Trench Warefare, recovery is on it’s way.
Posted: January 19th, 2010 | Author: dave | Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »
I have been entrenched in a desperate lack of creativity for the last 2 months. I bet we have all said that to another or ourselves at one point. I can’t explain how I arrived in this strange place; I can only say that I am beginning to pull out. As an individual I am vulnerable to outside influence; hence the principal concept of art and the importance of competition. This is truly a scary and alien environment for me. It is as if I have completely run out of steam, but there is water and fire all around me. I am just incapable of turning the two into a final product. Is it possible to re-inflate your creative bubble? I am here to tell you that it is indeed possible. Now stay focused and keep your mind open to what I have to say. This may sound a little unorthodox but I assure you, if I can walk free of my un-creative and lack luster bounds you can to.
So you’re in a rut, suck it up sport.
Don’t harness all of your time and energy focusing on the problem at hand. Sure we all love to complain; in fact it’s a big stress reliever. It’s also a big red flag in such a way that it provokes constant thought on what’s bothering you. Constant relishing on the topic will only make things worse. So how do you overcome your issues? Get out of your normal environment, take a drive go to a book store. As a designer you must love technology so get up and get to the Apple store pick out your dream ride and play around with a tablet or two. Anything to help you remove yourself from the same place you work in every day. Your studio or desk can be your greatest beacon of hope and it can also be the bane of your existence. On a personal note, my first step in getting through this hurtle was to go on a vacation. I went skiing and 7 days later I completed a full mental reboot. If you can’t go skiing the first idea should do the trick.
Don’t touch that computer, don’t think about it.
You went to school for fine art. As a designer you know how to draw, you can sketch your way around the world if you had to. So listen ace, sit down with a pen and pad and let your mind to all the work. Use your hands to interpret that dream layout or your new portfolio site. Even if you don’t use these ideas, they are valuable exercises in getting your mind well on track. Don’t sit on your computer and fool around in Illustrator or Photoshop because you will only find frustration in the little things that often make or break your workflow. Lack of fonts, your brushes palette is not where you left it or mac mail annoys you when it beeps. Go back to your roots and explore the finer side of your industry. Not all of your designs may start by sketching, but it may be a valuable communication asset for your next job or presentation; as awfully textbook as it sounds you may find this particularly useful even if outside the box.
Books and Magazines.
Get to a bookstore, go to the art section and find 3 inspirational books. One book can be something you may not know anything about, a complete mystery science. The second should be something like a theory book or a compendium of essays from real world designers in really world situations. You can relate and confide in their honesty and outcomes. Lastly buy some sort of resource guide with free fonts, patterns, elements you name it just find it. Browse around and pickup anything that strikes your eye. Even if you don’t buy it, hell you used your eye for the first time in a while to critically analyze something. On your exit, stop by the periodicals. Look at your favorite design or enthusiast magazine. Find something and get excited, try to inspire yourself. You need to get these creative juices bubbling again.
Tackle a project.
So by now we all know you are letting someone down, or you just haven’t mustered up the bones to start that new project. Well get started. Start slow and ease into your ideas. Work on paper first then flesh out into your software. Mock up your ideas and test them among your peers or look at it from different angles in different mediums. Just jump without looking and don’t think to look down or look back. See what you want to accomplish and confidently execute your steps towards completion.
Music.
Put on your favorite album or let your music player run on shuffle. Your ideas aren’t alphabetized so why should your music be? Let your ambiance be as frugal as your thought. Consistency sometimes fosters passive inspiration which is a proponent to your uninspired side.
In summation it’s important to treat your lack of creativity as another project. We cannot constantly keep the ideas churning day and night, but we can surely do the right thing to mend our dry spells. Another big proponent to a healthy designer mind is confidence. Confidence with modest intention can be your greatest propellant. Use that “I can do that” mentality as much as you can. Don’t get distracted and Tweet, or Facebook status your problems into syndicated sublimation. Ignore the social world and take some of your time to focus on that thing that keeps you in business.
Your passion, your art and your determination.
Here’s a quote.
“…First you dont, you dont succeed
you gotta recreate your misery
cause we all know art is hard
young artists have gotta starve
try and fail and try again
the comforts of repetition
keep churnin out those hits…”
“..You gotta sink gotta sink gotta sink to swim
impersonate greater persons
cause we all know art is hard
when we dont know who we are..”
