What to do and how to overcome creative crisis

At all creative crisis or as it is also called creative stagnation, is a very common problem that many people face in life.

Stupor in the head, lack of inspiration, no flow of new thoughts and ideas, an adequate assessment of the results of one’s own work has been lost, a feeling of complete emptiness - that’s all obvious signs the presence of a creative crisis in a person.
If suddenly a person’s inspiration has disappeared, and there are no thoughts in his head, then you need not to get upset and collect your thoughts, because you need to fight this.

• How to overcome creative crisis

The very problem of overcoming creative blockade lies in its specific individuality. It’s like in the case of fighting laziness, first you need to understand the reason for its occurrence. One must ask why this stagnation in creativity occurred? And when the reasons why the crisis arose are analyzed in the head, then it will be much easier for a person to cope with it.

The main cause of a creative crisis can easily be called overwork. In this case, reducing the speed of work or complete rest. After all, it is impossible to work completely without rest, or in the end this will lead to the fact that working capacity completely disappears, fatigue appears and apathy or severe depression sets in. When a person does not forget about his own proper rest and constantly alternates work with it, then again and again he returns to it full of vigor, with a charge new energy and great enthusiasm. You can also go to the cinema to watch some inspiring film, visit a photo exhibition or go to art gallery, relax on the beach or go fishing. One person, in order to get out of a creative crisis that arose due to fatigue, just needs to sleep for a few days and spend time with family and friends; for another person, only a full-fledged long vacation will help. Everything directly depends on how high the degree of fatigue is.

A photographer from Sweden named Kelly Gustafson says that when he gets low and loses his inspiration, he goes on vacation for two weeks. And during it he just watches people and listens to music. For him this is the most The best way distract yourself, leave the confines of your work and overcome stagnation in creativity.

A very common cause of creative block is personal problems: conflict at work, a quarrel at home or with a loved one, illness of a relative, and so on. Any trouble can completely unsettle a creative person, because he is a very vulnerable person. To overcome creative stagnation, you need to understand that life is striped like a zebra. And once the troubles arise, they will end anyway and all the bad things will quickly be forgotten. But the best solution here we will still do everything possible to exclude the influence of personal reasons on the creative process. It is necessary to take measures so that melancholy ceases to be the cause of a creative crisis, so if there is a quarrel with someone, there is no need to gnaw at yourself from the inside, you just need to make peace and that’s it. If a firm decision has arisen in your head to part with your loved one, then you need to quickly burn all bridges and start a new life.

It happens that creative stagnation occurs due to a lack of information. There is only one way out - to find her. Everyone has their own ways of searching, remembering and processing the information they find.

An artist and designer from Michigan named Chuck Anderson often looks to bookstores for inspiration. A stack of magazines, books and a cup of coffee. He also sometimes takes his computer there, but more often he just flips through the pages and looks at other people’s ideas, drawing a lot from there for himself. Various publications about music, sports, art, tattoos, culture and design are what Chuck Anderson likes to read most. He is oversaturated with the amount of information received and this almost always brings him out of a creative crisis.

Here's a freelance illustrator from England, whose name is Jasper Goodell. In moments of lack of inspiration, he prefers to visit the university library and completely buries himself there, in old editions of photo magazines and geographical design, choosing from there only those things that inspired his imagination. Then he goes home, where he prints them out and pastes them into a specially created scrapbook from various literature. And after all this, a lot of new ideas arise in his head.

The next reason why creative stagnation occurs is the monotony of both life and one’s own work. In this case, new impressions are urgently needed. It is necessary to expand your leisure time, completely change the rhythm of life and at the same time introduce something new into your creativity. You can, for example, take on some unusual project or change your specific workflow. You can introduce various innovations into your life in different ways: make new friends, design the interior of your apartment, and so on. We must remember that with creative stagnation there is a fear of everything new.

If suddenly the cause of a creative crisis was that a person is dissatisfied with his own work, then you need to re-evaluate your work. Because it happens that a person criticizes his work groundlessly. In this case, it is very difficult for those people who endlessly delve into themselves to experience this crisis. Of the great people, Kafka, Chekhov and Dostoevsky were prone to this. But if in fact it turns out that the work a certain person is not good enough, then you need to work on the mistakes and understand how to make it better. Here you should pay attention to the creativity of your colleagues, and perhaps even competitors in the desired field of knowledge and try to learn something from them.

