Where do you draw your inspiration from ? Whether it be being in-tune with and  admiring nature, or could it be from the hustle and bustle of day to day life in the city. Every creative has their mind switched on looking for their next fix , or as you might call it “inspiration”. 

Within the world of content creation, graphic design or social media management its no different. Seeing how you can adapt your clients end game vision to the current trend to marry them seamlessly, or even something that may seem as simple as the deign of a logo is something that creatives are aways on the look out for.

Its the reason why you may hear from the to time people who work in the creative fields suffer from burnout or some type of block , that inhibits them from either churning out product all together or not to the quality that’s become the norm. 

According to GQ Magazine these are two simple yet effective ways to attempt to get yourself out of that rut that I personally use .

1. Make time to daydream

Modern life is busy – so much so that most people will look at you like you’ve grown a third head if you tell them to take time out and go for a walk. Contrary to popular belief, daydreaming is a key foundation of effective thinking. Consider when your best ideas come to you. For most, those lightning strikes of inspiration hit when we are doing other things – singing in the shower, for example, or walking the dog. To ideate well, try practising focused daydreaming. Read up on the area you’re looking to be creative in, then switch your brain off and do something else entirely. In 2009, Kalina Christoff at the University Of British Columbia discovered that more areas of our brain fire up when we daydream than when we’re engaged in vigorous work. This is why taking a brain break leads to incredible, fresh ideas.

2. Take action!

What good are your running trainers if they’re left to collect dust? When it comes to creativity, practise makes perfect. Not only do you need to generate ideas, you need to try them on for size too. Accept the inevitability that some ideas will fall flat; it is the lesson you learn from failure and the determination you build to keep going that will ultimately end with fruitful, creative results. Steve Jobs famously said, “Creativity is just connecting things.” Uncovering new ideas doesn’t have to be difficult; when we spend less time worrying about the process and more time putting practical steps into action, we can turn tangible ideas into real success.

3. Think without the box

We’ve all heard the phrase “Think outside the box” – but that actually doesn’t go far enough. If we want to be creative, we need to throw the box out altogether. To do that, we have to understand what the box is. The box represents our natural biases and assumptions that we’ve learned from our surroundings and upbringing. Though “assumption” may sound like a fairly innocuous issue, you only need to look at a case like Kodak to see its impact. Once a world leader in photography, its inability to embrace digital photography meant that when the new medium took off, it was left behind. Challenging your assumptions and throwing out the box altogether will give you access to untainted creativity.

4. Say no to ‘groupthink’

When there is cause to be creative, people are quick to recruit others to help them brainstorm new ideas. It is true that working with others to ideate can help with creativity, but only in the right conditions. One of the most common failings of group brainstorming sessions is the tendency to fall into “groupthink” – this refers to the phenomena whereby people latch on to and agree with a single idea in order to keep harmony, (whether or not they actually agree). To combat groupthink, ensure everyone prepares beforehand and brings their own, individual ideas to a brainstorming session. This will encourage team members to voice their own perspective before being influenced by others. Remember that sometimes debate can help us to refine our ideas further, especially when people maintain an open and positive mindset.

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