How to get through a Creative Slump (part II)

As a follow up to this post about getting through a creative slump, I wanted to share a few more tips revolving around that topic. After the long Fourth of July weekend, I thought this would be the perfect time to share round two.

So here are four more tips to getting through a creative slump (we’re starting with #5 because 1-4 are right here).

5. Remember that things have a way of working themselves out.

This can be a tough pill to swallow sometimes, especially on the days where it feels like the walls are caving in around you. BUT it is true! Really, it is.

6. Know your limits + cut yourself some slack.

Truthfully, no one is expected to be ‘on’ all the time. You don’t expect that of others. Do you? So, you shouldn’t expect that of yourself either. We all have bad days, off days, and all together ‘I’m absolutely not even going to bother to put on real clothes today’ days. It happens. And there are plenty of other days to make things better. Know your limits and do your best not to overstep them…In other words, if you know you have a big deadline coming up don’t continue to agree to do other ‘little things’ for other people just because they asked. It’s okay to say no, especially when you already something else looming. It doesn’t mean you’re an evil person and no, that person will not ‘hate you’ for politely turning something down if you don’t have the time or energy for one more ‘little thing‘. P.S. If said person does end up hating you for something like that, you don’t want to know/ work with them anyway!

7. Be okay with sucking.

Trial and error can be a good thing, but it also means that you can’t be afraid of the errors. Right? Translation: Don’t be afraid to suck with the first draft (first product launch, first post in a new series, etc).

8. Work in intervals.

Work in short bursts until you get your groove back, Stella! This is something that a commenter, Kansas Ashley, mentioned in the last post about creative slumps and I thought it was a perfect addition to today’s list. She said…”One of the BEST methods Ive found recently is to work in time intervals. I set my device timer for one hour and focus all of my attention on one project, when the timer goes off I move on to another and so on throughout the work day…It so easy to focus when you know it has an end point.“

9. Know yourself.

And do what works for you. When I’m stuck or struggling with a project, I head to my nearest craft store and walk down every aisle. 9 times out of 10 all I need to do is visualize the supplies at my fingertips and I can come up with something (at least semi) interesting to make. And if it’s a writing assignment that I am having a hard time with, making things with my hands usually helps me think. So those are some things that work for me. They may not be the things that work for you though. The point is, you have to know yourself and do what works for you.

10. Go back to the good old days of pen and paper.

There is nothing like pen and paper, if you ask me. And starring at a computer screen all day can really suck your creativity dry. So, if you’re finding you have an issue in the inspiration department, give your computer a rest for a bit and jot down ideas and sketches with a big piece of paper and pen (or pencil if you like to erase). I do this a lot and it has been super helpful for me, but I’m not the only one… Sarah, who also commented on Part I of this series, said this…“When I feel uninspired, I try mindmapping. Sit down with a blank paper in front of you and just write a word in the middle like summer than write everything that comes to your mind like drinks, picnics,  party, friends, ice-cream and suddenly I have 1000 ideas and I get excited again. Its the best!”

So, that’s it…six more tips to get you out of a creative slump.

Have your own thoughts to share? Feel free to post your tips and tricks for getting inspired in the comments below.

And don’t miss Part I of this series as well, which can be read right here.