When Minneapolis artist and designer Chad Hagen experiences a creative crisis, he visits places that make him want to become even better. He pays attention to the creativity of various people and thereby starts his existing creative potential. For him, the best cure for this kind of crisis is the extraordinary things that other people have done. Chad Hagen visits museums, exhibitions and galleries that reawaken his desire to return to his work and create something special.

A creative crisis can also arise due to working on a large-scale project, where at some stage of work on it a person will become overwhelmed with emotions. This may be due to huge plans, large quantity various options embodiment, interweaving of several ideas that have no end. In this case, a person is frightened by the scale of the project and does not understand how and where to start, because the thoughts are all mixed up in his head, and also the deadlines put pressure on him and do not allow him to relax for a second, and this is where creative stupor arises. The solution to this problem can only be proper planning of your own time and correct goal setting. You need to disassemble your project into its component parts and determine clear deadlines and time for their implementation, make a list of tasks that need to be solved in this project. And then you can move towards the implementation of your own object, and when the first successes are achieved, they will inspire further work.

And a few more tips on how to overcome creative stagnation:

Everyone knows well that in order to achieve or receive positive result in absolutely any activity it is necessary to alternate between physical and brainwork. If suddenly there comes a feeling that a creative crisis is coming, you need to load your head with physically difficult work - this is the best medicine for her at such a moment. You can visit Gym, to dig up a garden for relatives or friends, in general, in one word, you have to sweat in the literal sense of the word. After all, physical activity is especially useful for creative people, because they spend most of their lives in a sedentary state.

For example, a creative from California, whose name is Justin Christmeier, gets out of creative stagnation with the help of a fairly long run. He believes that new ideas are in fat, and, therefore, if you burn a small part of your fat, you can release these ideas and find a use for them. Justin takes him for a run mobile phone and writes down new, suddenly arising ideas into it.

But a Danish photographer named Keith Holtermand listens to music when he experiences creative block. He says that an inexhaustible source of inspiration is music. She is an assistant for him in raising his spirits. He created his works while listening to such amazing musicians as Sigur Rós - this is his favorite, Jonsi and Alex, Air, Dead Can Dance and others.

A writer and correspondent for a weekly magazine called “Russian Reporter,” whose name is Marina Akhmedova, can write something only after a full eight hours of sleep and not a minute less, otherwise a stupor occurs in her head.

A creative director at Google named Ji Lee, in turn, when a creative crisis occurs, does the following:
He spends a long time in the shower and stands directly under the running water, so he thinks completely differently. Ji believes that water washes away all old thoughts and creates a feeling of self-renewal.
Then he cleans and puts things in order, because he cannot think fully if everything around him is a complete mess.
If suddenly the two above options do not work, then he goes for a ride on a motorcycle, completely forgetting about his project.
In the end, some of this helps him.

Dat Sun, who is an artist and illustrator from California, believes that creative stagnation is very discomfort, for this reason he tries to prevent its occurrence. There are many ways for him to make his brain work. For example, he watches a movie or reads books. It also helps Dat San to meet friends who have other interests.

How to do your job without getting out of a creative crisis:

If suddenly there is a feeling of internal resistance and you don’t want to work at all, then you need to force yourself to write at least one page and look at the result. After all, appetite very often comes during eating.

When moments of creative block arise, it is very necessary to have blanks available. For example, for a journalist this may be an unedited or in progress article or some other material that remains from already published articles. They may not help you get out of a creative block, but when there is no inspiration, they will definitely help you not to fall face down in front of your customers or your management.

At that moment when complete creative impotence sets in, you must, under no circumstances, sit back and not torment yourself with thoughts about when it will all end. It is necessary to do the work for which there is often not enough time, namely: put all the papers on shelves, purchase the necessary stationery items, read specialized literature, and so on. In a word, be fully prepared for the moment when inspiration returns.

A graphic designer from San Francisco named Christopher Simons has a problem that he often knows how to solve, but it turns out to be too complicated and he gives up. A complete switch to another type of work helps him overcome this uncertainty. This work should be simple and unrelated to the previous one. Christopher includes such work as cleaning the garage, painting office switches, and things like that. After that, he returns to his problem again and looks at it with completely different eyes, because now it seems to him like a mere trifle.

