How to Deal with Creative Block

    How to Deal with Creative Block

    on Nov 30th 2010 with 32 comments

    Even the most accomplished Illustrators and Designers will come up against a block at one time or another. In the following article I’ll share with you my personal experiences with Creative Block and a few tips and tricks I’ve learnt to keep it under control.

    My Creative Block started without warning and spanned over an entire year. It felt like a form of fatigue and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find the motivation and inspiration that I once had. It was a year of ups and downs, of days when I felt that I had my mojo back and days when I considered moving to the country to run a farm (seriously, I did!).

    For freelancers Creative Block is probably one of the worst things that could happen. You feel as though you don’t have the ideas and skills that will keep food on the table, and in turn those feelings can make you feel pretty lousy. Here’s a few tips to keep "The Block" at bay.

    Illustrations courtesy of Sean Kelly (aka Bucket’o'Thought)

    Don’t Force Yourself to be Creative

    If you have work that needs to be finished on time, this is a tricky one. Finish your tasks to the best of your abilities and avoid starting any personal work unless you’re completely relaxed. You can sometimes judge your work harder than the client does. Work to the brief and move on to the next job, don’t obsess that it’s not an award winning masterpiece, this will only make the block worse.

    Look Backwards For Ideas

    Looking at your portfolio is a good way to come up with ideas, sometimes good ideas can be put to the side when you’re full of inspiration. By looking over your old work you can also reassure yourself that while you may not have the motivation to draw at this moment, your skills are moving in the right direction and they will be there when you’re inspired again.

    Learn Something New

    If you’re stuck for Illustration and Design ideas, why not turn your attention to learning something new? If you’re an illustrator you could try your hand at Animation, Web Design, 3D, Patterns or Screen Printing. New skills bring new ideas and can invigorate your old workflow.

    Stay Away from Image Sharing Sites

    When you have Creative Block, trying to find inspiration in the work of others is a great way to make yourself feel bad! I’ve tried this myself. After looking at what my colleagues were up to and how fast they were producing new work, I felt horrible. It was as if I had a broken leg and all my friends were out playing. Save the browsing and bookmarking for later.

    Help Others

    Helping others is a nice way to stay active within the creative community. You can do this by participating in forums and blog comments, sharing advice on twitter or by joining a brainstorming session with a friend.

    Clean out your Portfolio

    Think of your Creative Block as a fantastic opportunity to shorten your to-do list. Take this time to clean out your portfolio and put your website, blog and/or social networking sites in order. You should also use this time to back-up your hard drive, clear out your old folders and check that all your hardware and software is in order. Who wants a crashed out computer as soon as they feel like working again?

    Comments or Questions?

    Have you had Creative Block before? If so, how did you overcome it? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.

    Community Project Update:

    Vectortuts+ loves Illustration and discovering new talent, so we’re running a new community project that combines both, the Vectortuts+ Totem Project. The best thing is, you can be a part of it!

    Hurry! Vectortuts+ Totem Collection 3 will be posted soon, you only have a bit of time to upload your artwork for this round.

    Vectortuts+ Totem, Collection 1 and Collection 2 was a great success and we’ve already had some fantastic artwork submitted for Collection 3. This is a reminder that it’s not too late to add your own. For more information on how to participate in the Totem Project, and to see the artwork from past collections, simply visit Community: Totem Project.

    If you have any questions about how to submit artwork, would like to comment on the Flickr Submissions or want to suggest ideas for future projects, you can do so via our Twitter @Vectortuts our Facebook Group, or leave a comment at the end of this post.

     
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    By

    Rollover to read this author's bio or click through to see a full list of posts by this author.

    Kate McInnes specializes in Communication Design and Digital Illustration. Based in Melbourne Australia, she is the Associate Editor of Vectortuts+ and one half of the creative duo McKelly. Find her on Twitter as @bittenbypixels and Blood Sweat Vector.  

