Thursday, June 19, 2014

What you can do when you're feeling stuck

by Bev Feldman of Linkoture

Picture it: You sit down in your studio space (or wherever you do your creative work). You are all pumped to to sit down with that blank canvas, to hear the whir of your sewing machine or the click of your knitting needles, to write a blog post of epic proportions. You get all of your tools ready and are all set to start working and....nothing. It is as if your brain has been emptied of all creative thoughts. 

We have all been there. 

What is a creative to do? What can you do to help get the creativity flowing once again in your brain? In late April, Stanford University published a study showing that walking helps to boost creativity. I definitely see the benefits that going for a walk has on my creativity, as I go for a walk nearly every day with my 7-month old now and I am constantly coming up with new design ideas for my jewelry.

It also made me wonder: what are some other things my fellow creatives do when they are feeling uninspired?

When Lynn Mahoney of Prunella's Workshop is feeling stuck, she switches creative gears. "I write fiction, draw, work on computer graphics, paint...or, if it's summer, I go to Davis Farmland and pet the goats."

Photo courtesy of Lynn Mahoney
Susanne Guirakhoo of Enchanted Hue takes her dog, Shadow, for a walk in the woods. "...I find lots of inspiration there (and plants to dye with and edible weeds). I love the quiet and the smells and how vegetation changes within days. The brain can just go on a walk on it's own, without distraction."

Image courtesy of Susanne Guirakhoo
Leanne Tremblay of Weavlea finds her creative fix by hiking. "For me hiking is so relaxing and renewing that when I get back in the studio I feel refreshed and ready to work."

Image courtesy of Leanne Tremblay
Like Lynn, I find switching gears really helps me when I'm feeling uninspired. In addition to making jewelry, I blog. I find that if I'm having writer's block, taking a break from the computer and sitting down to work on a new piece of jewelry really helps, and vice versa.

Sometimes, however, I just need to go something completely different from my everyday work. In addition to going for a walk, here are some suggestions for things to do when you are feeling stuck creatively

Boston Handmade suggestions for creativity

What do you do when you are feeling stuck?

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