For every person, creative stagnation is a whole test; for some it is severe, and for others it is so-so. But one thing we must remember is that when it appears in life, it is best to turn to the above methods in order to return your entire work process to normal. These tips will also help not only cope with the creative crisis itself, but also help prevent its occurrence in advance.

Before you overcome writer's block, think about this. Creative crisis is a very individual thing, so you need to look for solutions only those that suit you. These are just ideas that might lead to something...

Storm

Brainstorming is the best tactic to eliminate creative block. We take paper (a computer is not suitable) and write down... Everything that concerns the topic, everything that does not concern the topic, everything that you think and don’t think about this... We do this for a quarter of an hour, after which we get distracted by something other. In about ten minutes you can review everything you’ve written...Either the idea will come on its own, or everything will come together from this rubbish.

You can also name three numbers and look in the dictionary at the pages with these numbers. We look at every fourth word from the bottom on each page and look for inspiration here. Stupid? And your brain will relax and allow you to create.

New impressions

It’s unlikely that you can travel around the world, changing your impressions, but you can just walk around, look at people and look for patterns. The creative crisis is simply afraid of new images! Try going to an unusual place sports section. You can also try to get to work (or even to your usual store) by different roads every day.

A change of environment works the same way: this will help you get rid of the cycle and be able to break the patterns of your work. Try to make a change, go to nature and work there. You can ride a bicycle, but it is important not to think about the project at all when riding.

Another option for a change of scenery, albeit not so positive, is offered by writer Claire Dederer. So, you can lock yourself in an expensive hotel for several days. Ask the service staff not to disturb you at all and not to give you the keys even if you really ask. It is advisable that the hotel be in some dull area. Take with you everything that invigorates you, be it sweets or coffee, as well as books that you love but haven’t read more than once. Your task is to write ten thousand words if you are a writer. Other professions may have other tasks.

Ask the water for help

You can take a shower, even a cold one. It will certainly wash away everything that has become ballast and prevents you from creating further. You can ask Agatha Christie herself how to overcome a creative crisis: the queen of detective stories looked for inspiration...in washing dishes. Actually, during this process she wanted to kill someone, but that’s not the point. This process really allows you to get out of a creative block.

Another option is to swim. But not in the bathroom. If there is a cold body of water near you, run to it and take a dip.

Go back to your past

Namely, re-read old works. You can choose the best ones. Inspiration is a mysterious thing, perhaps it will remember the mechanisms by which you previously created masterpieces. This is why you need to create and update your portfolio more often.

Don't be yourself

If you are in a stupor, try to imagine that you are not you, but someone else. For example, a restaurant chef, a plumber, or even... an opossum. This will help you look at the problem from a new angle. So, if overcoming writer's block requires you to stand upside down and feel like a possum, do it.

Another option. Imagine that you are creating text, a program or an advertisement not for people, but, for example, for dogs or for aliens from Saturn. If you can change your approach, you will also get out of your creative crisis.

Listen to music

Preferably without words, so that you are not told what to think. Look for something that can become a design for the ear. You can write or sketch while an inspiring track plays.

You can also calmly take someone else’s idea and bring it to mind. Understand that it is impossible to come up with something new all the time and no one can do that.

By the way, this may not only be related to work. Find old drawing and bring it to mind. Or find your old bike and customize it.

Switch

Isn't it happening? A freelancer can clean a room, or someone working in an office can solve several organizational issues. This way you will solve a long-standing domestic problem and disconnect.

Enjoy your crisis

It's hard, especially when the deadline is looming, but it's better to enjoy it than to stress yourself out. What can be done?

Start working on anything. Even if it turns out to be complete nonsense, you have already started, which means inspiration will remember you.

Write (draw, create) something interesting just for you. Not for money, but for yourself, your beloved. Perhaps it is after this that a second wind will open.

Try changing your working method. For example, use new programs or start writing only with your left hand.

Accept your crisis. This time should be used to fill yourself with something new and something that can be used later.

In the meantime, understand that even the greats have had such stagnation and they were able to overcome it. So don't give up and perhaps you too will be counted among the great creators.

