Navigating the dreaded Creative Funk…
One of the most challenging obstacles of being a designer is that moment, or period when your creative pool runs dry. You may have previously been through a spell where everything you touched turned to gold and sparkled with unicorn tears and then, suddenly, nothing, all that remains is a dystopian wasteland full of screwed up paper balls, voids of white space and creative catastrophes.
The current climate isn’t helping much either. If, like myself, you work from home it’s a daily struggle to find that illusive spark and you find yourself constantly battling with those blessed confidence munching demons. There’s only a finite amount of ideas and inspiration that the likes of Pinterest, Designspiration and alike can spew out before your creative hamster falls off his wheel.
There is however a light at the end of the tunnel (don’t worry it’s not an oncoming train)… There are many ways you can navigate this wilderness of emptiness and spin it to your advantage. Firstly, (through experience) don’t beat yourself up about it, it’s perfectly normal, we’re not infallible, it’s often better to embrace this negativity, it’s your minds natural way of saying that it needs a rest and recharge to give your creative mind a chance to refresh itself. ‘You’ time and downtime are so important, so why not make the most of it – get moving, go for a walk, fresh air works wonders for the soul, exercise releases powerful endorphins which can charge your brain with positive energy; chat to some friends, fellow designers, network with like-minded business folk; read and write more, I’ve found that writing down thoughts can help ignite the creative fires. Play some video games (yes I know that’s pretty childish) but escapism is priceless, it releases that pressure and intensity that we often unnecessarily put on ourselves. Before long your mind will be brimming with ideas and raring to go again.
I often find that a trip to London (or any city) is a fantastic opportunity for creative motivation, it’s like a design sweet shop. I look around at everything, absorbing advertising, colours, fonts, even menus and shop windows, inspiration is all around us, you just have to open your eyes. My best ideas have often come from these visits, I love the surprise of something new, something that blows my mind or challenges convention, raising the bar for my next project.
This bit sounds a tad ‘Star Warsy’ but creativity naturally ebbs and flows, I find myself frantically taking advantage of the high’s knowing that inevitably this purple patch will run out, this principle though has the makings of a good idea, young Skywalker. During this mad scramble most of my best work has emerged, especially when I’ve not had long to finish it, it pacifies the ‘overthinking’ bug, very much like leaving your homework until the night before deadline. You’ll find that this forced brain attrition focuses your mind and helps sharpen the output. Time, or a lack of it, can be your best pal in these situations.
A blank page or a bad creative brief can be one of the most testing aspects of our work and is daunting for even the hardiest of designers. If the project doesn’t spark any decent ideas from the outset then simply ask more questions, never be afraid to push back and challenge the brief, excellent creative brief = phenomenal creative output. I worked with a designer who was petrified of the dreaded white page, but given just a morsel of an idea they would often surpass my expectations and deliver pure magic.
The creative funk will always exist, I’ve found that over time, accepting it and living in harmony with it is far better than declaring war on it. Trust in yourself and your ability, moments of brilliance are often just a walk or a talk away, you’re not always going to be in the ‘zone’ it’ll be a rollercoaster of good days, bad days, good weeks and bad weeks. It’s cool, this is all part of your design/creative DNA, embrace it.