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    • http://twitter.com/gemmaweirs Gemma

      I’ve experienced this several times. The last time it happened I stopped having anything at all to do with web design, not even reading about it or talking about it, etc. That lasted for 6 months.

      • http://bucketothought.com/loungekat/blog/ LoungeKat
        Author

        It can be frustrating when the block sets in for that long. If your stuck with web design, making icons can be a nice way to keep your skills sharp. What I like about icons is that the design is based around a set of rules such as size, symbolism and style, this takes a lot of the choices away and can focus your attention.

    • slivinn

      I’m in this situation for about a year I think, may be more, and I just can’t get over it!
      Although I’ve lost most of my clients and the will to illustrate, your article actually
      inspired me! May be now its the time to try again, may be something new, who knows?
      However thank you for those tips!

      • http://bucketothought.com/loungekat/blog/ LoungeKat
        Author

        I’m glad I could help :) Remember to take it a little bit at a time, rushing things can cause a bit of a “quicksand” effect and can make you a little bit frustrated. Reworking old work is a good place to start. I plan on redrawing most of my old portfolio as the ideas are there but I can draw so much better now.

        Good luck!

    • http://www.lukeswenson.com Luke

      I sometimes fall victim to image sharing sites as well. It is definitely wise to keep them bookmarked though. Keeping up with current trends in design is a must. Just make sure you don’t visit them 10 times a day. ;)

      Other ideas:
      Change your routine. Go to a new small independent grocery store. Try a new cafe.
      Go outside and get some fresh air.
      Physical activity, i.e. skateboarding, basketball, or exercise.
      Buy something! A new pair of shoes or hat!
      Read a narrative book. No self-help books.

      Good luck.

      • http://bucketothought.com/loungekat/blog/ LoungeKat
        Author

        True, you do have to keep up with trends, lucky for me I’m not a very trendy person and tend to draw my own things ;)
        I have a Ffffound account, I could spend hours and hours on that site, I try very hard to use it once a week only. http://ffffound.com/home/loungekat/found/

        Yes, getting out is a good one. I have a very cool market down the road from where I live. On the days I feel uninspired, I take a walk and get some coffee, pick up some tasty market foods and return home to cook something fancy. It would seem pretty weird to many people, but cooking is still a creative outlet, and you get to enjoy the results. My partner had to tell me off for cooking too many cakes and slices and making everyone around me put on weight. :P

    • flyingfox

      I have had, what I call a “brainlock” a several times. I have analysed the reasons and was able to nail it down to the following bottom line:

      A creative block is a result of too little input. Our brain doesn’t come up with a miracle out of thin air, it doesn’t work that way. Our brain makes connections to known stuff, associations, paralells, enhancements, that’s what it is brilliant at.

      A problem occurs gigantic like a mountain when you don’t have sufficient information about the topic. That’s scaring and the fear can easily trap you. Gather informations and your problem will disolve. It happened to me just recently when we bought an old house. I had no experience as a craftsman whatsoever, and all the construction work seemed overwhelming. Now I can build brick and mortar walls, roofs, do plumbing and electric installation and whatever, and no construction work will ever scare me again.

      It’s the same with creativity – when you have no ideas you don’t have sufficient input. If you have a clear advertising assignment f.e. and you miss the big idea, dive into the product you have to build a campaign for. Use it, abuse it, open it, do stuff with it, that it is not built for.

      If you have a general block – get input. Leave your regular trails. do new things, meet new people, TALK to new people, do your work a totally different way. It happened to me that i thought “Yeah, i will do that, but before i have to finsih this job.” Wrong! If the big idea is not inside your four walls and jumps right on you by now, it will not walk through the door. Get out quick!

      It boils down to the message of the following two phrases:

      “When something doesn’t work, it makes no sense to do the same thing with more effort.”

      and

      “Your mind is like a parachute – functions only when open.”

      This is what works for me. As you can see, this topic really grabs me, because I know how much it hurts, scares the hell out of you and drives you crazy.

      • http://bucketothought.com/loungekat/blog/ LoungeKat
        Author

        Thankyou for your reply.