And her one important point. Some successful works were created without much inspiration, for example, just for the sake of a fee. And the fact that the authors themselves experienced a crisis and criticized themselves for this work does not detract from the merits of this work. Just create, and your fans will finish everything for you.

A common cause of creative crisis is overwork. Enthusiastic people forget about rest, do not get enough sleep, and if problems in life are added to this, personal life, things can end in apathy and depression. How to get out of a creative crisis without losses.

Almost every person who takes their work seriously has experienced a creative crisis. Lack of new ideas, loss of inspiration, emptiness, a feeling of mental stupor when it is difficult to concentrate on work, the inability to adequately evaluate its results are the main symptoms of a creative crisis.

This condition can last from several days to several weeks and even months. This difficult test has its reasons.

What factors contribute to the onset of a crisis of creativity?

One of the main causes of creative crisis is overwork. A person who is too carried away by the creative process forgets about rest, fearing that inspiration will leave him. However, the emotional uplift that accompanies the creative process is replaced by fatigue, apathy and depression. The body is tired and requires a break, because it has used up its energy reserves and needs time to replenish them.

People whose work involves creativity often lack sleep, which also contributes to overwork.

Another common cause of creative crisis is lack of harmony in personal life. A crisis in life entails a crisis in creativity. Creative people are usually deeply vulnerable, and it is not so difficult to upset their mental balance. Discord in the team, quarrels in the family, financial difficulties, illness loved one etc. - such problems prevent them from concentrating and fully surrendering to the creative process.

A creative crisis comes from monotony and routine. Everyday life, lack of vivid impressions and source of inspiration.

Some creative people fall into a creative stupor even if they have too much work to do. On initial stage When implementing it, they may have so many different ideas and plans that, due to the confusion in their thoughts, it can be difficult for them to systematize them and decide where to start. That is, their crisis comes not because they have nothing to say, but because they immediately want to express too much.

It also happens that a lack of access to the necessary information leads to a creative crisis.

Creative people - writers and poets, artists and musicians - are often too demanding of themselves, and if the completed work does not live up to their expectations, they can destroy it. At the same time, they often become depressed and for a long time refuse creative work.

How to get out of a creative crisis

Translated from ancient Greek, the word “crisis” means a transitional state, a turning point, a revolution, etc. Thus, those who are overcome by a creative crisis must realize that this is a temporary phenomenon. You just need to wait it out, because a creative crisis is not the end, but just a pause that you need to take advantage of to give your body a break.

We can say that a creative crisis is useful for a person: it is given in order to put thoughts in order and solve long-standing problems for which there was not enough time before.

1. In a state of emptiness, characteristic of a creative crisis, you should not force yourself to get your work off the ground - both time and effort will be wasted, which will only increase despair and depression.

Not every job can be put off until inspiration strikes. Deceiving oneself by persuading oneself to work for at least half an hour often helps to overcome internal resistance and stubborn reluctance to get down to business. Practice shows that this half hour stretches over several hours, until all or most of no work will be done. The well-known rule “Appetite comes with eating” also justifies itself here.

There is another interesting opinion. The artist Van Gogh advised: “If an inner voice tells you that you can no longer paint, continue to paint until it is silent.” He is echoed by another classic who has experienced a creative crisis more than once - N.V. Gogol. He said: “If you can’t write today, then write - there’s something I can’t write today.” You just have to start - and the necessary thoughts will come on their own.

2. During a creative crisis, a forced break from work can be used to switch to other things that had to be put off due to busyness: repairs, doctor’s visits, organizing closets, etc. They will distract from depressive thoughts that “everything is disappeared" and inspiration will never return (see ""). Moreover, when new ideas appear, there will be no time left for household chores.

3. Creative people work mainly while sitting, and, as you know, to achieve best results Mental work should be alternated with physical work. Physical exercise, especially on fresh air, improve blood circulation and nutrition of the brain, so you shouldn’t sit in one place for hours and torment yourself with finding the best solutions.

If signs of creative block appear, it is worth taking a break from work for a while and warming up - running, going to the gym or swimming pool, working in the garden, or just taking a walk in the park. It is also useful to simply stand under the shower or lie in the bath - the water “washes away” all the negativity, and the person feels renewed.

Yoga and meditation can help relieve tension and allow you to relax.

