The Creative Rut

Sometimes you just have a hard time making a really creative design. You will stare at your blank page/screen and wonder where to even start. It happens to everyone and I have some ways that I combat that.

• Surround yourself with creative objects. My desk is probably the most colorful one in my area. I have these bright face cards on one overhead drawer. I have some postcard paintings on another. I brought in several woodcut prints that I made in college. And I have a large poster on my cube wall. Even my Kleenex holder is bold and colorful. Occasionally, I will look at these images and get a color idea, or font choice, or something from the inspiration around me.
• Check out other sites. There are a lot of new design things coming out. And you can get an idea from the way a chair is shaped to how a room looks after organization. The colors, fabrics, fonts and design choices other people use can bring an idea out of you for your project.
• Get other people's input. I go to a site that is only for those who are designing for a church, but try and find a site where people can comment on your work or just browse that site and learn from other people's works. Maybe you can see that two color choices go better together than the one you are using in your project. If you can't find a site, take your design around to your friends. A good design should make sense and look good to non-designers.
• Do something atypical. I tend to get in a rut when I am doing the same routine over and over. Try sitting on your front porch for one evening and look at nature instead of doing something inside. Grab a camera and take some random pictures. Buy some cheap paint or charcoal and paint/draw something. By doing something that works your creative brain you just might get out of that rut!