“Logic can get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.”
People say there is nothing like writer’s/designer’s block. It’s just laziness. I don’t know how much of it is true. But I sure know how difficult it is to create something. I know the frustration one feels when he/she is not able to create. It can be tiring, it can be devastating. And when you do produce something in spite of that, it gives a feeling beyond words. The satisfaction of creating something of your own can probably never be described in words. And for this, you need a constant source of inspiration that can boost your creativity and imagination. One particular hack won’t work for everyone. So try these until something works for you!
1. Have stimulating conversations with a variety of people. Push your brain to think and delve deeper into your thoughts!
Get together with people who can stimulate your thinking. Hang out with friends who can widen your horizon of thinking. Take up a topic, a philosophical one or one that makes you think. Discuss your ideas. Push your brain to think. Delve deeper inside your thoughts. Trust me, you’ll come up with things that’ll surprise you!
2. Keep an idea journal with you all the time. Jot down your ideas as soon as you have them. Before sleeping, go through all of them!
Wherever you go, keep an idea journal with you. Most often, while doing odd things you come up with really good ideas but then forget them. Later, however hard you try you cannot recollect it. So always jot down your ideas as soon as you have them. At the end of the day, look at all your ideas and think about them in bed. You’ll again see these in a different light!
3. Write freely about anything you like. About your day, or a movie you watched. Just write whatever comes to your mind.
This works for a lot of people. Whatever your field of work is, it doesn’t matter. Just write. Whatever that comes to your mind, jot it down. It could be about your day, a movie that you watched, a book you loved, about an incident of your childhood, anything. It boosts your creativity and imagination to a high extent.
4. Doodle. You don’t have to be an artist. Let your creativity flow through your hands!
You don’t have to be an artist. Just take a pencil and a paper and start doodling. Most often your brain works towards finding a solution to the problem you are working on. You’ll make changes, shade, try different things and in the end you’ll find that the solution was right in front of your eyes!
5. Work in a new environment. Don’t work from the same table as everyday if you can’t be creative. Change your place and absorb the new surroundings!
Research says that it’s one of the best methods to increase your imagination levels. If you always work on the table in the corner of your room, just move out. Go to the living room or the garden and work from there. It is said a new environment stimulates your brain and helps you to think in unconventional ways.
6. Read fairy tales. Yes, escape into the imaginary world and let yourself free. Imagine yourself to be a particular character or in a particular scenario.
This is a little weird but very often, fairy tales takes you into a world that is highly creative. You delve into the imaginary world and their characters. Try daydreaming while reading it. Think what would you have done if you were a particular character. Try imagining yourself in a particular scenario that you know would never happen in real. Create your own world. Let your imagination free.
7. Have a daily ritual. And stick to it. Worked for lots of people. It might work for you too!
This has worked for a lot of people in the past and would probably work for you too. Set a ritual and follow it strictly. Stephen King has a very strict ritual that he follows everyday. He starts his day with a cup of tea or water and his vitamin. He sits down to work between 8:00 and 8:30 in the same seat with his papers arranged on his desk in the same way. He claims that such consistency signals his brain to prepare itself for work!
8. Exercise, do yoga or meditate. Relax yourself and unwind. This will help boost your creativity!
Trust me, this works like magic. Whenever you are stuck up with a problem, just wrap it up and leave it aside. Get up and move yourself. Exercise or do yoga. If you enjoy meditating, do that. This will open creative doors for you and you’ll be able to see the problem in a different perspective when you get back to it.
9. Travel. To a new place. See new things, meet new people, learn about their culture and come home with a boost in your imagination levels!
Travelling can do wonders to boost your creativity and imagination. Sometimes your brain gets bored of the same environment that you live in. A change of surroundings is all you need. Go to a new place. Travel to a place you’ve always wanted to. See new things, meet new people, have random conversations with strangers, learn about their culture, their lifestyle and you’ll come back home refreshed!
10. Listen to your favourite band or dance. Simple let yourself free and submit to the feeling. Lose yourself doing what you love!
Music is therapy. I have heard so many people say that whenever they listen to a particular song or their favourite band, they are filled with creative ideas. Some say that dancing is like meditation for them. The doors of creativity open wide when you do activities that you enjoy immensely. Do it for fun and without any stress. Rejuvenate yourself.
11. Go out and observe. Go for a walk in the park and observe the people, see the changes in nature and trust me, this’ll motivate your brain to be more creative.
This works for me. It might work for you. Go out for a walk. Maybe to a nearby park or a scenic place that you love. Sit on the park bench and observe. Observe the place and the people. See their body language, the way they talk, the way they look. Imagine their names, develop them into characters. Think of what you’d like to talk to them. If someone seems friendly enough, strike up a conversation. You’ll come home feeling so much better.
12. Research says the coffee shop is an ideal place to work from, since it has perfect decibel levels for brainstorming. Try that out!
According to a research, the coffee shop is an ideal place to work from. It is said that it has perfect decibel levels for brainstorming. The noise in the background is perfect to stimulate your imagination and creativity. And moreover, there’s coffee!
13. Take your camera and click pictures, even if you aren’t a professional photographer. Get behind the lens and see the world differently!
Even if you are not a photographer, try it. The world seems really different behind the lens. Take pictures of whatever that intrigues you. The simplest of things seem beautiful when captured in a photograph. It triggers your brain to think and see differently. It fuels your imagination. The colours will drench your creativity. And you’ll be satisfied with this trick.
14. Do something that you are scared of doing. Take risks and explore yourself!
Go for what you’ve always been scared of doing. Go for Bungee jumping, paragliding, surfing or that ride you are scared of. Adrenaline rush can work wonders when you are having a creativity block. It is also synonymous with taking risks in your work life. Go for that novel you’ve always wanted to write or for that project you’ve always believed won’t work. Go out and take risks.
15. When everything else fails, sleep works like a magic pill. Forget everything and sleep. Let your brain sort things out!
When nothing works, sleep is the magic pill. Leave everything aside and go to sleep. Let your over-stressed mind take a break. It needs it. Revive your energy. When you wake up in the morning, you’ll notice your thoughts are more coherent and sorted. And when you go back to your problem, you’ll work it out easily. All you needed was a break!
Try these. Because nothing’s worse than a creativity block!