How to Get Outta A Creative Rut
The only way to get out of a creative rut is to not do anything creative for a while and to not avidly search for it. Just let life surprise you while you keep busy with other matters. Over the past couple of years, I’ve collected a couple of tips and tricks along the way in coping with a creative glitch.
Puzzles
I grew up playing puzzles and solving riddles so I find comfort and peace when I’m in that zone.
It’s logic at its best, without all the in-depth, super left-brained activity that comes with chess or sudoku. Although if that’s your vibe, then go for it. Just a simple puzzle from Amazon or any old toy store would do for me.
Consume(anything & everything)
Eating everything you want because having a creative brain fart is basically an excuse to wallow and binge. Just treat it like it's another part of a post-breakup phase. So go ahead and eat that cheesecake! You can continue crying and tearing your hair out, some other time. Along with this, there’s also crap TV (reality shows) available that you can laugh at, because let’s face it they might have six-packs or own a million-dollar condo, but they’ve got more life problems (maybe sometimes pointless) than you.
Socialize
Nothing worse than staying in, locking yourself in a room, and moping about.
I’m finding that the older I get, the more it’s working to my advantage that I leave the comfort of my own house and be around people. Whether that be a walk around the city on my own, an evening chat with one of my close pals at a local coffee shop, or a family day trip.
Talking to people helps me focus less on myself and more on the world around me, making my own creative blues seemingly less of a debacle.
Be a Child
I find doing the most seemingly stupid, childish things really does gives my mind a form of release.
I love coloring in one of those adult coloring books, doodling, sketching, and even watching cartoons. Totally Spies, the classic Barbie films, and almost any Disney film do the trick.
If I can’t be bothered to sit still, I like to blast out songs from my speakers and have a private karaoke session. I always tend to go for songs I grew up listening to, which rangers from Spice Girls, NSYNC to 90s Britney Spears.
Exercise
Any form of physical workout will do. A 15-20 minute walk or an intense hourly workout, just keep physically busy to keep your mind at bay. Even running around my house and having a deep clean session, helps break a sweat.
There’s nothing worse than sitting still for me, since it just builds on my anxiety and frustration.
I grew up playing puzzles and solving riddles so I find comfort and peace when I’m in that zone.
It’s logic at its best, without all the in-depth, super left-brained activity that comes with chess or sudoku. Although if that’s your vibe, then go for it. Just a simple puzzle from Amazon or any old toy store would do for me.
Consume(anything & everything)
Eating everything you want because having a creative brain fart is basically an excuse to wallow and binge. Just treat it like it's another part of a post-breakup phase. So go ahead and eat that cheesecake! You can continue crying and tearing your hair out, some other time. Along with this, there’s also crap TV (reality shows) available that you can laugh at, because let’s face it they might have six-packs or own a million-dollar condo, but they’ve got more life problems (maybe sometimes pointless) than you.
Socialize
Nothing worse than staying in, locking yourself in a room, and moping about.
I’m finding that the older I get, the more it’s working to my advantage that I leave the comfort of my own house and be around people. Whether that be a walk around the city on my own, an evening chat with one of my close pals at a local coffee shop, or a family day trip.
Talking to people helps me focus less on myself and more on the world around me, making my own creative blues seemingly less of a debacle.
Be a Child
I find doing the most seemingly stupid, childish things really does gives my mind a form of release.
I love coloring in one of those adult coloring books, doodling, sketching, and even watching cartoons. Totally Spies, the classic Barbie films, and almost any Disney film do the trick.
If I can’t be bothered to sit still, I like to blast out songs from my speakers and have a private karaoke session. I always tend to go for songs I grew up listening to, which rangers from Spice Girls, NSYNC to 90s Britney Spears.
Exercise
Any form of physical workout will do. A 15-20 minute walk or an intense hourly workout, just keep physically busy to keep your mind at bay. Even running around my house and having a deep clean session, helps break a sweat.
There’s nothing worse than sitting still for me, since it just builds on my anxiety and frustration.