The work was halted, the inspiration is gone, ideas: 15 ways to get out of the stupor

Everyone who has ever done any creative task, familiar with the situation when the work stopped, the inspiration is gone, ideas, and all around distracting and does not collect my thoughts. In English there is a special term for this — creative block. The author of the blog ISO500 decided to ask popular designers, artists and representatives of other creative professions about how they overcome writer's block and get ideas, and as a result got 15 tips on how to regain the lost inspiration.

Seventeen million four hundred sixty seven thousand seven hundred sixteen

© Adam NiklewiczНиколас Followholic one of the 50 most influential graphic designers of the USA according to Fast Company. Is the co-founder of the site Daytum.com service that allows you to organize everyday activities and for them to make graphics.

"I try in different ways to live each year, and I have my own scheme. If an odd year (e.g. 2009), I travel a lot and focusing on their own projects. In even-numbered years, I try to work more and earn. In 2005 I spent 5 weeks traveling around the world, and in 2007 a three-week trip through China, Tibet and Nepal. After both trips I returned to work full of creative energy, new ideas.

My another strategy is to accept all offers, even if they are more than I can accomplish. Increasing demands on ourselves and the fear to screw things up. always keep in good shape".

Tom Mueller

Graphic designer from Belgium, the founder of his own Studio helloMuller Ltd, working in graphics and illustrations.

"I am inspired by the ordinary things that surround me. I rarely complete absence of ideas: something all the time spinning in my head, and there is the question of priorities and the allocation of time.

In search of inspiration can apply to their work: working on a font for a year, I periodically borrowed from its old design sketches. So don't forget your notepads, and all the old objects is a real treasure: my work really helped looking at the covers of old books and poster "Hiroshima" UIM Crowell.

So go ahead: ideas are everywhere, and they will certainly occur, especially if specially them not to look."

Audrey Kawasaki

Artist from Los Angeles, is known for his illustrations with a subtle erotic hint, combining the technique of Japanese manga and art Nouveau.

"When all of the ideas over, it means I just can't concentrate and patiently sit down and work, or worried about something not directly related to the case. Over the years I developed the tactic: just put on the earphones and listen to music. Music helps to distance yourself and not be distracted by extraneous. Although in recent years in such cases, I listen to audio podcasts — you can find a lot of inspirational stories".

Hoi Wines

Director of design Department NYTimes.com that, in particular, has developed an app Mixel — a tool for making collages from any images and pictures.

"My prescription is to read a lot and do a lot of sketches or drafts. Reading is a long — term contribution to its development: we must constantly accumulate ideas, opinions, details, point of view, metaphors and symbols, then to start any project with a huge base of knowledge and sources of inspiration, and with the help of outline, you can activate all the passive information that is stored in your head.

Visualization of different ideas — even unrelated — in the end it will tell you what's currently missing in the project. The main thing — to draw quickly and without hesitation, in any case, not drawing details: so, you're thinking about the execution of the design, but its content."

Kim Holtermand

Photographer from Denmark, specializiruetsya on shooting architecture and landscape, he began his career just a few years ago, so continues to work as a fingerprint expert in the Department of criminology of the Danish police.

"Only music can bring me a creative spirit is an inexhaustible source of creativity. Many of my works have been created under the tracks from Sigur Rós (is music on all the time), Hammock, Max Richter, Air, Dead Can Dance, Helios, Johann cartoon archive associated with, Jonsi and Alex, M83, Olafur Arnalds, Trentemøller... well, I could go on forever".

Jasper Goodall

Illustrator and freelance writer from Birmingham. Promotes own swimwear label, JG4B, and calls them art that you can wear.

"Help me with a few things: first, to break away from the computer. To go to a city where I had never been and just wander around: I once sat in a café in Berlin and came up with so many ideas that I truly didn't know what to do with them.

I go to the library of the local University of art and design: where you can view old editions of magazines about design and photography. After I come home, print out your favorite articles and pictures and glued them in a thick book. Ideas after this — more than enough".

Eric Spickermann

Legendary German typographer, Professor of the University of Bremen, compatriot and follower of the pioneer Gutenberg. Believes his interest in typography with an incurable disease and calls typography mania.

I have 5 tips:

Distract. Do something else that will distract you — wash the car or sort out the old files on the computer.

Think. Sit back in the chair and just stop trying to control your flow of thoughts.

Explore. Seek information, pick up your old projects, but avoid Google — it is possible to spend too much time before you come across something useful.

Do the outline. The drawing is great, even if you're perfectly able to do. Visualization of thoughts from them alive.

Share. Take a break from the problem, break your project into small parts and assemble them back into one.

GE Li

Currently holds the post of creative Director of Facebook. Previously worked in a similar position in Google. Not only is a creative design, but also delivers lectures around the world — including, gave a master class at St. Petersburg state University.

"When it's "ideological stupor", I do a few things. For a long time to go take a shower — there wash away old thoughts and I feel refreshed. After that I cleaned the apartment: I can't think when around the mess. If the result is still no, I'm going to ride around the neighborhood on the bike and try not to think about your project at all. Anyway, this scheme always works."

