5 Ways to Overcome Creative Block

You’ve wracked your brain, but you’ve hit a wall. Nothing creative is coming forth. What can you do? How do you beat writer’s block or creative block? Here are 5 ways to side step the problem.

Dig in and let it evolve
Don’t worry about it being perfect immediately, just step into the project and do something – anything until it starts falling into place.

Success coach/strategist, Jenette Zubero of www.focusedlives.com says, ''I get ALL of my ideas from real life events. I change the characters and places for my articles. I don't really know exactly how an article is going to go until I sit down to write it. Then when I sit back and re-read it, I think 'Yea, I'm making a lot of good points here' {grin} It's always good to agree with yourself! It takes me 1/2 hour tops to write my weekly coaching article. If I'm really brain blocked, I'll write about being brain blocked!''

Betsy Gartrell-Judd of www.everythingforparents.com and www.myria.com says, ''My creative process is very evolutionary. When forced to propose a concept, I can't think it through from start to finish and say, 'here's my idea and here's what it will look like when it's done.' Rather, I get the germ of an idea and then have to plunge in and start molding it before it builds to whatever it was supposed to be. For example, I do this a lot with web design. Nancy (my partner) and I have talked about this before. I can't even conceptualize what a site will look like until I find the font (or sometimes the image), then I build the design based on that one element and it grows from there. What I'm trying to say is that sometimes my best inspirations come while I'm working on something, not when I'm away from it, but while I'm elbow deep in the clay.''

An important part of the creative process is believing that you can do it. Don't let it overwhelm you. Just plunge in and start writing and don't worry about where the words or ideas fall. You can always correct that later – just go with the flow. Get your thoughts and ideas down and polish later

Take a Break. Do Something Unrelated
Mia Cronan of www.mainstreetmom.com says, ''If I hit a creative block, I don't force it. I let it go for a while and something usually comes of it, but in its own time. When that time comes, I need to stop what I'm doing and at least write it down and any adjoining thoughts to it, before it's gone. (You know...that memory/motherhood thing?)''

Cheri Sicard of www.fabulousfoods.com says, ''I come up with my best ideas while working out or while driving. Then the question is, do I keep working out, or stop to write them down and risk the slowing of the heart rate? I suppose I should just use a tape recorder. Same for car, as writing and driving might be hazardous.''

''My way to get creative is to go to movies. The big-screen... just being there does it... I come back refreshed and I usually have an idea.'' explains Alanna Webb of www.lovestories.com

Betsy Gartrell-Judd says, ''Reading is what keeps me refreshed. I am always reading something and go into a panic when I run out of fresh reading material. I must read, preferably some good fiction, every single day. As Gertrude Stein said: ‘It takes a heap of loafing to write a book [or build a Web site ;-)].’ ''

Jenny Wanderscheid of www.childfund.com explains, ''I get mine at the mall. I love to shop, and it is very relaxing. When I go alone, it just pops into my head. I also get good idea on long car rides.''

Get into a Rhythm
Liz Folger of www.bizymoms.com gave this interesting insight, ''I take a walk! It's amazing how clear everything is to me when I just get out and walk. Just recently a friend was telling me how our life (yep, I'll get a little wacko here) is controlled by rhythms. Sun rising and setting is a rhythm, ocean waves is a rhythm (you ever wonder why you relax so much when you visit the sea?), kids love routine -- another rhythm, sex -- yep it's a rhythm too.''

Liz continues, ''This past weekend someone was saying how much they enjoy running. This made me think – hey, this is a rhythm too and so is walking. Now I know why when every time I'm ever stuck on a column or just can't figure something out -- I take a walk!''

Brainstorm with Others
Singer/Songwriter, Jana Stanfield explains how brainstorming helps her when writing songs. She said, ''I often write with other people and that is a great thing for me. Let's say you and I are going to write a song and we're going to start at 2:00. So we'd get together at 2:00 and sit there and talk about ideas until we come up with one we both like. Then we start moving forward on it and sharing that creative process together. And when it gets frustrating we say, 'Ok, it's 4:00, I can't think of anything else, we've got the first verse and the chorus written, let's make another appointment for next week and take another run at it.' A great thing about that is that when we both agree that the song is finished and we've tweaked it as much as it can be tweaked, and we've made it as wonderful as we know how to make it, then we can both say it's finished and it's finished. If I write a song by myself, it's hard for me to say the song is finished, because I always think I could make it better.''

Pray/Meditate
Ok, here's my tip for beating creative block. I find most of my inspiration through prayer. If you're not into prayer, then meditate. But, most of my ''wow'' ideas come after I've prayed about it. If I have an editorial to write and I'm at a loss as to what it should be about, I say a prayer asking for help in coming up with a topic and help in finding the words. The best articles I've written I really don't feel I wrote myself. They were given to me. I know that sounds funny, but it's true. I really can't take credit for something like that. I think the creative part of our mind is very linked with God sometimes. It's almost like a channel we can tune into. And I think we can grow in our ability to put our minds on that channel. I believe God speaks to us and uses us as instruments to reach others through creative means like music, writing, poetry, art, speaking, etc. There's a difference between what we create ourselves and what we create when we're tuned into that channel. I can tell a big difference in my own writing.

So the next time you hit that creative block try taking a break, do something totally unrelated. Then come back and just dig in and play with it. Or try getting into a rhythm with music, a walk or even vacuuming! Brainstorm with others. Pray for help and listen for answers. Believe in yourself. You can do it!

- Marnie Pehrson