For creative professionals, inspiration is one of the main ingredients for success. This is why the creative process can stop completely if the master goes through a creative crisis. There are several ways to overcome this condition.
Change the setting
Ordinary and routine often entail a feeling of stagnation, which especially negatively affects creativity. A change of scenery - at different levels - is one of the most effective ways to bring back inspiration. This can be done in several ways.
- Transform your outer space. The most effective and radical measure is to redesign your home. If you do not want such a large-scale action, try the simpler steps. Throw out the items that have ceased to please; rearrange furniture; buy new accessories. By the way, sometimes it's just enough to do a spring cleaning and get rid of old junk to free up space of negative energy and clear thoughts.
- Go on a trip. It can be any journey - from the nearest picturesque village to a metropolis in another country. Listen to your feelings in order to understand exactly how you want to go on a trip - in calm solitude or sincere company, to the seashore or to a cozy boarding house outside the city. In any case, you will receive new impressions, a change in the "picture" before your eyes, fresh emotions and psychological rest.
- Make new acquaintances. For many creative professionals, quality communication in professional circles is a source of inspiration. It is possible that your circle of contacts has been the same lately. Find new people you know. Participate in professional thematic events, expand personal contacts. Often, just one phrase heard in time is enough to bring the creative process to a different level.
Start doing
A creative crisis for a writer or artist in most cases does not just mean a decline in the quality of the work: it means its absence. Talented creative people, as a rule, cannot work according to a rigid schedule and a clearly drawn up plan. No inspiration, no work. The state of inactivity can not only drag on for weeks and months, but also drag the master himself into the void.
To get through this difficult period, you just need to start doing. Do it without thinking about quality, purpose and craftsmanship. For a writer - open a blank sheet and create any lines on it: thoughts, nursery rhymes, notes on the topic of the day. To the designer - to create abstract simple shapes or sketches that are not related to the main projects. In this case, the main thing is to fill the void that the creative crisis invariably entails.
This situation also has a downside; when it is necessary to do a certain work, but the author does not have enough inspiration for a full-fledged implementation at a high level. Oddly enough, the advice remains relevant - start doing. Although the result may not be pleasing at first, it is still better to immerse yourself in the topic than to distance yourself from it. It is possible that new ideas will appear in the process of work, and the muse will return to its place.
Seek inspiration
If the inspiration is gone and does not want to return, often you have to "go" for it yourself.
Enrichment with the creativity of others. In this case, we are talking not only about the creativity of competitors, although this segment can be an excellent source of inspiration. Immerse yourself in spheres related or even far from your work - painting, architecture, design, folk crafts. Art is multifaceted, so new aesthetic impressions can become an impetus for a way out of the creative crisis.
Referring to your own work. Review the best of what you have done yourself. Remember the state in which you created these projects. Enjoying your own results will lift your spirits and return self-confidence.
Try brainstorming. This can be done both alone and in a team. Within 15-20 minutes, write down absolutely every idea that comes to your mind regarding your project. Even if the thought seems stupid or ridiculous to you, do not dismiss it - often it is from them that brilliant creations are obtained. Put aside what you have written for a while, and later come back to them with a fresh mind. The brainstorming process itself works like a snowball - the more ideas you come up with, the more new ones emerge.
