Inspiration When You're Stuck In A Rut To Boost Your Creativity!

Do you ever feel as if your art is all beginning to look and feel the same? Or do you ever hit a roadblock where you cannot seem to come up with anything new? Creativity not flowing as freely as usual? I had a few people bring this topic up recently inside and outside of the art world. Stress, life changing events, and the winter blues can stifle a mind into numbness blocking brilliant ideas.I wanted to share my revelations on this! Even if you aren't stuck in a proverbial "rut" it is always interesting to hear others' motivating ideas!  Here are 10 ways to get your mind out of the frozen depths of Atlantis and into a better zone!

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1.) Do something completely different outside of your normal everyday routine. Something as simple as taking a different road that you normally don't go down, this simple change can awaken your senses and the further outside of your "norm" that you are capable of and safely uncomfy with the better! 

2.) Hang out with a child below the age of 5 years old for a day (if this is possible for you somehow). It's amazing to see a child's view of the world and how the world is supposed to be! 

3.) Create a collage of your favorite things out of recycled magazines, newspapers, or printable images then put the collage somewhere so that you can view it daily such as near your computer or on the refrigerator.

4.) "Pay it forward".... This is when you do something generous for a stranger and expect nothing in return. Can be done in many ways! My favorite it is covering a stranger's McDonald's bill whoever the lucky person is that waits unknowingly behind you in line! (Make sure to keep your voice low to the cashier when doing this so it's a complete surprise). Another idea since its winter, dusting a stranger's car off next to you when you're in a parking lot!

5.) Challenge yourself to free hand sketch a scene that you've never attempted before. If you get stuck, set it aside for a few hours and then come back to it. The worksheet to the right is one from a sketching club that I instruct every week, this is when we were going over different vantage points within a scene. I call it an art sketching club because even though I give everyone a worksheet and explain the process, the people who attend ultimately have to think of something to sketch.

6.) Call someone that you haven't spoken with in a while! They may surprise you by not even being home now making you wonder where in the world they could be.... then again, they might give you some interesting information if they do answer the phone....

7.) Put on those headphones and pick 3 songs randomly in any genre that you DO NOT prefer and really listen to the lyrics. It's painful......but I didn't say that this was going to be exactly fun the entire time! After you do this, reward yourself with 3 songs that you do enjoy. If you don't already have a prefered music listening "go to" app. You should try Amazon Music Unlimited. If you can try it for 30 days for free before purchasing and then its $7.99 if you are an Amazon Prime member, and only $6 for 6 months if you are an Amazon Student Prime member.

8.) Visit an art museum in your local area. I live in a small town, so the closest art museum was about an hour away. I went to visit The Cleveland Museum of Art last weekend with my son. I was shocked when I went up to the counter to try to pay for them to tell me that the museum is free unless they are having a special exhibit. The parking was $10 though! We were only there for about 30 minutes, as my sweet 4 year old sat on a couch that was part of an exhibit setting off alarms and a herd of security guards giving us dirty looks.

9.) Go to your local library and find a book in the nonfiction section that piques your interest. Sometimes getting out of the house and reading a book that you hold in your hands instead of reading on a digital tablet or phone or computer opens up new ideas. I've personally found that if I have the book in my hands and I'm able to flip through and skim with my hands I actually end up finishing the novel. I'm also more of a hands on tactile learner so if you are also this might help to stir up some creativeness further.

10.)Take a long warm/hot shower and let the room steam up melting away your stress momentarily. Added stress that life brings on day to day completely destroys people's creativity. Its important to schedule an appointment with yourself daily to refresh even if its not as long as you would like. I know I wish I had more than 10 minutes of "me" time too but with a busy schedule its understandable however, vital to take this small amount of time instead of crashing and burning your creative gears.

Hope this list helps to refresh your mind and gets you back into being creative! Check out my artworks on my website!