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If you run into situations now and then where you can’t come up with any kind of creative idea for your next project. Then this article is for you.

How do I spark creativity? I’m sure you’ve wondered that yourself from time to time if you’re any type of artist. Especially when you get that occasional creative block. Just the day before you were on fire, creating perhaps your best masterpiece. Whether it’s writing, painting, or designing, it happens to all of us. For some reason, you end up staring into space with nothing coming to mind and no clue what you’re going to do. So I’ve compiled 7 possibilities of how to spark creativity for you to pick from. It’s going to be different for everyone so pick and try whatever you think will work best for you.

Spark Creativity by Reading

Expand your mind, fill up that brain of yours with new information. Regardless of what type of creator you are; writer, painter, programmer, content creator, builder, designer, or composer. Your creative juice might be starting to run low. So fill your imagination tank up with new information. Try reading about something a little off your beaten path. You never know where inspiration can come from. Read books, flip through magazines, and look up alternatives to your type of craft. Reading helps you to relax, as well as create new ways of thinking. So check out a library, go online, sit, relax, and enjoy while your mind absorbs new and interesting information.

Spark Creativity with Communication

Go have a conversation with someone, if you’re shy just say hi and see where it leads you. Go hang out with friends or family. Ask them what’s going on, or start a topic to see what they think about it. Communication causes the brain to get stimulated and begin thinking. Go somewhere public, and strike up a conversation with a random stranger, whether it be a coffee shop, local gym, or some sort of an event, like a car show, art exhibit, or festival of some kind. The main point is to go talk with someone so you can get your brain to kick into gear providing you with the information you need to continue the conversation. This way when you get back to working on the thing that you’re having a mental block with, your mind can start giving you some ideas.

Spark Creativity by Writing

When starting a new project, the brain sometimes just seems to have nothing to give. It doesn’t matter what it is, it can happen. You end up asking yourself the same question. What am I going to paint, draw, create, or build? What will this book, poem, chapter, blog, or video be about? Then you spend the next 10 minutes or more just staring, without a single thought, as if you are somehow just frozen and preserved in time and space.

Well, a way to reduce this effect from happening in the future is easy, if you make a point of doing it. That is to keep a notepad for ideas and thoughts. You need a method of quickly jotting down any information that you think could be useful. Perhaps an idea of a topic you could cover in the future. How you record this information is up to you. Some people journal, some make lists, and some people do a quick doodle of an idea. What method you use isn’t so important as making sure to record it. This way when one of those moments comes up where you catch yourself staring, you can open up the notepad and take a look for some ideas to get your next possible masterpiece started.

Spark Creativity by having Fun

You know sometimes a person just needs to stop trying so hard. You may actually need to step away and do something completely different. You might be on the verge of burnout. If you’re not enjoying the process, it could be your inner child rebelling and just screaming, I don’t want to. Well, perhaps it’s time for a break. Get up, walk away, and go find something fun to do. Be adventurous. Try something new. Go bowling, roller skating, or canoeing. Take a night class and learn a new hobby or skill like sign language, painting, or acting. Do or learn something new, not for the sake of knowledge or reason but rather just because you want to or because it looks like fun.

Spark Creativity via Change

If you’re stuck, then it’s time to do something different. Change your point of view. For example, I wrote a short post where I took a simple idea and went at it from the point of view of medical advice. Describe the pros, cons, and risks of attempting this strategy for improving your life by 1%. So try a different angle, for example, if you were a painter of objects, paint one from the inside view instead of the outside. A writer can write a chapter, blog, or poem from some other point of view. If you draw, try drawing from a top-down or aerial view. If you make things try making them upside down. A while back I needed a shelf for my laptop but I wanted a lamp and fan on it as well and I didn’t have much room. So what I did is screw the lamp and fan to the shelf and then mounted the shelf to the wall upside down with the laptop sitting on it. Problem solved for a small space.

If you use tools or mediums, then change those. If you draw, try pastels. If you use clay try making something with wood. Make something completely new and different. It will help get your imagination working again. If you normally knit, crochet, or cross-stitch, try drawing a picture of what a finished item would look like. If you’re a writer, try doodling an image of a scene. Don’t worry about the end result, just have some fun with it. You’re just trying to get rid of that mental block. Working with tools or mediums you’re not used to or perhaps even suck at, causes your brain to really think and concentrate and overcome obstacles of inexperience. Just do it for the curiosity of what in the world is it going to look like when it’s done. Odds are you’re going to end up laughing at how ridiculous it looks, BOOM the stress and anxiety of mental blocks are gone. Now you can go back to doing what you know you’re good at using your normal tools/mediums.

Perhaps your mind is just bored because you’re always doing the same thing, at the same time, in the same position in the same place. Well fine, change it up somehow. If you work with a laptop, go outside if it’s nice. If you work in an office try going to a park, lobby, staff room, or something. If there is any way at all you can physically work somewhere else, then do it. If you work in the basement, try the garage. If you can’t, then change the surroundings somehow. Paint a wall, decorate, and create a festive-looking environment. Physically changing your environment in any way you can will cause your mind to become more imaginative because everything is new and fresh, increasing the odds of new and fresh ideas.

Spark Creativity by Observing

Pay attention to your surroundings. Go people-watching. Observe how they walk, talk, and communicate with each other. Go out and look at your surroundings. Observe everything. The weather, temperature, smell, take it all in. The main thing you want to do is stop trying so hard to come up with the next great idea and just be in the moment. Odds are you have a cell phone on you. If you are outside at a park or anyplace you consider nice take out your phone and take some pictures. Taking pictures of something forces you to be in the moment because it’s hard to think about something else when you’re currently working on something. If you’re in a nature-type area and you hear birds or animals, then use the phone to get an audio recording. Maybe it’s raining, or you are near the water. Record the sound of that or just sit somewhere, close your eyes, and breathe in the air. To help get rid of the mental block you want to relax and keep your brain from overthinking. Enjoy the moment for what it is. Enjoy the wonderful world that is all around you. When you get back to your task you will feel much more relaxed and your mind now has some inspiration.

Spark Creativity while Relaxing

If you are in a situation where you can’t just go outside whether it’s due to the weather, location, or whatever restrictions, at least you can take a moment to relax where you’re at. If you are working in an office, just let whoever is curious about what you’re doing (which is nothing), know the truth – you are brainstorming for your next great idea. Sit back, close your eyes, or go ahead and stare into space on purpose, breathe, relax, and let your mind wander wherever it wants to go. Have a daydream if you want. Put on your headphones and listen to your favorite music. Just take a moment to completely relax, you never know if some weird thoughts or ideas might decide to drift by. If they do, great, just let them flow into your mind. Once you feel a bit more relaxed, get up and stretch, and take a short stroll to the water cooler, or coffee maker. When you get back jot down the ideas as they were, don’t judge them, just record them. Something might come out of it. At least know you are not stressed by the mental blockage. You can do this even if you work from home if you want.

Conclusion

I certainly hope at least one of these ideas got you back into the groove. Perhaps you came up with a great idea or already know of a tactic that works best for you. Please, if you know of another method to spark creativity, share it with us in the comments.

Razz