Focus: When stuck, switch projects. Subconscious processing often leads to breakthroughs.
3️⃣ Team Collaboration: Discuss challenges as a team for fresh perspectives, unearthing creative solutions. Heck, you can even call your mom.
4️⃣ Fresh Eyes: Hand projects to colleagues for new angles, breathing life into work you’re just stuck on.
5️⃣ Go Back to Basics: Sketching is the key that fosters experimentation and breaks mental barriers.
6️⃣ Mindful Breaks: Do short meditations to clear you mind, which makes space for new sparks.
Creative blocks are just bumps along the road and they don’t mean you’re doomed. Armed with these six strategies, my team and I have found our way out of the most stubborn creative quagmires and I invite anybody reading this to give even one or two of them a try to see what happens.
Your path to overcoming creative blocks is uniquely yours, so don’t hesitate to experiment and find the techniques that resonate most with you.