It happens. You take pen to paper and nothing. Zero, zip, nadda – just a blank page staring back at you, taunting you, daring you to write something…ANYTHING! You fidget, you squirm, you try typing a few words and STILL NOTHING.
You, my friend, are stuck.
Getting Stuck in the Creative MUD
It never happens when it’s convenient to just wallow in the absence of creativity. No, that would be too easy. It happens when the pressure is on and you need to deliver brilliance NOW!
Or now. How about now? Now? Nothing yet?
5 Simple Steps to Getting UN-STUCK
#1: Embrace stuckness – Creativity is what it is – and part of that process is that sometimes it just doesn’t happen. Be okay with being stuck. Beating yourself up over being devoid of inspiration just gets you more stuck.
#2: Start with something easy – REALLY EASY like writing out your to-do list. It sounds lame, but action begets more action and you need to get your action juices flowing.
#3: Move around – Go for a walk, get your groove on with your favorite music. Movement often wiggles and jiggles things loose.
#4: Do something completely different – Don’t just sit there staring at a blank screen. Switch tasks. Do the laundry, do your filing, do ANYTHING that’s not what you were trying to do!
#5: Then START – Sketch out the skeleton of the idea. If it’s an article, start with placeholder copy for a basic outline. If it’s a strategy, write down your end goal and then start working backwards. Start working your way through the movements of the activity and before you know it, the spark hits!
How do you get creatively unstuck? We’d love to hear what you do and how you manage when stuckness happens!
5 Comments
This is GREAT Carla! Where were you last week when I was not just stuck in the mud – I was up to my neck sinking in it! And you know what got me “unstuck”? 4 out of your 5 steps. I did something completely different – I mowed our 4 acres on a gorgeous day. That also got me moving (combined with jumping on my Rebound-Air to fun music.) Then I STARTED with something easy – editing something already started instead of a blank screen. Guess which one I didn't do? You got it – embracing my stuckness. Gee… maybe that's why I kept sinking deeper and deeper into the mud!
Like I said – great post… so glad I met you last January in Sarah Robinson's 30 Days for Changing your Game!
These are great tips. I have used the laundry tip before and actually got inspiration for my article while hanging out the washing. It worked like a treat! I also find it much easier to write outside of my office, in cafes anywhere but my office, so for me a change of environment can get me unstuck.
Great tips Carla
These are great tips. I have used the laundry tip before and actually got inspiration for my article while hanging out the washing. It worked like a treat! I also find it much easier to write outside of my office, in cafes anywhere but my office, so for me a change of environment can get me unstuck.
Great tips Carla
Washing dishes always gives me ideas. I focus on the task at hand, let my mind wander, and suddenly I have a nugget of a sentence to build on. Of course, this means I rarely finish all the dishes in one shot, because I end up running to my lap top halfway through the load.
The shower is my main source of inspiration. It means when I get stuck, I end up with a much bigger hot water bill! I think doing anything that allows your mind to wander helps!