        Yes, it is scary, and you do need to get out and keep an open mind. You have some very good advice, creativity doesn’t happen in a vacuum. :)

    • http://www.designpanoply.com/ Design Panoply

      I think you have a lot of very good points here. It seems like one of the best things to do about having a design block is to try and stop caring about design altogether, at least temporarily.

      Go exercise, forget work for a couple of days, do something completely unrelated to design.

      I remember when worrying about assignments in school would just make the finished product less than spectacular.

      Don’t make it into something you dread or it will kill it for you forever.

      Good read on an interesting perspective. :)

    • Nathan

      I’m having this problem now, it’s really annoying. The thing is, for the most part – I’m a coder, and I just came out of the middle of a developing project (manager quit, not sure when i’ll be going back to it either), to doing graphic design… My head is just in the wrong place for it, I can’t find solutions, or I should say there are no solutions for this, not as straight forward as what I’ve been used to. I think I just need to get a good process in order and stick to it…

      • http://bucketothought.com/loungekat/blog/ LoungeKat
        Author

        Code is great because there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. Design can be a pain sometimes because there’s so many different ways to approach things, but then that’s what makes it so good too :)

        Have you had a look at http://forrst.com/ ? When you mentioned code and design it was the first thing I thought of.

    • http://www.websitesolutionscompany.com Kay

      I can’t tell you how encouraging to hear that I’m not alone in having to deal with creative block. I too take the time to do tasks and projects that take less brainpower.

    • Kevin

      I have this right now. I just don’t know the term until i read it here. Its been a week since I started a project and until now I feel that I don’t have the creativity to start anything.. or when I do something, I felt that it wasn’t good, don’t have quality, or anything.. I am totally blank.

      -Freelance Graphic Designer
      -Art Director of a University.

      • http://bucketothought.com/loungekat/blog/ LoungeKat
        Author

        When you have a project you have to finish, sometimes it’s good to brainstorm ideas with a friend. Often talking about a project out loud will result in ideas faster than if you think about them alone.

    • http://hoiweilove.blogspot.com/ Hasegawa

      It’s happening to me now. Not motivated and feel so lost.

      • http://bucketothought.com/loungekat/blog/ LoungeKat
        Author

        It’s hard, but things will get better. Remember not to be too hard on yourself and don’t rush.

    • Mia

      I find it comforting knowing there are other artists out there who have serious creative blocks lasting for more than 6 months! I like the comment about there being a lack of input. We can only churn out so much before being sucked dry of our ideas/creativity. There definitely needs to be balance of input & output.

      You gotta proof-read your article though and remember you are equals you’re, not your. :)

      • http://bucketothought.com/loungekat/blog/ LoungeKat
        Author

        Haha, Dreamweaver doesn’t let me know if I’ve missed something like that, thanks!

        Also, thank-you for leaving a comment :)

    • http://xxgdogg17xx.deviantart.com/ gabriel

      what i do when i get creative block is play video games or listen to music
      until i get my inspiration back

      • http://bucketothought.com/loungekat/blog/ LoungeKat
        Author

        Nice. I love videogames too much, if I did that I wouldn’t stop playing – I’m happy that it works for you :)

    • http://www.studio27.ie graphic design galway

      I found out this happens to me when I’m tired. Mentally or/and physically (usually after a big job that has sucked me in for a few days). Luckily my block’s only last for a few days. To try and get rid of them i usually roam the web, and sometimes i see/read something that sparks something else in my little brain and voila…job done…not always though.

