5 Tips That Will Help You Overcome a Creative Block
You've been staring at a blank screen for almost an hour and that little voice in your head is starting to creep in with those lovely self-defeating thoughts:
"Can I really do this?"
Yes. Yes, you can.
We've all been there. You've hit a wall, and that's okay.
Being in the zone all the time is no easy task. Creativity takes effort and practice, but it's not something you either have or don't have. It's a long battle and research shows that you actually improve through trial and error.
So, before you close your laptop and call it a day, check out these tips that will help you exercise your creative muscle. Your best idea just needs a little push!
Try Social Listening
Social listening involves monitoring and analyzing social media discourse among your niche to understand their motivations. In other words, you're eavesdropping on real-time conversations your audience is having online to gain insight into their wants, needs, desires, interests, and sentiments.
There are multiple metrics you can use to track your target market's habits, and the good news is you can start social listening right now for free. Mentions of your brand, products, competitors, keywords, and hashtags are really all you need to begin monitoring relevant social activity.
But how does social listening help with idea generation?
Through social listening, you can learn about relevant topics and questions that interest your audience and use that feedback as a basis for your content.
Let's say you run a life coaching business and your hashtag research shows your target market is primarily using #liveyourbestlife when searching for content. You can look at the top posts for that hashtag to help you create valuable content for your audience. For example, you can try putting your own spin on a topic that's repeatedly been brought up in the comments section of a popular post or hop on a trend in your community. By answering the questions your audience is most interested in learning about now, you'll keep the churn of high-value content going without having to guess what your niche actually wants from you.
Repurpose Existing Content
When it comes to content creation, there's one tried-and-true tip that works like a charm: recycling content.
To be clear, I'm not talking about reposting the same thing over and over again. I'm talking about finding new ways to share content you've already created!
In addition to saving you time and extra effort, repurposing existing content can help you reach new users and reinforce your initial message. Here are some ways you can use old content to get the creative juices flowing:
Using Key Points From An Old Blog Post
By turning one blog post into multiple social media updates, you're making sure that each update gets seen by more people. For example, you can grab key points from topics you've covered in the past and turn them into images, GIFs, or videos. This gives you the chance to post your content on more platforms (like Pinterest and Instagram) where text-only status updates aren't possible.
Putting a Spin on a Topic You've Covered in the Past
Do you have an old piece of content that you can talk about for hours? Find a new angle for it and create content that covers a sub-topic in more detail.
For example, if you've published dozens of blog posts about how to start a business, don't keep writing them. But if there are certain sub-topics related to that topic that haven't been covered in depth yet, or even touched on at all — like how to write a business plan — there's probably room for another blog post about the subject.
Leveraging Evergreen Content
Evergreen content is content that can be used over and over again without losing its value. It's any piece of information or knowledge that will always be relevant for your target market. For example, a blog post on a topic like learning how to build your own website is evergreen. There will always be people who want and need help building their own websites. Take advantage of timeless topics in your niche, and use them as leverage for days where you need some extra help with content.
Get Inspired On Creativity Hubs
There are so many platforms and communities online that help inspire us when we're not feeling 100% creative. Here is a list of some of our favorite places to explore when we need that extra boost:
Behance
Behance is a platform for creative professionals to showcase their work. It’s like Flickr, but with more features and better tools. You can post your own work or browse through the endless creativity of other users The best part about Behance is that there is inspiration for every industry. With its intuitive navigation bar, you can find work spanning across a variety of niche areas including illustration, gaming, fashion, photography, tech, and more.
Pinterest is one of our favorite inspiration tools. The social platform is essentially a huge social engine that contains a library of guides, tips, tools, and more high-value information completely built for your specific interests. A simple keyword search will yield thousands of results and help point you in the right direction for your next piece of content. You can also create Pinterest mood boards and collect visual inspiration as you search.
I'm sure we're all familiar with this platform, but it's absolutely worth mentioning. Instagram is a hotbed for ideas waiting to be tweaked and transformed into something better. There is something for EVERYONE on this platform, so take advantage of it.
Brainstorm
Collaborative thinking can help you generate amazing ideas. In fact, research by UC Davis psychologists, Beth Bechky and Andrew Hardgadon, shows that group collaboration is a key driver for creativity:
“When individuals do not have the necessary expertise, ability, or motivation to generate creative solutions alone, they sometimes find ways, through moments of collective effort, to produce creative outcomes.”
source: semanticscholar.org
Problem-solving isn't and shouldn't be a one-person job. At Red 11, we hold weekly brainstorming sessions for this exact reason. Sometimes, our best ideas need a new set of eyes. If you're struggling to come up with new ideas on your own, reach out to friends or team members for help. Make it a habit to get together at least once a week to chat. We recommend bringing an exercise to get the conversation flowing. Prompts, word associations, and visuals are all useful for our team when we're in a rut. Keep it casual and don't set strict boundaries around the conversation. The less rigid and free, the better!
Let go of the perfectionist mindset
Perfection is a mindset. It’s a word we use to describe a place that doesn’t actually exist. Whether it’s the perfect blog post or the perfect video, perfection is completely unattainable. Yet creatives often fall into this trap time and time again. And this can be ok, as long as we don’t expect it to accomplish anything more than to feed our desire for self-improvement.
Except most of the time, it doesn't! Imposter Syndrome takes over and we stop progressing altogether.
The good news is that there are ways to combat this vicious cycle. Here are some tips that will help stop fixating on the smaller details so that you can begin creating more in less time:
Give yourself the freedom to create an imperfect first draft. Don't fixate on the details and just let it flow.
Set a time limit on idea generation so that you don't spend hours nitpicking brainstorming sessions. Remember -- brainstorming isn't supposed to be structured!
It's ok to edit and make changes to your existing work, but don't turn it into something completely different. Stick to your guns.
Follow the 2 and done rule. Revise once for grammar and once through an outside party. If they have no additional tips or edits to give you, it's good enough. Put it down and move on to your next idea.
Turn inward for inspiration. What are you passionate about? What makes you tick? What do you enjoy talking about outside of work? Keeping these points in mind can help spark ideas when an ideal topic appears elusive.
Relax your strict standards and allow yourself to start a new piece of content while also catching up on reading or watching something.
By becoming more self-aware and working with your personality instead of against it, the creative process will naturally start flowing again.
Final Thoughts
The pressure to create mind-blowing, high-value work all the time can make even the best creatives feel overwhelmed. But it doesn't mean you're not good at what you do.
Don’t let yourself be held back by your internal monologue; just start doing something – anything! As long as you keep moving forward, you'll stumble upon new opportunities to grow.
Now, stop looking at a blank screen and get going! You've got this.