Si Scott

Graphic designer and Illustrator from the UK, famous for the 3D paper models. Lectures at Leeds College of Art and Design from time to time in different cities around the world. Among his customers was Vogue, Nike and Tiffany&Co.

"With me it happens very often that I can't think of anything, but it happens to all creative people. I realized that there's only one way to overcome this is: don't sit and wait for inspiration to come back and continue to work to use all of the ideas are, no matter how inappropriate they may seem".

Designunit

Danish design Studio specializing in fashion, design books and magazines, creation of video.

"In our Studio only two creatives. For each project we engage different people, freelancers, which, in our opinion, the most suitable for execution of this work. We're always looking for sources of inspiration and be sure to record them, then if necessary go back to them again. It can be items on the street, which stopped opinion (they should be sure to take pictures), books, fashion, movies, blogs, etc. So that each time we start a new project, we are discussing things that can lead us in the right mood, and make mudbone — collection of inspiring us pictures".

MINE

Graphic design Studio from San Francisco, the site of which is not at all anything but one inscription: "We do books, packaging, graphics, and interactive campaigns for visionaries in science, revolutionaries in the field of education, authors of bestsellers, museums, giant telecommunication corporations and Hollywood producers".

You're stuck, if you seriously believe that no ideas, I don't know how to get out of stagnation, and if you know how to get out, but I doubt in their abilities. In these cases, it is necessary to do so:

I ask myself, am I really stuck? Sometimes we still generate a lot of ideas, but for some reason convince themselves that it's a creative crisis. And then, a creative crisis — this is also something new: we must accept it as a new experience.

I'm not doing anything. If you're stuck — it means you are unable to clearly identify the problem that prevents to go on. The best medicine in this situation — a new perspective. Ignoring the problems, I can better look at it. I can go to the movies or to a Museum — either way, new experiences themselves come across me on the right decision.

I switch to what you do well to remind myself that I'm awesome. Sometimes I know how to solve the problem, but the solution seems very heavy. Then I take the other, simple tasks: it can be a blog post, cleaning the garage, anything. Fast and well performing the tasks, I make sure that I can do everything and even the most difficult task seems to be just another item that should be deleted from to-do list. And no unnecessary panic.

Airside

Creative Agency from the UK, which knows that ideological stupor can lead to a dead end and what to do with it. The creators of the Studio, which has won numerous awards from D&AD and Design Week, this year decided to close and pursue their own projects: to record a music album, go to Tokyo, go to work in another Agency.

"Set the alarm for 5 am. When it rings or get up and enjoy this unique time of the day or go back to sleep and see a vivid, crazy dreams: so how are you going to be the stage of REM sleep, they will remain in the head and after you Wake up, and give you creativity for the day.

Don't sit back and wait until something unexpectedly comes to mind. Don't read magazines, don't look in Google, go outside, to the theater, to the Museum, for a walk. Must switch off your phone and don't bring a computer.

Expand the scope of their interests. The more you consume the cultural product — the better you can understand that in the end wants to see your client. Exchange opinions with colleagues, look at your project from different angles.

On the other hand, can, on the contrary, not to listen to anyone, ignore all rules and work the way you feel and how you like it. If you're tired of being in the creative industry it all comes down to a compromise between the customer and the provider, just trust your creative instinct and try to spread it to others."

Kevin Dart

A freelance artist from Los Angeles who did the animation for Walt Disney, Dreamworks and Cartoon Network.

"I have a lot of tricks for such situations: for example, to see pictures on the Internet, to change a desktop on a table in the coffee shop, and much more. But it's best just to talk to friends. They see things not the way I am, and tell a lot: I can throw cool inspirational picture or just cheer on a couple of good words — it always makes me to move on!»

Invisible Creature

The two founders of the design Studio of Seattle — former punk rockers who have learned the aesthetics of DIY and took it in my design work. Received orders from Esquire, the New York Times, Nike and Sony.

«Depart. This simple words there are a million possible scenarios. We're just leaving the office. Where we find ourselves at the end, you never know: it could be a book, movie, Park, forest, river Bank or just a house. The goal is always the same — find something that inspires. Not necessarily something new: it must be something that will force us to return to the table, take a pencil and start drawing. We hold our weekly briefing in the office and in the local cafes — there is always work to jot down more good ideas."

National Forest the Creators of the California-based think-tank National Forest call themselves innovative thinkers and visual engineers. The customers they have Puma, Burton Snowboards and Roxy.

Justin Kreitmeyer

"I'm going to run, or ride a bike, or walk the dog — in short, to do anything but work on the project. My theory is, that good ideas are hiding in the extra weight; if they burn, they will be free! And the worst thing you can do is panic and try to collect all your ideas in one pile. So every time when something useful appears in my head, I write the idea into the phone and send myself a text so it won't be lost".

Tess Doncho

"The main thing is to get up from the computer. The rest of the screen doesn't help with ideas. I usually find original solutions when they are not particularly need. The main thing — to look carefully at the sides: once I was madly inspired by an ice cream van going past. All of these strategies agree on one thing — to find the inspiration you need to look for it in the surrounding and not to dwell."published 

 

P. S. And remember, just changing your mind — together we change the world! ©

Source: theoryandpractice.ru

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