Is it one of those rainy days where no matter how much you try, the proverbial horses of your imagination just won’t cooperate with you? Well here are a few tips to help you get rid of that annoying creativity block in your head:
Add a little pep to your step
There’s nothing like waking up to peppy music to get your creative juices flowing. Why subject yourself to blaring sirens for alarms when you can open your eyes to Imagine Dragons or Maroon 5? We know it sounds clichéd, but then clichés are clichés for a reason. Sometimes, they can make you feel like you’re on top of the world.
Carry a mini-you around
To all those people whose mind went straight to Orphan Black, no matter how cool cloning sounds, we’re suggesting something milder. Having a little black book of ideas, no matter how insignificant, can do wonders for your creativity. It doesn’t matter what the idea is or when it strikes even if all you’re doing is doodling in that notebook. Having a trusted medium to channel your thoughts creates a tangible portal into your brain for you to fall back on.
Moreover the generally observed pseudo-scientific theory of biorhythms advocates that there are different peak periods for different people during the day. While some might nail the idea in the head as morning larks, others might be night owls. It’ll do wonders to have a reliable companion at your beck and call to pen down your thoughts when the mood strikes.
The ubiquitous hypothesis
Straying away from the language of Sheldon Cooper, what this essentially means is that inspiration and creativity are in abundance all around you. In this age of technological invasion, information about every new and creative invention is available on various intellectual platforms. Instead of bemoaning the hours you spend in the metro, listen to podcasts or watch Ted Talks to open yourself to the world.
These platforms encompass an unceasing galore of diverse content ranging from intriguing topics like fringe science to rationally charged notions about entrepreneurship, and everything in between. After all, if there is one place you can find the answers to the universe, it has to be the world wide web. So find what tickles your creative bone and let it take over.
Become the devil’s advocate
Whenever you come up with an idea, pitch it to yourself like you would to a potential investor. Doubt doesn’t always have to be a bad thing; it can be turned into the lethal weapon that helps you win Armageddon against the incessant block in your head. Observe the idea from a bystander’s perspective and inculcate in yourself the ability to question every intricate nuance of the idea – till your answers to yourself gain the capability of rendering Arnab Goswami silent. Generating the inquisitiveness to question every step till it’s perfect may sound a little obsessive, but it works like a charm to get your cogs turning. But remember this is just to help make the ideas in your head concrete and not to let insecurity creep in.
Get a human mirror
Sometimes solitude is not the best option to help your imagination; these are the times when a mind doppelganger comes in handy. No, the person literally does not have to be your doppelganger but just a like-minded soul who is willing to let you use him/her as your sound board. Bouncing ideas off of a friend can be a truly enlightening experience. It can be the ray of light that finally lets you see the end of the tunnel.
You can follow in the footsteps of Dr House and bounce your ideas off of a versatile group of people in the hopes of hitting the bulls eye, but in my experience just one trusted friend who can call you out on your crappy ideas and appreciate the good ones usually gets the job done.
Free your mind
As vague as that sounds, giving yourself an hour a day to do whatever your heart desires can be a great catalyst in unblocking your mind. It can be anything from thirty second dance parties, long walks or show marathons to heated debates regarding whether the dress is white and gold or blue and black! All that matters is that you fully utilise that time to liberate yourself and forget about life and all its troubles. Allowing the tension to leak out of your psyche can be final straw in unclogging that block.
Ultimately, these tips are only the tip of the iceberg. You have to find your own niche of creative rituals, even the renowned surreal artist, Salvador Dali owes the best of his work to the wacky ritual of dozing off with a spoon in his hand and a plate on the table so that he could jerk awake every time the spoon fell and consequently recapture his dreams. So go all out, because after all, there’s a method to all madness.
