It’s a fact that even the most creative people in the world run out of fresh ideas, which would just be fine if their livelihood didn’t depend on it. However, if you’re working in the creative field and your well has run dry, it’s time for you to take some time to recharge your creative batteries, or you’ll be stuck in a rut for a long time. For everyone’s sake, here are 7 ways to revitalise your creativity.
1. Revitalise your creativity by learning something new
One of the common reasons creative people run out of inspiration is because they have been doing the same thing over and over again for a long time, and it has already become tedious. If you find yourself in the same situation, you need to do—or at least learn—something new. Maybe you could sign up for a class and be a student again. Attending photography workshops or the like would also be a good idea. It could also be something as simple as reading a new book. As long as you’re interested in that new thing you’ll be doing, that should be enough to recharge your creative batteries.
2. Exercise to recharge your creative batteries
A recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience has recently revealed a close link between regular exercise and improved divergent and convergent thinking, which are considered the two components of creative thinking. So head off to the gym and sweat it out to get your creative juices flowing. Hate the gym? You can go walking outdoors even for just ten minutes a day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Take your bike to your workplace if it’s close enough. With all the endorphins your brain will be releasing, you’ll be back riding your creative horse in no time.
3. Break routine to wake your brain up
Perhaps it’s the tedium of your everyday life that’s stifling your creativity. So shake things up to wake your brain up. Do something a little out of the ordinary like taking a different route to work or something weird but fun like writing with your non-dominant hand. Doing anything unusual by your standards is already a great way to break routine and the tedium and recharge your creative batteries in the process.
4. Go on a creative field trip
As long as you’re not buried in deadlines, going out of the office on a creative field trip is a great way to revitalise your creativity. That field trip could just be a visit to a new art exhibit a few miles from the office or an entire weekend hiking in the woods in the next town. Taking in a concert—doesn’t matter what kind—also counts as a creative field trip. These creative field trips have always been great for clearing your head and making you focus more readily.
5. Go out with friends
Friends—the real ones at least—have a way of grounding you, and that may be all you need to make you recover your focus. Talking with someone who doesn’t hesitate to tell you things honestly and understands them at the same time can be quite refreshing and uplifting. So call a friend or several friends and meet them for coffee or lunch. You sure could use the company.
6. Take inspiration from past work
Don’t believe anyone who says don’t go looking back to the past, because the past will always be a rich mine for creative inspiration. Your past work, at least, will be. Take a look at old files, early drafts or concepts or any of your finished work, for they just might spark something in that brain of yours. When you take inspiration from past work, you will be looking at them with a different perspective. You are certainly going to see things in a different light and who knows, that might give your creativity the jumpstart that it needs.
7. Leave something unfinished for the next day
It is normal for us to try to finish everything before we leave work, but in the creative field, perhaps leaving something unfinished for the following day might be a more sensible approach. Aside from relieving yourself of some of the pressure of having to finish everything in one fell swoop, you are also giving yourself something to look forward to for tomorrow.
Come to think of it, these tips to revitalise your creativity apply not just to those working in the creative field. Recharging batteries will always be necessary for everyone, regardless of their line of work. We are, after all, human beings who burn out, in one way or another, every now and then. Hopefully, these tips would help alleviate or even prevent that.