Tips on Breaking the Creative Block
There's no question that creating anything is hard to do. Here are some tips if you find yourself creatively blocked.
Set a Goal
Set a goal for yourself. For example, it could be to write one poem, one short story, to paint two small paintings or create three works of art. Don't make the goal too big.
Set a Time Table
Give yourself a time when you want your goal to be completed. There is nothing like a deadline to help you get things done. You can tell people about the deadline or keep the information to yourself. Don't make the time table too unrealistic.
One Step at a Time
Baby steps get you to the top of the mountain. If you manage to do one small thing towards your creative goal each day, you will be amazed at how fast you can accomplished it. Ask yourself what is the next step and then do it.
If It Isn't Working Stop
If you are working on a creative project and you don't know what to do, stop and do something else; it can be anything-the laundry, mow the lawn, work in the garage. When you come back to the project, you will probably have the answer to what was blocking you.
Progress Not Perfection
If you don't expect to create the perfect project, it will take off a lot of pressure. It will make it easier to accomplish what you have set out to do and the process will be a lot more enjoyable.
Easy Does It
If you don't create exactly what you've set out to do, don't worry. Ask yourself the question "how important is it?". It will help you get things in perspective.
Don't Worry About the Other Guy
Don't worry about what anyone else is doing. Keep the focus on yourself and what you want to accomplish, it will help you to go forward instead of getting stuck.
Just Do It
Don't talk about it, don't worry about it-just do it, one step at a time until whatever you have set out to do, gets done.
© Mary Baker 2005
Mary Baker is a contemporary realist painter, whose studio is in Newburyport, Massachusetts. This New England city, north of Boston, has inspired the artist's realistic oil paintings. Mary Baker is a professional artist and has shown in New York art galleries. Mary's art work has passion, depth and beauty, capturing moments in time that many people pass by.
You can visit her website, Mary Baker Art, at http://www.marybakerart.com , see her paintings and read her comments on the creative journey, the creative process, breaking the creative block and creative space-the illuminating silence.
MORE RESOURCES:
OneBigGame: melding charity with creativity GamePro.com It's like that at many studios, there are ideas lying around that aren't seeing the light of day, and we want take that creativity and put it to good use," ... |
Ad Shop Wins Fifth Consecutive Creative, Innovation Award in 2009 Reuters Adrenalina was recognized for its creative work in the El Ojo Classic radio category, winning a silver award for its Tecate "Disclaimer" spot, which is part ... |
Marin Interfaith Council: Spirituality and Creativity Evening San Francisco Chronicle Hear artist and author Catherine Revoir speak about the links between creative self-expression and spiritual development. Join us for a fun and expressive ... |
Can-do attitude: Kids express creativity Charleston Gazette mchenry's feel-good, do-good attitude is the driving force behind the weekly outreach program that lets community children express their creative side ... |
Stephen R. Bergerson: Copyright, not greed, behind AP lawsuit Minneapolis Star Tribune AP's Obama photo, like any photo, is protected because its photographer used creativity in selecting and framing the subject and background, choosing the ... |
Cebu Lifestyle The Secret of Winners Philippine Star The people behind Campaign Cebu's winning advertisements is its creative team, composed of creative director Bryan Onglatco, art director Luisa Avancenia, ... |
Costume creativity on parade Imperial Republican The Halloween Parade of Costumes at Chase County Schools is always an event of creativity as K-6 students come to school in costumes for the popular end of ... |
GSW Worldwide Chief Creative Officer takes Helm in NY to Transform Office Into ... PharmaLive.com (press release) "We are thrilled that due to several new and expanded partnerships we can realign our creative and digital leadership to focus on our growing base of ... |
Unleashing Your Creativity While You're Moonlighting Wall Street Journal Taking on part-time work—especially in a creative arena you've always wanted to pursue—is one way to earn extra income and begin exploring new work ... |
Jones: We Never Had Any Creativity Planet Swans "We never had any creativity about us and couldn't get any tempo going, but full credit to Swansea who have the points and now we must wait until the return ... |
Magic In Your Spice Rack
Variety is the spice of life, but spices, historically are the stuff of magic! A spell, after all is really just a recipe and traditionally many of them involve plant life or herbs. Magic doesn't have to be complicated to work.
