All artists, as I believe I can call Graphic designers artists, sometimes lack creativity. It’s a sad thing but it happens to all of us and it’s not a big deal. We just have to go past it and get back into our colourful place of creativity. In this post I’ll write down some stuff I do when I’m in this sad grey field.
1. Meditate
Meditation is simple, you can do it anytime and everywhere. The point of this meditation is to clear your mind and make space for creativity. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, bread deeply and try to shut your always working mind. Just be present and enjoy your breath, the noises around you, the air touching your face, your feet on the ground… Be there, present in this moment, just let it go...
2. Take the train ride (or bus ride)
I love train rides. Especially long ones. As I fight with fear of missing out and I’m always in a rush, train rides calm me down. It’s something like meditation. I sit there, I’m going somewhere (obviously) and I have nothing to do. Just wait and watch nature change in front of my eyes. And how this has anything to do with finding creativity? I’m sitting there, calm, I have nothing to do and nowhere to be except here in the present moment, so I let my imagination run free. The craziest ideas come to me in trains… as I sit and do nothing.
3. Go on a trip
Going to new places is always exciting and fun because you don’t really know what is there waiting for you. Travelling allows me to experience something new and see things that I didn’t see before. It also put me into this relaxing mood without pressure and allows me to just be there, watch and enjoy. If you can’t afford to go travelling to some exotic places, you can always go for a walk in some parts of your city that you don’t go to that often. Be a tourist in your own place, what’s wrong with that?
4. Talk it out
This may sound crazy, but talking to yourself has a lot of benefits. Just talk to yourself like you are trying to explain something to someone else. Talk, ask yourself questions, get comfortable with listening to your voice, talk stupid stuff, laugh at yourself, do whatever you feel like in the moment, be silly, be stupid, be whoever you feel like. And don’t forget to record it, you might have something interesting to listen to later.
5. Read a book
There is one good book for those who think that they are not creative. It’s called “The Art of Creative Thinking” by Rod Judkins. It’s a great book with a lot of short stories about being and getting creative. It really helps me get in the mood and in this creative state of mind.
I hope you find some ideas on how to challenge your mind to be in this creative mood. Creativity is always somewhere in us, you just need to wake it up.
