Overcoming Creative Block
By Paris Lay, copywriter & Kyle Qualls, digital content writer
Mad Genius has cultivated a reputation for providing outside-of-the box ideas for our clients’ campaigns. As much as we’d like to say that our ideas are always as free-flowing as the mighty Mississippi River, we’d be fibbing. It doesn’t matter how much talent you have, eventually you’re going to be stuck. We’re talking Snickers-bar-stuffed-in-a-jar-of-chunky-peanut-butter-on-a-cold-winter-night stuck.
So what should an ambitious creative do when the ideas aren’t ideas-ing?
Four Tips to Killing Creative Blockage
1. Change the Scenery
Literally and metaphorically, get away from the place you’re stuck. At Mad Genius, many on the creative team will migrate from our desks to a couch or the café (or the bar) or anywhere that offers a fresh perspective. Every so often, that’s all it takes to shake the cobwebs loose. Each new environment is a new set of seemingly insignificant details that could spark your next big idea.
2. Take a Break
Occasionally, to get to work, you have to stop working. It sounds counterintuitive, but it can…work. The creative team is encouraged to take breaks as regularly as possible. Breaks help us reapproach work with a fresh perspective—it also helps us brush off the work we’ve already done. Not working allows the subconscious to tackle problems while you play a few levels of Candy Crush, watch a five-minute lore video about Robert’s Rebellion, or chat over a fresh cup of coffee with your favorite coworkers.
3. Admire Some Work
Google is free. Use it to check out techniques from your favorite creatives and see if you can incorporate it into your workflow. Take a gander at some paintings, read a comic book, listen to some music—do something that fills your presently empty tank with the energy you need to keep going. If you’re feeling particularly bold, look at your own past work to see what you would do differently and use your current project to try it out.
4. Collaborate With Others
If you’re really struggling, it’s okay to ask for help. Few things work better than a fresh set of eyes and an uncooked brain on the problem you've spent hours trying to get past. Your collaborator doesn’t need to give you a new idea per se, it can be as simple as getting a second opinion. Whether that opinion sparks a new idea entirely, or their thought turns out to be the exact fix you needed, a fresh perspective can make all the difference.
More Genius Tips to Keep You Creative
We asked other employees how they stay creatively flowy, and here’s what they said:
Ryan Farmer, COO
“Google some inspiration. Take a walk. Do some chores. Exercise.”
Stacy Clark, digital project manager
“I look at other artists' work, have conversations with other artists, take walks, read… whatever I need to do to relax for a little while and get away from the immediate problem I'm trying to solve.”
Ethan Head, interactive art director
“Take a step away and work on something else for a while, or just give it a day. When I come back and look at something fresh, I tend to view the problem more objectively and with less tunnel-vision.”
Sarah Guinn, account coordinator
“I make a mess to clean it up. I start throwing stuff on a page/screen/canvas/whatever it is and then start correcting what, I feel, is wrong with it. In photography, I'll make a lot of really bad edits and then go in and fix them until it looks good again.”
Andrew Long, SEO developer
“First, I take a step back from the work being done. Many people will look up or scour the internet for inspiration, which can be beneficial at times. Personally, I like to go for a walk, or go outside and try to pay attention to the detail around me. The people, the cars passing by, the weather, and nature. I begin to think of stories, perspective, and nuances about it all. It helps me get out of my reflective and critical way of thinking about the project at hand and allows me to think like my inner child. Letting curiosity lead my thoughts, which leads to me developing ideas about life, work, etc.
“For me, it's a brain cleanser away from social media, the internet, and messages. Essentially, creating a clean slate in my head before getting back into the weeds of it all. I'm not entirely sure if this is beneficial, but it's something that helps ground me back into the creative flow before tackling a task, project, website, etc.
“Also, taking out the frustration on Call of Duty helps.”
The Guaranteed Cure for Creative Clog
Maybe you’ve gotten to the end of this blog and are thinking to yourself, “But Paris and Kyle, I’ve tried all of these things and I still can’t find the creative juice I need to complete [whatever project you’re working on].” Well, we’ve got good news: there’s still one more solution to even the most stubborn creative blockage…
Us. Mad Genius. Paris, Kyle, and the rest of our team will help you get where you need to go. Reach out, and let’s chat.