Why Creative Visualization Works
Experience has shown that creative visualization works. It is quite possible to prove that circumstances and events follow thoughts.
Mindfulness and Independence: Observing Fireworks
"It's a free country," they say. "Celebrate our independence," I hear.
Breathing Out Stage Fright
You're stepping onto the stage, amidst opening night flurry and last minute stage directions. In the audience are the director you'd like to work with, the reviewer everyone listens to, and your first acting coach.
Are You A Creative Meathead?
Remember Archie Bunker's description of what a Meatheadwas on All in the Family?Dead, from the neck up!When it comes to creaivity, innnovation, coming up with ideas that magically turn into money - are you alive?Ever wonder how some of the big names in business are able tocontinually come up with new, innovative product ideas, marketing programs and publicity projects?New ideas are the lifeblood of leaping to the top of your field.Without diving into the bowels of scientific theory, itis absolutely true that to fuel creativity, your brain needsnew input.
Creative Thinking versus Critical Thinking
The process of creative thinking is often, mistakenly, intertwined with critical thinking. There is a tendency to write and edit simultaneously, couple hypothesis generation and evaluation, combine problem identification with solution.
Becoming More Creative -- What We Can Learn From Disney
When you think about the legacies Walt Disney left us, do talking mice and a multigizillion dollar company come to mind? Actually, those are only the products of his prodigious and rich creativity - dig deeper and you start to realize one of the most intriguing heritages Disney left was his processes.Disney was a creative and problem-solving genius.
Problem Solving Techniques For Business And Life
Learning a few good problem solving techniques can improve your bottom line and your life.Do you ever run out of good ideas, or go around in circles trying to come up with a solution for a persistent problem? Maybe you just need to learn some simple problem solving techniques, and then start applying them.
Creativity Management - Synergy of Craft and Art
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.
Sing & Be Well
When people find out that I'm a music therapist, the comments I hear most often are "I wish I could sing!" or "Oh, I love to sing, but I'm not good enough to do it in front of anyone". Some of these people tell me that, as children, a parent, teacher or someone else told them that they should just mouth the words because they didn't have a good enough voice.
Recharge Your Battery
It was 4:15PM on a Thursday when I arrived at the hair salon to get my haircut. My hair appointment was at 5PM but I arrived there quite early.
True Power: Understanding the Source of All Creation and Creativity
"True Power" is a series that will focus on proven techniques to accomplish any goal. Each exercise is designed to enlarge your ability to believe what you want is possible and will actually happen.
Mind Mapping
Ever been on a project where you had trouble keeping all the 'if' questions straight? "If this happens," you say, "we'll do one thing. But, if that happens, we'll do something else instead, but only on a Wednesday.
A Book About Faith and Love
With news about Iraq and London and even our own neighborhood disasters, we need something to encourage us to keep going. While browsing the net the other day I came upon the most wonderful way of preserving my HOPE.
Brainstorming Effectively
BRAINSTORMING: The basic tool used in generating many possible solutions to a problem is brainstorming. To use the brainstorming process effectively requires following a prescribed set of rules very closely.
How To Get In The Zone And Blast Your Marketing To A Higher Level
This may come as a surprise..
Top Five Reasons to Cultivate Your Creativity
Cultivating your creativity is more than spending time with a hobby or performing and displaying your work. Cultivating your creativity takes time, awareness and deliberate action.
Creativity Management - Overcoming Blocks
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.
10 Ways to Thrive as a Creative Artist
1. Connect with your DREAM - Indulge yourself in a vision of the bigger picture and get out of the mire of self-doubt, details and challenges of today.
The Art of Keeping a Journal
Journal keeping is basically without rules. It is an uncensored invitation to cut & paste, sketch & chart, and to visualize and unravel every great and small thought.
