You're stuck in a creative rut. How can you break out of it?

I recommend this: Engage your mind, eyes and hands in an unrelated activity. Be it adult coloring books or golf or cooking. I have found that a mind turned inward on itself endlessly is a "clenched" mind. A full sensory immersion--what you see, what you touch, how you move--takes you out of your mind, and that's where the creative ideas flow.

1. Do the opposite. If your creative rut is coming from too much action, take a break from the action creating and take the stance of an observer. Try watching a sunrise or sunset, or vehicles passing by and allow inspiration to flow to you. If the creative rut is coming from inaction or indecision, act on the one idea that makes the most sense to you, based on the information available right now. Worst case, you will at least be able to learn one way that doesn't work and you can now move on to the next. 2. Focus your attention on something different or completely unrelated to what you were doing. 3. Consciously connect with the all-knowing higher self through spiritual practices like meditation, journaling, or by connecting with nature.

Changing the environment (whether physical, or just your emotional one) is a great way to spark some creativity. Especially when you're hunting for creative solutions to a problem or challenge you're experiencing. We all have a "place to think" (even if only in our minds). Somewhere we know we go for inspiration. Finding a physical representation of that place, and going there, especially for me, was a huge win. Sometimes simply the change of scenery is enough, others it's the atmosphere of where you go that helps. You may also find different times of day suit different places (sunrise/sunset Vs lunch for instance). Work out your pattern and your places. And if it changes, acknowledge this, and thank the old place for its creative spark. ??

I have found the best way to spark creativity is going for a walk. There is something about getting out in the fresh air, sun and moving, which gets our creative juices flowing. The book "In Praise Of Walking" by Shane O'Mara highlights some of the science behind this.

Change your environment and make time to get outside. Be it 5 minutes or 30 minutes, it will rejuvenate or recharge you. In Japan, a forest bathing trip, called "Shinrinyoku" in Japanese, is considered a short leisurely visit to a forest. It is similar to natural aromatherapy.

We are limited by our own experiences, perspectives and knowledge so opening up our projects/creative endeavors to discussion with others can be extremely valuable. I recently attended a mastermind event where online creators shared their work and roadblock and for 5 minutes, got focused input from the other creators. It was extremely valuable to tap into the collective wisdom of the group and spark ideas outside of your realm of imagination. That said, a major caveat is to use discretion and ideally seek input/feedback from people with related experience, expertise or have had success with something similar to maximize the likelihood of moving towards a desired outcome.

In current age, more hands on deck are always better than you alone trying to solve a problem. And by more hands they do not necessarily belong to same background, diverse perspectives often provide perspectives that can help you think different, create simple alternatives and more people vouching for your ideas.

There is an excellent book called 'Click Moments' by Frans Johansson that speaks directly to the value of trying something new. In the book, the author writes about how success is not linear and that the greatest creative insights for some of the most renowned inventions of our time came from random moments of inspiration. The author says to engineer opportunities for what he calls 'click moments' to increase the chances of these random moments of inspiration to happen. I personally adopt the practice of 'always being a beginner' to constantly be exposed to new experiences that will expand my mind and create opportunities for click moments for my own creative projects.

Pattern interruption seems to work for many when they are stuck. For example, change your environment environment and your routines to get new inputs. Visit places you haven't been before, whether it's a park, museum, or working from a different place. Exposure to new surroundings can spark new ideas. Change your daily routine to disrupt the monotony. Try starting your day at a different time, rearrange your workspace, or take a different route to work. Eat something different, listen to something different. New Input = New Output

*Note: I'm specifically talking about writing as creativity here* If you're writing/creativity is lacking. I'd always advise that you create a life for yourself that is filled with as many new experiences as possible. The best way to write consistently is to synthesise knowledge through your own unique lens of hobbies, interests, passions and experiences. But it can be hard to do this if you never expose yourself to anything new. So go out, do cool stuff and write about it.

Trying something new, which may appear unrelated can have an outsized impact on your creativity. I have found this with creative writing and playing a musical instrument. It can be the spark you need to get your creativity flowing, which then carries over to other areas. You start to notice things in a new way. It's good to break out of your shell every now and then.

When you are learning, your brain is active. Any new experience starts to wire new connections in the brain. Trying something new switches the lights on in your conscious mind... which paves the way for more diversity in your thought process. Trying something new, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone... even driving a new route to work can help tap into new levels of creativity.