5. Many people who are “caught up” with a creative crisis are “treated” with books, music, and films. Some people find it helpful to go to book Shop, and for some, viewing old photographs. Some people need to be alone, while others need to meet with friends who can give them a fresh idea or make them look at a problem with different eyes.

The time of creative crisis should be used to visit theaters, concerts, museums, exhibitions, because the more diverse the interests and the higher cultural level man, the more significant his ideas. Moreover, someone’s picture or melody may well serve as an impetus for new creative ideas (see “”).

However, psychologists do not advise looking for inspiration in the works of colleagues: it is better for a writer to look through albums with reproductions, and for an artist to read a book. Otherwise, a person who is in a creative stupor will inevitably compare himself with a colleague and draw conclusions that are not in his favor.

7. Psychologists believe that the most effective method way out of creative stagnation - urgently change the environment, changing the “picture” before your eyes for a while. Everyday monotony and routine lead to a gradual fading of the feeling of joy and happiness, when everything comes easily and simply.

It is impossible to give unambiguous advice - one for everyone - on how to get out of a creative stupor. Everyone has experienced this condition sooner or later. creative person- and everyone has their own recipe. After all, the main thing is to rest, relax and temporarily switch to another activity.

And everyone has their own ways of doing this. For one person it is enough to sleep and relax with his family, while for another he needs to be alone, having gone far and long. Some people are “cured” by going to the mountains, while others are treated by vintage shopping. The only thing you shouldn’t do is fuel your psyche with alcohol and drugs - the emotional outburst after using them will eventually turn into deep depression.

Creative crisis can sometimes become a real scourge for copywriters, bloggers and, in general, everyone creative people regardless of nationality, age, gender and political views. Where does it come from? How to overcome it? And how can we make sure that it occurs as rarely as possible? Today's article will answer all these questions.

Where does creative crisis come from?

Creative crisis- this is a temporary state in which the creative process falls into a stupor, ideas flee from the head like rats from a sinking ship, and begins to be officially listed as missing.

This may be due to fatigue, stress, feeling unwell or with a banal one. In the previous article, we looked at this negative concept as excessive motivation. It can also trigger a writer's block.

Creative crisis: ways to overcome it

Whatever the reasons lead to the development of mental dead ends, there are always several ways to put everything in its place, which we will consider further.

1. Good rest

One of the most harmless ways to overcome creative block is to have a good rest, fill your life with entertainment and do what gives you pleasure. If your conscience awakens, then let it rest with you. Iron “excuse”: every person needs rest, no matter how workaholic he may be.

2. Physical activity

Physical activity is another way to overcome creative block. Unlike relaxation, in this case, pleasure and entertainment are not expected, instead there are severe trials physical exercise, horizontal bars, dumbbells and other equipment.

Physical activity is useful not only because it will save you from a creative crisis, but also because additional physical activity will keep you constantly in shape and serve as a prevention of troubles that plague people with a constantly sedentary lifestyle.

3. Task switching

If creative crisis prevents you from making progress in some endeavor, put it aside for a while and do something else. For example, if you are a freelancer and work from home, do the cleaning, cook dinner, hang a picture, or do the laundry dirty laundry. If you work in an office, switch to other tasks, do a couple of organizational things, learn something new, etc.

Thus, you will kill two birds with one stone:

1. Get rid of creative block
2. You will do those things that you would have to do sooner or later

4. Brainstorm

If a creative crisis leads to the fact that thoughts stubbornly do not want to come to your mind or barely stretch one after another, getting lost on the way to your consciousness, you can speed them up. This is done with the help of so-called brainstorming.

The essence of the method is that you switch to the mode of generating ideas (and only generation). At this stage, you don't think good idea or bad. You can generate complete nonsense, the main thing is to record all your thoughts.

Then review what you came up with. The result obtained will lead you to new thoughts and ideas, and the work will begin to boil. In any case, by examining the fruits of the generation of your mind, you will be a little distracted, and if you’re lucky, you’ll have fun, so it certainly won’t be in vain.

5. Tips

If a creative crisis torments you and gives you no rest, then you can always ask friends and acquaintances for advice. All people are social beings, everyone has connections, no matter in real life or on the web.

