When I was brainstorming ideas for my next blog post, my mind was a desert. No ideas stuck, and not even my list of post ideas seemed appealing. After countless pep talks from my sister, I decided that there would be no blog post this week. Then, an idea wormed its way into my head minutes before I crawled into bed. Writer’s block is something that all writers know, but where does the issue stem from? It can often be due to your well of creativity drying up. 

You may be thinking, Emily, that’s obvious. The question isn’t why I’m experiencing this cursed block, but how I move past it. Yet looking at the obvious can help solve issues in new ways. While practicing does help spring you from writer’s block prison, it can be a temporary fix. Besides practicing, try looking into the state of your creativity. Is it a flowing well of ideas? Or are you teetering towards a tiny stream? If you feel the ideas decreasing to a trickle, it’s time to look for creative inspiration. Here are three ways that you can restart your creativity.

1. Take a stroll in nature

Nature is a great inspiration for creativity, especially writing! Take a stroll on your favorite street or trail and make notes of the surroundings. The leaves, the bustling city, even the smells that surround you. It’s a great way to send your brain’s observation skills into hyper-drive. With these observation skills, you can use the world around you to build ideas. The color of a leaf sparks a scene of two warriors galloping through the forest. Or the chirping of birds helps you find the missing piece of the song you’re writing. Going back to nature during a block is a great reminder of the creative flow that exists all around us. 

If you are in an environment that isn’t exploration friendly, the internet is your friend. Use Google Earth to look around a place that inspires you. You will miss out on the smells and sounds of the location, but the beauty of the place will still help. Trying searching both man-made landmarks and nature to make up for the lack of immersion. The variety is a great way to inspire world-building in a story where you are stuck. 

2. Listen to a playlist that helps you focus

Music is a lifesaver when you have burnout. The music can silence the distracting part of your brain and help you focus on your creative side. I have a go-to playlist that I listen to whenever I write or need to focus on creative tasks. Try creating playlists based on how you want to channel your creativity. If you’re stuck writing a song, listen to a playlist with songs in a similar genre to help weed out ideas. When I’m writing stories or poetry, I often listen to movie scores that channel certain moods. For an action scene, fast-paced music is my friend. When I write an emotional scene, slow and moving soundtracks give me inspiration. 

If you don’t know what music to choose, look up playlists on your music app. I found a great playlist on Spotify called Cinematic Chillout. It helps me turn off my crazy brain and focus on the task at hand. They also have playlists by mood. It’s great for writers hoping to channel certain emotions into their scenes. Once you have a playlist for your task, use it as often as possible. Your brain will pair that music with focus and creativity. It will turn on the focus when it hears familiar melodies. 

3. Revisit projects that inspire you

Throughout the years, we stumble across projects that inspire us to create. Whether it is a song or a movie, the final product sparks our creativity. In my last blog post, I talked about a few people who have created inspiring projects. What are the projects that inspire you? Make a list of projects and people who you find inspiring. When you’re struggling, revisit the list and check out one of the projects. 

While you are enjoying the project, ask yourself why you like it. Are the characters well developed? Does it have a witty writing style? Write down these answers for each of your favorite projects and look for common traits. If it’s a writing style, warm up by writing about your characters in that writing style. Use this as a jumping-off point to improve your skills in that writing style. It’s important to take these traits as tools to improve your creativity instead of copying. Don’t copy dialogue you love word-for-word. Instead, channel the tone and style of the dialogue in your work.

How do you restart your creativity? Let me know in the comments below! Any suggestions to crack the creativity code are welcome. If you decide to try out one of these methods, keep me posted on your progress. Happy creating!