I have created 300+ visual illustrations, and the 1 that has received the most support is one which shares the message that you have more ideas when you're on a walk than you will in a meeting. Many of our work spaces are not designed for creativity, so scheduling regular breaks to get time away from your desk and get some exercise is essential. Taking breaks allow us to step away from the immediate stress, and as we zoom out, we typically get new perspectives. I find that get geographical and mental distance from stress helps me to have the space to be creative.

Instead of running from one thing to the next, intentionally build in time to reflect and appreciate your journey and accomplishments so far. Use this celebration to fuel your energy, remind yourself of your vision, and adjust your course of action.

I often combine a break with changing my location/environment. I try to walk to my creative spots, as this is downtime away from my creative challenge/block as well as the opportunity to do some or all of my exercise for the day. Sometimes I pop out solely for a tea or coffee at a local coffee shop, sometimes it's a total break and head to the coast or to the city for an ideas shop (IE don't buy just the change of scene). I also try to take at least 1 day a week away from everything (I'm not great at this one though!). These gaps help allow my brain to tick over problems and often come up with 2 or 3 potential solutions..And often one is either the answer or a variation of the best solution.

Sometimes the best way to break out of a rut is to step away from your work altogether. Go for a hike, read a book, or spend time with loved ones. When you come back, you'll have a fresh perspective.

Rest is one of the most underrated creative tools. Allowing yourself to recalibrate, eliminate stress and just *be* brings your body back into homeostasis. From there, in a more relaxed state - your brain gets the signal that it's safe to be creative.

I have found creativity is fuelled by constraints. Set your self a deadline or a challenge. Part of the problem with trying to be creative is you have too many options or possibilities. By setting a constrain it forces you to find creative solutions. For example, write a 5 sentence story in 10 minutes each day for 30 days. This creative action within a timeframe also helps to keep perfectionism at bay.

Challenging yourself expands the brain. Your brain changes the minute you push yourself past your perceived limits. Each time, you are unlocking levels to a greater self. This naturally allows creative ideas to flow to you and through you. Be courageous and get beyond your growth edge.

Sometimes you need to jump in waters to learn that you can swim. Defined challenges let you stretch your abilities and rediscover yourself. A kid who can barely run, runs faster if some pet is behind them. Constraints like fewer resources, tighter timelines, more adoption requirement etc are the strings that you need to balance and deliver the solutions, outside of your thinking. One more thing is to practice these challenges on a daily basis. They can be around you in daily chores like parking your car, running more than yesterday, increasing your vo2 max etc.

Savor the journey. Not all days are going to be productive--and that's ok. Remember that creativity is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. Don't get discouraged if you don't see results immediately. Just keep practicing and experimenting.

When was the last time you genuinely let go? Had fun? Felt silly? Activated a child-like sense of play? Fall in love with the process, the journey, the messiness, the setbacks, the curveballs. Simply enjoy it. Allow yourself to experience the innocence in all of it. Creativity isn't supposed to be a struggle. It's supposed to light you up.

I want to break free I want to break free I want to break free from your lies You're so self-satisfied, I don't need you I've got to break free God knows, God knows I want to break free

Here are two less ordinary activities that have always worked for me: 1) When I am out of inspiration, I think about someone I really care about and love, such as a close friend. "If I could suggest one thing they can do to improve their life, what would that be?" That's the question I ask myself. I will come up with at least one answer. ... And that's what will take me out of the rut. 2) I visit a photo stock site (Unsplash, Pexels), and I scroll through the photos. I'm a visual person; I often find my inspiration in photos, and most of the time, it will expand into something very different than what is shown in the image. And if none of these work, it's time to take a break and rest.

Remind yourself that everyone can be creative. Understand how creativity work in your brain. Take intentional breaks. Don’t force yourself to keep going. When you feel well-rested, start by doing something.

Or go out for a run to clear your mind! But I go play or practice pickleball which truly changes my mindset with this robust exercise and social interactions.

One of my favorite ways to get out of a creative rut is to listen to podcasts and go for a walk. Almost every single time the podcast sparks something and I spend a good portion of my walk dictating ideas into my phone from the podcast. Commit yourself to a 5-day challenge and each day go for a 30-45 minute walk outside with a podcast and then leave 15 minutes afterwards for idea generation.