In addition, you can always use tools such as ICQ, Twitter , social media and other environments to get a whole bunch of advice and food for thought from people you may not even know.

6. Problems

A radical option to combat creative crisis. Artificially creating problems to create a sense of contrast. It is possible that by resorting to this method, you will get a sky full of diamonds, a headache, damaged relationships with people, extra financial expenses and total demoralization, but there will be no trace of a creative crisis. You can be sure that you will have something to say, something to describe, and you will be pierced by streams of violent feelings that you can throw out in your creativity.

This is the first phase. The second phase occurs when you deal with your problems and experience relief. After this, any creative crisis will not be worth a damn, and, therefore, as a problem, will cease to exist for you.

Main question: where to find problems? This good in Slavic countries Enough with the head. Flush the condom down the toilet from the upper floors, shout “Spartak champion!” in the locker room of Dynamo Kyiv, lean out of the window with a mop during events under the windows with the participation of senior officials - and problems will be guaranteed.

7. Revision and rework

If a creative crisis stubbornly does not allow new ideas and thoughts to come to you, you can use alternative options approach to work. One of these options is refining or reworking existing ideas.

It is physically impossible to always create something new. Whatever you do, there will always be people who have either already done something in this area or are doing something in this moment. And if so, there are no reasons preventing you from taking someone else’s idea and implementing it in your own way, making it better and finalizing it.

In this case, you:

1. First, you get rid of creative crisis
2. Secondly, develop a direction
3. Thirdly, you save a lot of time

Of course, conceptual novelty cannot be compared with any improvement, but, in many cases, this is relevant and justified. Take some ideas

Crisis, stupor, naked - this state can be called differently, but it always means the same thing - the absence of new ideas or the inability to implement them. sometimes it leaves all creative people who suffer incredibly from this. If you can't create, it often means you can't work, which leads to a flood of sad thoughts and discomfort. Today we will talk about how to get out of a creative block - there are a lot of ways, try and choose the ones you like. And don’t forget to share your ways of overcoming the crisis in the comments.

1. Inspiring work from other authors in your field can work wonders. Read/watch/listen and get inspired. Reading wonderful works by other authors has pulled me out of a crisis more than once.
2. Get away from the computer, the Internet and other sources of information. Turn off your phone and don't distract yourself with conversations. Stay alone with yourself - nature and other secluded places are perfect for this. It may take a few days to wake your up, but when it does, it's best to have a pen and pad handy to jot down ideas. :-)
3. Look through your old ideas - both implemented and remaining ideas. Very often inspiration comes from one's own creations.
4. Chat with people who have completely different interests than you, or better yet, do something together with them that you don’t usually do.
5. Try changing your daily routine dramatically. For example, get up at 5 am and try to create something.
6. Diversify your activities and interests, enrich yourself. Have you long wanted to read a book, try yourself in sports or learn? Well, now is the time. Stupor is the child of stagnation. Let new energies and ideas into your life, and inspiration will not keep you waiting.
7. – do something new, intriguing and scary. The emotions of simply discovering something fresh will take you to the right wave. Do something crazy, weird, wild!
8. The brain, like muscles, needs a variety of loads. To get out of a creative block, it’s good to practice logical thinking, read a serious, complex book or study.
9. Try to overload yourself with information from different sources. In order to create, you need to consume. Beat yourself to capacity, digest and start creating something new!
10. Change not only work time, but also their locations. For example, you can work not only in the office or at home, but also in a coffee shop, on the roof of a building, on the grass in a park, at a train station, etc.
11. Don't strive for results. If you need to complete a project or order, but inspiration doesn’t come, forget about the task and just do what you want, what you like. Along the way, you may come up with an idea for a project.
12. Walking has always helped me and continues to help me. If I feel stuck, I take my player and go for a walk along the city streets, temporarily forgetting about my tasks. I listen to music, look at the buildings and passers-by, clear my head. Upon returning from a walk (and sometimes during it), I am overwhelmed by a stream of new ideas.

And to get out of a creative crisis, it is useful to stop thinking about the crisis and ways to get out of it. :-) If you can’t create, do other things. Communicate, take care of home and yourself, help friends, do whatever you want - even lie on the couch all day long, just without thinking about work and the crisis of new ideas! Sometimes creative block is a hint that you need a good rest.