14 Hacks to Get out of a Creative Funk
The past couple months have been hard on me as a creative. Stress has seriously affected how I work, which in turn has negatively affected my income. Aside from a few moments of inspiration, I didn’t want to write. I was unmotivated and apathetic.
If you don’t know already, being a professional creative means not depending on inspiration. It means throwing your excuses out the door and getting to work, whether you feel like it or not. It’s hard, but it’s also fulfilling.
A couple weeks ago, I knew I had to do something to kick my butt into gear. I’ve always been a procrastinator, but I needed to up my productivity levels before my slump turned into a habit.
I think this happens to all creatives out there. We get burned out, or we let personal issues bog us down, or we’re just tired. But that doesn’t mean we can stop working.
So I give to you my favorite ways to get back into being creative and productive. And, of course, how to stay creative — even when you don’t want to.
1. Tear Down Your Fear of Failure
There’s nothing more paralyzing than thinking that your new creation is going to suck. And while it might turn out to be a total piece of crap, you won’t find out if you don’t start. Your fear could be holding you back from creating your best masterpiece. So throw your fear out the window and get started!
2. Rethink Your Process
It could be that your normal routines are messing you up. Starting off your day with something new could be what you need to get out of your creative funk. If you normally get up and get straight to your work, consider going for a short walk and actually eating breakfast first.
If you think it’s the actual process you go through while you’re being creative, try something different. Go for pen and paper. Start from chapter six instead of chapter one. Instead of planning out your project step by step, just wing it.
3. Just Start
If your problem is procrastination, you actually have it easy. All you have to do is get a grip on your willpower and move. Get off of Hulu and open your sketchbook, laptop, notebook, or whatever.
It may seem hard, and maybe it is. If you’re dealing with something more than laziness, figure out what it is. Are you afraid your project will be terrible? Work through the fear. Do you not have any ideas? Brainstorm. If you want to make a living as a creative, you have to work for it. So work.
4. Create for the Fun of It
If creating is your day job (or side hustle), that can easily put you in a rut. Deadlines don’t help creativity, they kill it — at least for me.
When it comes close to the deadline for one of my writing clients, I usually fill up with dread. It’s not that I can’t write the articles — I could easily finish an article for this client in two hours max. Yet one article usually takes me an entire day because I view it as work instead of doing what I love.
So to balance it out, I do other creative work just for me. Maybe that’s writing on my blog or fiddling around in Canva making social media graphics. It helps me to feel fulfilled and happy instead of like I’m being forced to do something I don’t want to do.
5. Limit Yourself
This is a fun technique based on the idea that constraints can make you more creative. It may sound counter-intuitive because of my previous suggestion, and maybe it is. Or maybe working with deadlines has its place, and so does working without deadlines.
Still, I like the idea of limiting yourself to create more. How much impact can you make with only six words? What kind of illustration could you make using only two colors? What can you draw by only using straight lines? If you’re up for a challenge, I think this could be a powerful technique.
6. Take a Class
When I’m feeling uninspired, something that can help me is to learn a new skill in my craft — well, one of them. Maybe writing, maybe photography, maybe graphic design. This helps me to get inspired to create something that’s better than anything I’ve ever made before.
You could probably find a class within your area that you could physically attend, or you could head to Udemy or Skillshare for some inexpensive eCourses.
7. Take Care of Yourself
Your brain/body can’t function properly if you’re not taking care of it. Get to bed at a decent time so you’re not falling asleep at your desk when you should be creating.
The same goes for the rest of your life. How do you treat your body? Are you drinking enough water and maintaining a balanced diet? What about mentally? Are you lifting yourself up with your thoughts or tearing yourself down? There are few things that ruin my creativity as quickly as a negative thought.
Taking care of yourself gives you the physical and mental fuel you need to stay creative. You can’t run on nothing, and neither can your creativity.
8. Be Creative for 15 Minutes
I love being creative. Yet sometimes I have to practically chain myself to my desk to get anything done. It’s shameful. Embarrassing. It leads me to wonder if I chose the wrong career path after all.
To combat this, I take just 15 minutes to write. No distractions — my phone is out of sight, I don’t have ten tabs open in my browser, and I don’t listen to music. Just 15 minutes of doing nothing but writing. I know I can handle that. Just 15 minutes, and then I’m free to walk away.
Sometimes, when those 15 minutes are up, I find that I’ve given myself such an achievable goal that it sparks something in me to keep me going. And that’s great!
Other times, after 15 minutes, I’m ready to get up and walk away. And that’s also fine. I can come back in ten minutes and do it all again, or I can work on other client work. The idea is that the light at the end of the tunnel is so close that I’ll work furiously until I get there.
9. Eliminate Distractions
As mentioned above, when I really need to focus, I cut out all distractions. But I don’t just cut out technology. If I have clutter on my desk, it disrupts my concentration. The same goes for people who consistently distract you, or listening to music that, in the end, just gives you brain fog.
Here are some things I like to do before I start working:
- Clear any dirty dishes from my desk
- Close down all tabs in my browser except the ones I need open
- Put my phone on silent
- Get away from people who pull me away from my work
10. Try Working in a New Medium
I think this is a great way to tell your brain, “Hey! Wake up! We’re not doing the same old thing today.”
Doodle if you write. Write if you paint. Paint if you draw. Draw if you take pictures. Try something new and see what happens. You might be pleasantly surprised by the results. Maybe you’ll end up with a new hobby or a new idea. If you’re feeling stuck, it’s worth a shot.
11. Find the Perfect Environment
Did you know that being in a place with high ceilings encourages creativity? Surprise! It does. So if you’re like me and you live in a basement apartment with low ceilings, getting out every once in a while might help you out. Hit up a local coffee shop or Panera and enjoy the high ceilings. See if you feel more free while working!
A place with high ceilings isn’t the only perfect environment, though. Find what works for you. Maybe it’s your back porch or a small table by a big window. Switch things up to see what helps you stay creative!
12. Break Things Down
Maybe you’re avoiding creativity because your projects are too overwhelming. It’s’ too big, and you feel like you just can’t tackle it. Well, here’s how to fix that:
- Look at your project and ask yourself, “What’s the first step I have to take to get this done?”
- Write that step down.
- Repeat for step two, three, four, and on.
- Keep the big picture in mind while focusing on the individual steps.
- Complete each step, one at a time, until you’re done.
It sounds too simple, I know. But writing out your steps can really help you structure your time and build a mindset to get things done.
13. Walk Away
If I’ve been stuck on the same sentence for a while, I try to walk away. Not switch tabs and scroll on Facebook — that’s a rabbit hole I try to avoid — but actually walk away. Maybe I do some dishes, maybe I go for a short walk, or maybe I take a few minutes to stretch.
This gives my brain a chance to catch up with me if I’ve been working quickly and then hit a wall. It’s also a great way to give yourself a break. Drink a glass of water. Go over your to-do list for the day and see what still needs done. Maybe reevaluate. Most importantly, just know that it’s okay to walk away.
14. Refocus
Sometimes our brains go wild. We get ten project ideas all at once, and we also want to start planning our next road trip, plus we want to plan a surprise birthday party for our friend.
Too much.
Refocus. Pick one thing to work on. Then get it done. It’s that simple.
A lot of these methods are similar, but there’s a reason for that: they’re compatible. You can easily combine two or three of these techniques into one session. As an example: work for 15 minutes, walk away, and then come back and break things down. Mix and match and see what you like. You could end up with a new productivity strategy that you use for years to come.
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The original version of this article was first published on Rebekah Joan’s website in March of 2019.
