Brain on pause: How to Get Through A Creative Block And Come Up With New Ideas
Have you ever found yourself staring at a blank page or canvas, unable to write a word or draw a line? Or you’ve had a great idea, but when you try to execute it, you find yourself stuck, unable to move forward. These are common and deeply relatable experiences for anyone who engages in creative thinking.
Below we’ll look at the most typical cause of creative blocks and tell you how to deal with it. By the way, it will be more about relaxation than hard work.
Why do ideas get stuck at a dead end?
You can get trapped at one point for many reasons, but control is number one.
It’s the same control that makes sure you conform, don’t lose face, keep your cool and play by the rules. When it comes to relationships, we usually recognize it, and we say in such cases: “I’m afraid of being criticized,” “That’s not the way it’s done there,” etc. But when control turns against some internal process, such as creativity, it is not as customary to recognize it.
This control is especially pronounced under the pressure of “ I must.”
“I must urgently come up with a sellable concept,” “I must write a clickbait Facebook post,” and “My painting must become a masterpiece.”
The problem is that control belongs to the sphere of order, the rational. Creativity, in turn, is the sphere of chaos, the irrational one. That is, in essence, they are opposing forces. It is impossible to check yourself and surrender to inspiration simultaneously. Nor is it possible to inhale and exhale at the same time.
The energy of control and order is needed not to forget to save the file with the presentation, carefully wash the brushes, and neatly put the camera in its case. But what is written in that file, drawn with those brushes, and photographed with that camera is led irrationally.
So what are the standard mental blocks that pop up because of control, and how do you overcome them?
1. Sticking to correct answers
One of the downsides of formal education is the focus on the right answer to a particular task. This way of learning helps you exist in society. However, it hurts creativity because situations, in reality, are very ambiguous. Often there is much more than one “right” answer. Try to find several solutions to one problem to get several answers, and learn to pick up different answers to questions that are ambiguous at their root. This will broaden the scope of your consciousness.
By the way, the ability to develop multiple answers to one task is called Divergent thinking, which we discuss in detail in this article.
It is also important not to be afraid to make a misstep. After all, it is by analyzing mistakes that we can correct and consolidate the result.
2. Overpracticality
Practicality in society is essential. But it often suppresses fresh, punchy ideas before they evolve. Let your inner editor be in a different room than your inner writer. Don’t assess the viability of a concept until you’ve allowed it to exist for a while. Ask the question “What if?” as often as possible. And just let your imagination run wherever it wants to go. This is how you can develop the most incredible idea, which you can safely put into practice.
4. Self-criticism As a rule, we are our fiercest critics. Being critical of oneself and one’s actions, being able to admit mistakes and figure out how to correct them, is one of the basic skills of a mentally healthy person. We need self-criticism to analyze behavior so we don’t make the same missteps. But it’s the same one that comes up with a thousand reasons why we shouldn’t write, draw, succeed at work, and realize our creative potential.
It is not possible to ignore the inner critic all the time. But, to keep him from interfering with inspiration, it is possible to negotiate with him. You don’t have to take your inner critic seriously. You can address it jokingly or ironically (such an attitude is also good for the creative process).
You can always tell your inner critic something like, “Dude, thanks for the advice. But now I’m going to sit down and create for an hour or two, and then come and nag me all you want.”
And only when you’re ready to edit the fruits of your creativity get your inner critic on your side. Listen to him with understanding, then edit as you go along.
Letting go of the grip of control
The more you think about the problem, the more anxious you become: that’s the universal rule. But when you rest from solving a problem, the active and conscious forms of thinking are silenced, and you give the word to the subconscious. For this reason, others often find the solution to your issue: they are not stuck in your thinking and can look at the question from a different angle. Insights often rise from the subconscious mind in the strangest, most unusual places and at inopportune times, usually when the brain is not busy solving the problem.
When the mind is relaxed, there are more thoughts in it. They may be ordinary, familiar, or unimportant, but sometimes ideas that we call creative seep into their ranks. In other words, ideas are a random combination of experiences, examples, and stories that are scattered through our memory drawers. We don’t come up with anything new. What is new is how we combine the known. Suddenly these combinations of concepts collide, and we “see” an idea. The less extraneous noise in our heads, the calmer we become, and the more insights appear. And the more ideas there are, the more chances one will be unconventional.
Innovative corporations understand this very well. They place their employees in bright, spacious, pleasant rooms to work and relax. Creative people become more resourceful in a quiet environment where there is no need to burn the fire of urgent business. And as we already know, statistically speaking, the more ideas there are, the greater the chance that one of them will be unusual.
Once you find yourself in a deadlock, you must do the opposite of what self-control suggests: not intensify your concentration on the problem for long. Instead, do something completely different, something interesting, something entertaining. This is the best way to get inspiration.
The best ways to relax the mind so you can get out of a creative block
Turn off the Internet for at least a couple of hours
Filling your leisure time by reading emails can certainly make you feel productive, but such a waste of free time is detrimental to your imagination. So if the creative part of your brain is having a tough time, do your best to avoid occupying that time by reading Facebook feed updates, Instagram stories, etc. Allow your brain to wander in search of ideas-it develops the creativity you’re trying to awaken.
Lie down, but try not to fall asleep
At the same time, studies have shown that most creative ideas come when we’re in a horizontal position. These studies tested subjects’ ability to develop anagrams, do word puzzles, and solve complex crossword puzzles at a desk and while lying in bed.
Be a kid!
Yes, you have a job, deadlines are set, and you need to be in a bunch of places at once, but what sure helps give birth to a dose of creativity is turning off logical thinking and playing. Play helps free the part of the brain responsible for creative thinking from the strict rules imposed by the right hemisphere. When you play carefree like a child, critical thinking is temporarily suspended, and it becomes easier to catch a new idea and look at the situation with fresh eyes. Companies such as Google and 3M make full use of this idea, setting up playrooms in their offices and sometimes even making the workspace look like a fun kindergarten.
So what does it take to wake up your inner child? Get out your old lego or sit on the floor and fool around. Whatever it is, remember that it’s important to have fun with it.
Are you relaxed enough and want to get your mind in gear?
If you’ve given yourself a reset and are ready to rush into battle, an energizing mental warm-up comes in handy. Check out our thinking-boosting tips here!
Your inner world is the best source of inspiration
Studies show that people more likely to have insights are more aware of their inner processes. They can observe their thoughts and, as a result, change their thinking. Such people can better control their minds and, as a result, can calm them. Any technique or discipline that allows us to know ourselves and develop our emotional intelligence makes us more creative. And you don’t have to pay more attention to a problem, concentrate harder, or be a genius.
Meditation is a beautiful thing for developing creativity, with different techniques working in different ways. Try concentrative meditation when your thoughts are scattered around. And if you feel tired of mental gumption, turn on mindfulness meditation and relax your mind.
Don’t forget to write it down!
Ideas often come suddenly, whenever you want, but not when you sit in front of a blank sheet of paper and are ready to create. So, make a habit of “catching” these ideas. Write down everything interesting that comes to your mind, and better yet, use a sketch to back it up. If you have a specific task in front of you and are thinking about its solution, you can record the key moments of the thought process and, based on them, form an overall picture.
Check our guidelines on boosting your idea generation progress here.
And finally, let’s share a simple, effective exercise that we at Inite use for the whole office. Open the Inite app and turn on the meditation timer. While the report is in progress, don’t touch your phone, or the timer will pause. For those 5–10 minutes, don’t do anything at all. You can either meditate or lie down and relax your mind. As soon as the timer finishes the report, quickly jot down a few ideas in the app-any ideas you can think of.
