During a bout of (admittedly unproductive) websurfing last week, I came across one of the most compelling, fantastic, must-bookmark-this-now articles I’ve seen in a long time. ISO50 posted 25 strategies for overcoming creative blocks, contributed by some of the most impressive creative folks around. The roster of illustrators and designers features some eye-popping names, but their advice is sound enough that it could stand on its own.
I’m not going to repost every one of their suggestions here, because you should really go check out the whole ISO50 article, lovely design and all. Instead, I want to mention a few of the strategies I’ve tried, and some of the interesting ideas I’m excited to try in the future.
Ji Lee of Google Creative Lab attacks problems by not thinking about them directly. Instead, you could take a shower, clean your work area, or go for a bike ride. A lot of the other contributors to the ISO50 piece also endorsed distracting yourself as a way of approaching a problem with new eyes. This is a classic strategy, but it’s worked for me many, many times. Some of the best ideas really do show while you’re in the shower.
Chad Hagen looks at what other people are making, which triggers his desire to be good at what he does — in Chad’s case, that’s art and design — and helps him push past creative sticking points. This has worked for me in a different form: I’m not a very competitive person, but seeing the great work my friends do has always made me buckle down and work harder to keep up with them. It’s hard to sit around waiting for the perfect solution when you can see how much better off you’d be if you moved forward with something imperfect, to see where it leads.
Christopher Simmons, of the design studio MINE, makes the very good point that you might not really be stuck. You might just be talking yourself into thinking that you are. The first question he asks himself is “Am I really stuck?” What a simple, brilliant idea. I’m going to borrow that one the next time I run into a case of writer’s block.
Erik Spiekermann, one of my favorite type designers, recommends drawing (even if you have no talent). I definitely have no talent at drawing, but I tend to think visually, and I’m willing to give it a shot. It makes sense that having something down on paper, even if it’s total crap and not even in the right medium, might give you a new angle on a problem. I’m adding this to my list of things to try, as well.
What did you think of the ISO50 post? Do any of these ideas speak to you personally? Let us know how you get over creative blocks in the comments.
Jay is a freelance writer based in Seattle, WA. He blogs about software for Download Squad and contributes interviews to The Morning News, among others. You can also find him on Twitter.
Photo credit – artdrauglis
