What To Do When You’re Stuck In A Creative Rut

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Are you suffering from a lack of ideas? Maybe you’ve just picked up a new hobby, or maybe you’re thinking of starting up an old one – either way, you just don’t have any clue on how to get started right now! Well, it seems you’re stuck in a bit of a creative rut, and you’re sick of how it’s preventing you from expressing yourself. But before you throw in the towel, make sure you’ve tried all the ideas below to build an artistic ladder to rescue yourself with.

Use a Prompt Generator

Whether you want to write something, draw and/or paint something, or even create a new wood sculpture, you can use a prompt generator to break the block you’re experiencing. Being prompted is a great way to instil a sudden sense of inspiration, and these generators can often come up with far more interesting concepts than you ever have! 

There are a lot of prompt generators online, and you can use them in tandem to come up with an idea that’s really out there. The more wacky it is, the more likely you’ll accomplish something! 

Get Some Real World Inspiration

In times like these, it’s a good idea to look around you. What can you see? How does it make you feel? Even just taking a look around your living room and focusing on one thing to sketch out, use as a design basis, or include in a story can work wonders here. 

Failing that, you could also get online and/or visit a museum and scope out works of the greats. As Freddi Wald would put it, there’s a lot of influence out there and it’s just up to you to grab it by the horns! And hey, getting some fresh air would just do you good!

Open Up an Old Project

How many old sketchbooks do you have lying around? How many old blender files do you have stored on a hard drive? How many half finished crochet blankets are stuffed in your closet? Because if you’re in a creative rut, expending your energy on old projects might be the very thing you need right now! 

Don’t Push Yourself!

Most of all, don’t tire yourself out trying to create. Creation is a spontaneous thing most of the time, and when you’re forcing yourself to pick up a knitting needle or an oil crayon, it’s unlikely you’ll get anything good out of it. You need to give yourself a break and relax a little.

In doing so, you create more energy to be creative with. And then one day down the line, you might just pick up your old tools out of the blue and create something really special. You haven’t lost your hobby or your talent, you just didn’t have the headspace for it in the here and now. 

If you’re stuck in a creative rut, you probably just need a quick idea hit and a little break to do the trick.

I am currently finding it had to be stay creative and realize that my rut has gotten worse through this uncertain time. What have you done to keep your mojo active? I need all the help that I can get.

Until our next rendezvous…

XOXO

Trudy

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