5 Strategies for Creative Problem Solving
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Have you ever had this happen to you? You’re alone at your desk late at night. The house is finally quiet and you can breathe. No one else needs you for anything. You have a light bulb moment. The stars align and the smoke clears from your brain. You have this idea that you can feel in your gut means something. Something beautiful and new is coming through you and you start formulating a plan of action. You stay up too late and have a hard time getting to sleep, because your wheels are turning.
The next day your kids wake up, there’s breakfast to cook, laundry to put away, dishes to put away, virtual school to prepare for, client work due. By the time the day is done, you sit down with your husband to catch up. You’re so excited to share your new idea and it comes out as a blob of unformed clay instead of the magnificent sculpture that was in your head the night before. Your burning fire is now a flickering match. It’s not extinguished, but it’s so small and hard to recognize.
Don’t let that fire go out. Stoke those remaining flames until you feel what you felt. Go back. Remember. Don’t let the frustrations of everyday life steal away your joy. When you have a creative problem, you solve it creatively!
Here are some strategies to reignite the passion in your creative projects:
1. Create a Brain Dump
Make a list. All the time, all the ideas. I often get frustrated that I don’t have enough time to do all the creative projects that pop into my my head. You can do it everything you imagine and decide is worth doing. You just can’t do it all at once!! Some ideas are ready to go as soon as they pop into your head. Others have to marinate. Others still, have to be abandoned for one reason or another. I’m a compulsive maker. I crave creating. It makes me happier. It bothers me when I have to delay art projects sometimes. The reality is, I’m a lot of things to a lot of people. Sometimes waiting is the right call. I can’t wait to catch up with all my ideas. When you use a brain dump you create space to come back to old ideas and you don’t have to obsess over them, because they’re safe and waiting for you in this list. It also gives you a bank of ideas to refer to when you’re stuck in a new idea. Something you wrote down previously might spark a connection to this fresh concept and get the ball rolling again.
“A good artist has less time than ideas.”
“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.”
2. Seek Out Inspiration
Music, movies, art, poetry. Take it in. Get lost in it. Hop on Pinterest and search for something you love: sunsets, plants, rainy days, geodes, the moon. Look at beautiful things. Get outside. Seek out beautiful things. Find the beauty that exists in the ordinary things around you. Listen to a Podcast. Put your favorite record on. Even just taking five minutes to create something by doodling on a piece of paper, or taking leaves from your yard to create a, interesting pattern can shift your perspective. If you’re blocked in writing, just start writing. If you’re blocked in art, just make something. Keep pushing until you get somewhere.
“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
3. Collaboration
Two heads really are better than one. Sometimes all you need is a conversation with another creative to get things going again. This is especially helpful if you’re an external processor. If you work through problems best by talking through them outloud, share your ideas with someone. The other person doesn’t necessarily have to be an artist either. Everyone has the potential for creative thinking, and sometimes all you need is a new point of view.
If you want a virtual place to do this, I would love to have you join the Art is a Record creative community on Facebook and ask questions there! I love bouncing ideas around with other creatives.
“In the end it doesn’t really matter what you paint. It’s all just a routine to connect yourself finally with other people.”
4. Research
Learn more about the broader topic you’re thinking about. Learn more about the skill or craft needed for your idea. Look at other artists who have done something similar. Search people who have done things with the same medium, or the same types of subjects. Everything we make comes from somewhere. Read books about what you’re trying to accomplish. Watch YouTube videos. Feed your brain until all the pieces click into place. Give your subconscious all the knowledge you can to draw from!
“You think you’re doing something entirely your own, and a year later, you look at it and you see the roots of where your art comes from without your knowing it at all. ”
5. Don’t Overthink It
If the more forceful strategies don’t seem to be doing it for you, try the opposite approach. Sometimes you just have to clear your head and not try so hard. I have had many great ideas come out of menial tasks. Vacuuming, washing dishes, or driving, listening to music, taking a long walk, along shower, color, dancing around your house, doing yard work... Any one of those things might grant you some clarity.
“Having a clear mind and a clear space allows you to think and act with purpose. ”
I hope you find these techniques helpful next time you need to solve a creative problem. What techniques do you find work best for you? Please share in the comments, send me a message, or share in our creatives community. Our group is called Art is a Record, the same name as this blog. I would love for you to join in the fun as we discuss creative living, projects, art, and life.