      What I also found that (seldom) works is to start the job and eventually I get something that sets me on the right track, but this is a slow process…

    • GiJoe

      I’m a freelancer and I can relate to the doom and gloom you experience when your craft isn’t working for you, but the bills don’t care. The work was coming less frequently, and I felt like I was sort-changing myself and my clients when I did complete jobs. My solution was contrary to my own nature – I took on a 2 month contract in a printer/publisher’s design department. The company issued projects were quick, specific and simple which made me feel confident in my skills again, and seemed to unblock the over-thinking and over-critiquing attitude I had of my own work.
      Perhaps it was the combination of:
      - being around other professionals daily (both creative and task-oriented)
      - taking less personal ownership in the artwork
      - having (more or less) regimented work hours
      All of these factors are easy to skip over when you work for yourself.
      Now I’m taking on my old clients work again with a fresh perspective, and a simpler, client focused, goal oriented approach and they notice because the work load is slowly increasing. I hope my experience helps others as much as your article reinforces what I have learnt over the years too.

      • http://bucketothought.com/loungekat/blog/ LoungeKat
        Author

        You have some good points there, being part of a team is a good way to work without having to stew over the ideas process. The key is to not stay with it for too long (unless you’re enjoying it too much) it’s nice to read that you’re back working with your clients again :)

    • Serhey

      This is an incredible article, I think everyone has to deal with creative block every now and then and this list is very very helpful. I especially agree with not starting anything while stressed out. Some great points I’ll be sure to check back to this article every time I feel stuck. Thanks!

    • Umer

      Pictures alone were worth of my time. Please start writing,i meant drawing the stories from now on. I will be very loyal viewer of all you work. :)

    • http://knarf.se/ Frank M. Eriksson

      Oh, my god! I’ve been in a creativity block for five years! I’ll stop looking at what other people does and start reworking my old stuff instead when I feel fatigue and melancholic.

      Doing own work, instead of gazing on others and just wounder how they can do that and not one self; is a perfect tip that I’ll take to my heart.

      Just moments ago (15:27 local time; Sweden, Uppsala)a big stone dropped of my chest, I was tired before that (not that very strange, I’ve been staying up for several days), but now I feel very well, no tiredness at all, probably my dopamine levels are sky-high too. A client finally got in touch, he phoned me and we got a conversation going really fast, and man I mean _fast_, we shared lots of Idéas and bounced a few memes back and forth. I got five weeks to do the work, no stress then. Just a few minutes after the conversation when I cooled down, the relief came.

      Before the conversation I did not know the deadline, I had only communicated with another person on team. I really do like to sit and discuss things over a nice cup of afternoon­tea, face to face conversations can express a richer and more vivid feed of information than a few lines of text in an e-mail.

      No more mental block for me for five weeks at least (I hope).
      ~~~~knarF

    • http://www.10or11things.wordpress.com rachel

      this may sound strange, but recently i googled “random sentence generator” (or a random word or phrase) to give me ideas to draw, just for practice. it’s provided very strange sentences to draw, but it keeps me working instead of sitting and stewing.

      • http://bucketothought.com/loungekat/blog/ LoungeKat
        Author

        That’s cool… sounds like fun :)

    • jproxs

      i dont know about you guys but when i feel like no inspiration and no magic and everything just not fitting together, i listen to music like Bob marleys and knaan’s and those genras and it really helps a lot though not instantly but it really helps my mind relax which gives good results in my creations.

    • http://cinitriqs.deviantart.com CiNiTriQs

      One advice: just keep on DOING stuff, in between all the “bad” there will be one thing good coming out. We all fail more than we win, but it’s just because of all the fails we become better at what we are doing. (and I know, I have yet a very very long way to go before I can actually feel “comfortable” in what I like to do)

    • James Thornbrook

      I keep busy learning new things while my creative energy comes back to me. If I get a
      block, it only lasts about 3 weeks.

    • Nicole

      Hi, I only found this article but I feel like this at the moment. I’ve just finished college and I’ve been trying to gain employment/internships. At the moment, I have nothing and its the first time in 5 years that I’ve taken a break. I come up with different ideas and get really excited about getting started and then the next day, I do be exhausted and I find that I can’t motivate myself to do stuff. It’s very frustrating.

      The reason I wanted to comment on your article was to say Thank You. Its nice to know that this does happen. I’ve been feeling so depressed lately because of it. It’s cheered me up a lot :)