. UX/UI
Steps to Overcoming a Creative Block
As a Creative professional, and someone who’s spent more time staring at a blank screen than I care to admit, I know the frustration of a creative block all too well. It’s like your brain hits "sleep mode" just when you need it the most. But over the years, I’ve picked up a few tricks to jumpstart my creativity when things get... well, stuck. If you’re in the same boat, these might just help you out. And if not, at least they’ll make you laugh.
You know that moment when your brain feels like a loading screen that’s stuck at 99%? Yeah, that’s your cue to step away from the project. I’ll go for a walk, make a snack, or engage in something utterly unrelated, like trying to solve the mystery of why I own 47 pens but can’t find one that works. Funny enough, once I stop stressing about the block, that last 1% of inspiration sneaks up on me out of nowhere.
Routine is great for productivity, but sometimes it’s the enemy of creativity. When I’m feeling stuck, I shake things up—literally. I’ll rearrange my workspace, move around some furniture, or reorganize my desk. There’s something about physically moving things around that seems to wake up my brain. Plus, the new layout can give a fresh perspective—whether that’s on the project or just on where the coffee cup should go.
This is one of my favorite brainstorming tricks. When you’re out of ideas, just start asking ridiculous "what if" questions. What if my product could fly? What if this campaign had to be marketed to aliens? What if cats were in charge of design? It sounds silly, but once your brain gets rolling with absurd ideas, it loosens up, and suddenly you start coming up with genuinely good ones. I’ve had some of my best ideas evolve from questions that started as complete nonsense.
A newer approach is to use AI to help a brother out. Type upanything your mind can spit out and bounce off the robot’s interpretation tospark an idea or get some inspiration. Play with rapid quick prompts and varyingresults wildly to stretch what AI churns out for you. Most of the timesomething these little engines give you is enough to amp you up and get yourideas flowing again.
When all else fails, I talk it out. Sometimes, I'll bounce ideas off my team, and other times I’ll just vent about how stuck I feel. It’s amazing how talking about the problem can lead to unexpected solutions. And if nothing else, you get some solid advice or a good laugh from your colleagues. Plus, a fresh pair of eyes on a project can make all the difference. Worst case, you all get distracted watching hilarious YouTube videos—which, let’s be honest, is sometimes exactly what you need to reboot.
Perfectionism is the arch-nemesis of creativity. Sometimes, you’ve just got to embrace the possibility that what you’re about to create might be total garbage. The irony? Allowing yourself to make something bad is often what leads to making something great. So I’ll give myself the freedom to create the worst version possible of what I’m working on. Nine times out of ten, once I stop caring about perfection, that’s when the good stuff starts flowing.
Creativity is messy, and that’s okay. I’ve learned that creative blocks aren’t a sign that I’m out of ideas—they’re just part of the process. Instead of fighting it, sometimes it’s best to just ride the wave and trust that the ideas will come. And if that means watching some cat videos along the way, so be it.
At the end of the day, creativity isn’t a straight path—it’s more like a rollercoaster. You’re going to have ups, downs, and the occasional loop-de-loop that leaves you wondering if you’ll ever finish that project. But with a little humor, some out-of-the-box thinking, and a break when you need it, that creative spark will come back when you least expect it.
So if you're stuck right now, try one of these methods—or all of them. And remember, sometimes the best ideas come after stepping away from the work and doing something silly. Like rearranging the living room furniture. Or looking for that one working pen in the drawer full of duds.
