Friday, February 28, 2020
How to Overcome Creative Obstacles
Adobe 99U: Many of us are busy, overextended, and doing our best to cram as much as we can in a day. No wonder many of us struggle to find time to properly ruminate on a big idea that’s been lingering. It might flourish into something significant, but only if you give it the space and attention it needs. You might think that multitasking is the answer, and fruitlessly keep adding it to the bottom of your to-do list.
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I love the part that talks about going to thrift stores to start thinking innovatively. It made me think back on all of the times I have gone to Goodwill or Avalon without a distinct item in mind. I have purchased so many cool pieces with the anticipation of altering them. Stores like that have piqued my creativity in ways that I have not even noticed. Also, this semester I have dedicated more of my time to just being still and resting my mind. I have eased myself into mindless creativity that is not forced, such as journalling or just drawing what I see. It has been interesting integrating that into my schedule because I have never before set aside time to fill that purpose. Right now, as I type this, I can go to that place where I allow myself to take those breaks, and having that has benefited me. The beginning of this career path has been interesting because I no longer have creativity as an outlet. How do you get an outlet from your outlet? That has been a looming question for the past seven months, and I think I am starting to figure out how to navigate the answer.
This was a fantastic article, and really dug into some aspects of creative obstacles that I don’t often see being discussed. I was drawn to read this, because I feel that I’ve been in a creative rut myself this past few months, and this has been very eye-opening. I was particularly moved by the “no on without off” philosophy—that sometimes, you have to recognize when giving yourself a break is the more productive decision, even if you have so much to do and it seems like a waste of time. Something I’ve learned about myself in the last year is recognizing when my brain gets overloaded and blocked from creativity, and when I notice that, to allow myself to take a break. The other part of this article that I felt was really applicable was allowing yourself time and freedom to begin noticing things. For example, the last few weeks of school have been very demanding, and I noticed myself getting tired and disconnected from the work I was creating. I was assigned projects and I didn’t feel excited about them. But, this weekend (today!) I ventured out to the Andy Warhol museum, and I left feeling super inspired and excited to create art. The whole ordeal took about 3 hours, and it refreshed my mindset. It’s a good reminder to self-analyze and see what methods can help, especially when a career where you always have to have the creativity turned on.
I think it’s good that this article covered the fact that you need to sleep in order to properly process information and think. Like stated, I will often forego sleeping when I get a creative burst late at night because it feels so rare for that to happen and for me to have the time to do anything about it. Especially with having classes and crew giving me little time to do outside projects. Another thing mentioned is lacking inspiration. Sometimes I’ll watch videos of people doing cool things, or listen to fun music in order to get my inspiration going. Also doing things outside of my comfort zone does help with that as well. I should try to force myself out of the little bubble of my home/school and go to museums, etc. I strongly connect with the feeling of being overwhelmed with the world. I get into a rut thinking about all of the possibilities and whatnots that I won’t even begin anything. I’ll also get incredibly stressed about what I’m creating, whether or not it’ll be good enough, if I’m going to make mistakes or if anyone else is going to like it. I guess I should listen to the advice they have where I should think of it as a creative outlet for myself.
I'm really glad that this was included in this week's news articles as I'm sure everyone has found themselves stuck in a creative rut several times before. I for one encounter creative roadblocks constantly. I often find myself staring at an assignment with no idea what I would like to create, and if I do figure that part out, I'll have no idea how to realize my design. I found this article really helpful. The tips were specific enough for them to actually be helpful, but I also feel like they were general enough to apply to people of all areas of design and people who all think and work very differently. What stuck out to me the most was the part about simply experimenting and trying to create something new instead of trying to recreate a previous success. I often struggle when it comes to stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things simply because I'm scared that it might absolutely fail. However, I think that failures are a good thing, and when it comes to design, I find it really interesting how you can spin a failure into something completely new and beautiful.
I always find that the articles from this Adobe site seem to come at just the right time for me. I’ve been feeling creatively off for a while, in terms of personal creation and fulfillment in that sense. Something I’ve struggled with and have had to work through (and still am working with) is the fact that art & theatre are no longer done solely for fun and creative fulfillment- I go to school and study theatre for grades and feedback, Susan assigns us wacky and ephemeral art projects that require a deep creative dive, and theatre is no longer a break from school-- it is school. I am still learning how to more gracefully navigate this shift in my school/theatre/life balancing act, and I suspect that I may never achieve a perfect balance no matter what I do- it’s more about learning which area (or blend thereof) to prioritize at the time and which to work on at a later date.
I really appreciate some of the things that this article points out. Especially the one where they say that if you're lacking inspiration, it helps to shock your creative system by doing something unexpected or doing things differently. That is something that I've never really thought of, but it makes sense. Creativity is such a non-linear thing. Something that you cannot plan out nor fully anticipate. So I completely understand how switching things up can ignite a new fire in your creative soul. It's why many artists like to travel the world and see new things and gain new experiences. They become inspired and their creative juices start flowing. I will say, though, that there is no "rule book" for creativity. Some of these things may work for some people but may also be of no help to others. Creativity is something that exists in people in different ways. You have to work at understanding yourself and see what works for you. It's also something that is constantly changing within yourself, so in many ways, you sometimes have to ride the wave and figure it out as you go along.
I think this article is incredibly relevant to art school students. There is so much expected of us as far as creativity in such a short amount of time that it is hard not to feel creatively drained most of the time. I really like what the article says about how your mind can’t be turned on unless it is turned off some of the time. I think this is really important. Unfortunately, most of us don’t get nearly enough sleep which directly contributes to our inability to be creative when we need to be. This article has some really great tips including budgeting your time wisely. I know that I am not nearly as organized as I should be. If I actually broke my days down and set aside time to answer emails and that kind of thing then I probably wouldn’t be as distracted the rest of the time.
Creative block as been such an issue for me this semester, and honestly it has become very difficult to work through. As another comment above said, I am also glad the article highlighted and brought up the importance of sleep. I think as college students, we have a tendency to put our work over our health, and pulling all nighters is not as big of a deal as the effects may be. I have learned the hard way that without good and proper sleep at night, there is a significant difference in how productive and positive I am when going into my work. Maybe some people can function with less sleep, but I have learned to stop sacrificing my mental and physical health for an assignment. There can be a balance, and it can be hard to find, but there is one for everybody, between work, school, and social. With enough sleep, the probability of being creative clearly goes up, I believe.
I have found myself in a couple creative ruts in the past few months but this semester (for the first time in my life) I have started to realise how much taking a break actually impacts the quality of my work. Performing actions without intent has always been something I have had dificulty with and “mindless creativity” (as Emma put it) has not been something I have achieved probably since early childhood. This semester, however, I have noticed how much better my quality of life is when I put myself - and not the art - first. I go to weekly yoga sessions that really set the tone for my week; I take time on pretty days to soak outside and just be there; I try to prioritise sleep. The amazing thing is that I used to think that taking time to slow down and do these things would just be time out of my day where I was not working but, instead, I feel more creative, better rested and prepared, and more spiritually and mentally healthy than if I was not taking the time.
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