With lockdown lifting, both of my teens are now gainfully employed with part-time jobs. One of them is saving up for a big purchase and the other spends everything she earns as soon as she gets it.
She’s incredibly impulsive but with that impulsivity comes great creativity. She bought these crazy expensive boots this week with her first pay check and they are WILD!
And they are the perfect finishing touch for one of her brilliantly planned but often outrageous outfits.
I think it takes a lot of courage to dress very differently from everyone in your peer group – especially at her age – to wear the crazy boots, to have the blue hair, to be fearless about what others may think. I wish I’d been more courageous and as secure in my creative choices at her age as she is.
It made me reflect on the creative choices we make as our businesses grow. As someone who designs themes for sale, it makes perfect business sense to create adaptable products that appeal to the widest number of people possible.
But designing themes isn’t about pushing the boundaries of creativity to the limit. It’s about ease of use and flexibility.
So over the weekend, to stay sharp, I took myself back to basics and did an online masterclass with one of my design heroes, David Carson. At the very beginning of the class, he said:
“If everyone loves your work, you’re probably playing it too safe.”
He never plays it safe. His work is uncompromising, really challenging, breaks every rule in the book and still looks beautifully intentional. His work is also instantly recognisable.
I feel incredibly inspired after my little creative reset and I’m going to make sure I do this regularly.
If you’re stuck in a creative rut, here are 5 ways to get your creative juices flowing again.
Take A Creative Challenge
Following a brief that isn’t for a client that can completely unleash your creativity, whilst challenging you to do something out of your comfort zone and there are plenty of art, design and photography communities that regularly set challenges.
One of my favourite design inso sites, Dribble, sets a Weekly Warmup challenge and the great thing is that you get to see all of the designs submitted by other users in the Dribble community
Challenges range from ‘Design A Label For A Bar of Soap’ to creating a postcard inspired by your hometown.
Other notable challenges:
- For photographers:
- 30 Day Photography Challenge
- https://1se.co/
- https://petapixel.com/2020/03/20/7-photo-challenges-for-photographers-who-are-stuck-at-home/
- For artists:
- Inktober
- Character Design Challenge
- Toon Me
Create For An Imaginary Client
Do you need an imaginary client to kickstart your creativity?
If you’re not inspired by taking a random design or photo challenge, taking some time out to create something that you can add to your portfolio is really worthwhile.
Dream big and invent a dream client, giving you the brief of a lifetime and total creative control. (Wouldn’t it be great if EVERY paying project was like that?!)
If you’re a photographer, this is where styled shoots come in. You have the opportunity to design and execute your dream gig, collaborate with other creators in your supply chain and push the boundaries of what you can do.
If you’re a designer, with a gap in your portfolio, this is your change to create a design that will resonate with a new or developing niche you’d like to cultivate.
If you’re really stuck for client-led ideas, I love the site Fakeclients.com. It gives you randomly generated client briefs for almost any aspect of web, graphic design or illustration or you can even dive into the longer, ‘real world’ written briefs.
Go Back To Basics
Whenever I get really stuck with a project, I take myself back to where I started. Way back in the day, there was no Instagram, no Pinterest…in fact, if I’m being really honest, no internet.
I used to start every client project with a pile of magazines, scissors, glue and a scrapbook.
There is something about working with print that’s so freeing. In terms of layout and typography, there are no limits in print, as opposed to web design where you are often constrained by a grid-based system.
Rip, tear, cut and stick whatever ever catches your eye. Start with loose themes, like colour, pattern, fonts and layout ideas, then mix and match your finds to create a project mood board.
I still do this exercise when I hold in-person workshops. I promise it will inspire you in a way that Pinterest never does.
Tackle A New Tool
Don’t you love it when someone says “Your camera takes great photos”?
Creativity doesn’t depend on tools, so getting to grips with a new piece of kit and pushing it to its limits can be really satisfying.
I LOVE learning a new tool when I’m stuck in a rut. But then, I also like jigsaw puzzles.
New website platforms, new camera kit, new apps are all good starting points.
If you’re goal-orientated like me, you can try re-creating something you’re very familiar with. I often test new website themes and platforms by building out one of my existing themes, nerding out over which module does what and finding out when I need to get my hands dirty with code.
It’s also better to master a new tool when a client isn’t involved, meaning you won’t design something on paper that’s not going to fly when you get it into the build stage.
Not a web designer?
If you’re an artist, try creating your signature look in a new medium.
If you’re a graphic designer, try re-creating your own brand with a new tool.
If you’re a photographer, test your existing kit side by side with your new toy.
Learn From A Master
For me, this is the ultimate creative reset. I’m a big fan of getting coaching, because it puts you in the right environment for progress and you get to learn from someone further down the road from you.
Why try to reinvent the wheel when you can take the ultimate shortcut?
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, recently I took myself back to school, by taking an online masterclass with one of my graphic design heroes,
It was such a great reminder that it’s important to get out of your own head, put your own tried-and-tested process to one side and push the creative boundaries of what you do.
This matters because humans seek reassurance through repetition. There is nothing wrong with that, of course. Repetition creates habits and habits build muscle memory.
If you ask Malcolm Gladwell, it takes roughly 10,000 hours to master a skill.
But with repetition, bad habits, over-confidence and resistance to change can also sneak in. If you’re working in a creative field, you probably don’t want to be known for playing it safe, because that can lead to boring.
And if you’re producing boring work, then you are going to struggle to stand out in a crowded market.
Creative habits are the ones to try to break. Future you will thank you for it!
If you’d like to join an inspiring online community, you can find out more about Melissa’s online membership, The Marketing Fix, at www.themarketingfix.co.
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