10 ways to evict creative block from your head

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10 WAYS TO EVICT CREATIVE BLOCK

We hear it all the time from people — how they aren’t good at coming up with ideas. That’s a cop-

out. Like anything else in life, you have to work at it.

Say it with us, I AM CREATIVE.

SO, HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR MIND’S

MOTOR RUNNING?

Here are 10 EXERCISES to help keep creativity from slipping into idle.

CHANGE THE PAST

1

Walk through your local bookstore and hit up the Alternative History section. There you’ll find some

pretty gnarly/weird “What If” scenarios spanning just about every topic.

1

WHAT IF 4.5 billion years ago the moon hadn’t formed? WHAT IF the

Cuban Missile Crisis had escalated into full-scale war? WHAT IF another

advanced species existed? WHAT IF I hadn’t eaten that third burrito?

1

NOW SEE HERE

2

Go somewhere that has a decent amount of casual foot traffic, like a mall, sit on a bench or at a table, and

start observing people as they go through their day. Make up what you envision their story is.

2

Who are they? What are they doing there? What do they see when they

look into a mirror? Just focus on stretching your mind. The answers don’t have to be right. But you do get creeper points if

they are.

2

THROW A CHANGEUP

3

Rearrange everything you do for one whole day so it’s no longer routine. If it’s how you usually do something,

don’t do it. Unless it’s those pills you have to take. Do that.

3

3 Change your furniture placement, your driving

habits, how you get ready in the morning, how you greet people, what clothes you wear.

Hell, try eating with your other hand.

DON’T BE YOURSELF

4

Ditch whoever you are. Then take a short trip to somewhere no one will know you, be it for a few hours,

a few days, or a two-week vacation, and make up a whole new identity.

4

4Create a backstory:

where you were born, which college you

went to, what you do for a living, how you got that Halloween-

makeup scar.

5

COMFORT-B-GONE

Join a group, club, or team that seems an odd fit for you. Will it be awkward? Probably for a little bit, but it’ll keep you on your toes, get you thinking outside

your comfort zone, and learning new things.

5

5 Sign up for a group predominately made up of the opposite sex or is

a social hobby you’d never have dreamed of

doing before this. Competitive ironing,

anyone?

TO THE TOP

6

Enter your name into an election -- PTA, city council, Oprah fan club -- and get it on the ballot. As a candidate,

you’re going to be shaking a lot of hands and kissing plenty of babies.

6

6 The more people you meet the more personalities and viewpoints you’re

exposed to and the more you’ll learn. Besides, it’d be pretty cool to see your

name on there. Just be prepared if you do happen

to win, Mr./Mme. President.

DONE AND DONE

7

Think about the challenging activities you enjoy most and how they drive you to succeed. Now forget them. What

remains are ones you consider “the impossible.” They’re activities you look at and think “I could never do that” or

“I’m not skilled enough.” Go ahead and give it a shot.

7

7 Try juggling, learning the alphabet backward,

spinning a basketball on your finger — whatever you ordinarily wouldn’t even think to try. Even if you

don’t beat the odds, you’ll already have done more than most people

ever attempt.

STRAP YOURSELF IN

8

Utilize your talents or hobbies during spare time to make money or go to a new level. Make great desserts? Offer them for sale. Nowadays, you can easily set up a

small business and website in a matter of hours.

8

8 Now, we’re not talking about those “I made 25 grand a week by sitting at my computer eating Oreos” opportunities you see in comment sections. We mean

utilizing your actual talents or hobbies for some kind of profit.

WAR OF WORDS

9

Like your mom said when you were little, use your words. One of the best ways to learn and expand your thinking is to get

into a debate with someone. Not only do you have to do research on your topic but you also have to prepare for what

your opponent might say.

9

9 Debating has become the world’s favorite pastime thanks to

social media. Not sure where to start? How about debate.org and idebate.org. See how

easy that was? Or wasn’t? Which side are

you on?

IN A WORLD...

10

Have a friend find 10 random images online and email them to you. Now, imagine they are all covers of a book or posts for a

movie. Your job is to choose a few and come up with a title and synopsis for each. It’s a great exercise for developing creativity

and for showing Hollywood it is still possible to come up with new ideas.

10

10 The genre, topic, story — everything is up to you. What you come up with must connect the image somehow to the overall

story. Then, send the stories back to your friend and see which

ones they’d read/see if actually developed.

When you learn something new your brain

literally changes. If you keep doing the same old things day in and day out

how do you expect to come up with new ideas?

EXPOSE YOURSELF TO NEW PEOPLE,

PLACES, AND THINGS. FEED YOUR

MIND TO FREE YOUR MIND.

CREDITS

Slide 1 & 35:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH2ll5bwpKwSlide 2 & 36: http://www.travelsouthusa.com/trips/pick-your-passion-new-orleansSlide 3 & 34: https://www.uab.edu/news/latest/item/2689-uab-studies-find-deep-brain-stimulation-changes-rhythms-to-treat-parkinsons-disease-and-tremorSlide 4-6: http://neumanngorettihs.org/Departments/history/Slide 7-9: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/walking-while-fat-and-female_b_5311083Slide 10-12:https://www.theodysseyonline.com/change-is-not-always-badSlide 13-15: http://groovyman.com/2016/05/23/how-is-identity-shaped/Slide 16-18: https://seattlepolychick.com/2014/04/17/stop-kicking-the-teeth/Slide 19-21: http://wallpaperfolder.com/wallpapers/shaking+handsSlide 22-24: http://simpleeconomist.com/30-day-challenges-expand-your-mind-and-comfort-zone/Slide 25-27: http://www.cartermadeit.com/business/business-plan/Slide 28-30: http://www.talkingheadsstudio.com/Slide 31-33: http://pics-about-space.com/4k-hd-earth-nasa?p=1

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