5 Tips to Break Through a “Creative Funk”
Whether you call it a creative funk, a rut, or a roadblock, all of us have faced that moment when the muses seem to have left us high and dry. For Bryce Dallas Howard, the best remedies for those moments give your mind space to breathe, redirect its attention, and allow you to return with a fresh look and perspective. Here are five (BDH-tested and approved) tips for how to let your brain rest and rejuvenate:
1. Use the Back Burner
When an idea lives at the forefront of the mind, it’s like being on a high heat stove — but not all ideas can sustain themselves over constant, intense heat. If you feel like your idea is burning more than it is cooking, pose an open-ended question (“I wonder if there’s a different ending?” or “What am I not aware of?”) and then move it to the back burner. Be curious about your project and let your subconscious do its thing. When you turn down the temperature of needing to execute, you make non-pressurized space for your brain to solve problems and be surprised.
2. Go for a Run
The mind and body are inextricably linked, so roadblocks of the mind can also be addressed through the body! There’s all types of research that prove that exercise is truly the mind’s best friend — like this book and this article. My simple suggestion for you: go for a run, take a walk, or do some jumping jacks. Get your heart pumping, which in turn will bring more oxygen to your brain. (Again, it’s all about giving your brain space to breathe!)
3. Take Yourself on an Artist Date
In The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, Julia Cameron frames the artist date as an essential practice for keeping your well of creativity full. An artist date is exactly what it sounds like — a block of time each week, dedicated to nurturing your creative consciousness and inner artist. This is a date between you and you, so treat yourself! Some of my favorite artist dates:
Visit a “creative” shop that has nothing to do with what you actually do like an art supply store, fabric shop, or music store
Try a new cuisine, recipe, restaurant, or food
Create an account on Pinterest and mark pictures that inspire you
4. Shower Yourself with Affirmations
@mindsetofgreatness on Instagram is one of my favorite motivation and affirmation accounts; its daily posts have such a focusing and grounding quality when I’m feeling untethered to my work. I also love learning about how other artists create. It’s often very encouraging and affirming of my own process because I see how challenging it can be for others too. (I recommend reading Mason Currey’s Daily Rituals books: here and here.)
5. Phone-A-Friend
Take a lesson from the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire game show and phone a friend! If you’re stuck at a crossroads, your friends, collaborators, and mentors are your lifeline to get other perspectives and approaches to the problems you are facing.
Remember, no matter which activity you choose to break the creative funk,
make sure to keep a notepad close by for when the breakthrough comes (because it will!)
