Yesterday I had a big block trying to find an idea for my next assignment. Honestly, I felt quite lost. I was sitting at my desk, just staring at my laptop and got more frustrated every minute. My brain felt completely blank and I was starting to get angry at myself, because I felt I was wasting so much time especially since I had plans to meet a friend later. I could feel how the pressure of “I need to get an idea now” totally blocked all my creativity.
I almost canceled on my friend, but then I thought maybe it is a good idea to step back from the project for a while, since I was already frustrated anyway. I am happy I did it. At my friends’ place I told her about the struggles, and she asked me a bunch of questions about what project and what I need to do. This already helped me to start getting some initial ideas.
At some point of the conversation, she stood up and grabbed a graphic design book. I was a bit confused at the beginning because the book was mostly filled with posters and logos from throughout the years and this was not really my assignment topic. But she told me whenever she feels stuck with a project, she looks into the book to get some fresh inspiration.
She gave me a little challenge:
- Pick a random page for the aesthetic.
- Pick a random page for the theme/topic.
- Pick a random page for the character or the main element.
It was really fun flipping through the book and finding inspiration in things where I wouldn’t normally look. I arrived at her place with zero ideas and two hours later I left with a brain filed with new ideas and inspiration. Just by talking to her and flipping through that book.
What I take away from this evening
It showed me once again, that when I want to work on a creative project, I can’t just sit in front of my laptop and wait for the perfect idea to just pop into my head. It just doesn’t work for me to force creativity on the spot especially while being in the same environment all the time.
In addition, I realized that I sometimes rely too much on inspiration from digital tools like Pinterest, but it only shows you things based on what you like, so honestly there is no new input that challenges your thinking.
Two reminders for my future creative blocks:
* Inspiration can be everywhere and sometimes it is better to close the laptop and to look for inspiration in the real world. Looking at a random book, observing the surroundings or just talking to someone who might give me a random starting point I need to get moving.
* Taking a break, especially if I am already frustrated, can be very helpful. Even if it’s just for an hour. It can help to get some new and fresh ideas.
So, don’t get stuck in front of the laptop. Change the environment and start with a random input to see where it leads you.
And shoutout to Stefi <3
AI was used to check spelling and grammar and better clarity.
