4 Tools to Beat Creative Blocks
Yes, you can take a walk to clear your head, but what happens when you come back to your desk and the ideas don’t come flooding in?
Whether you’re brainstorming content ideas, trying to compose the wittiest of all captions, or watching the cursor blink while you’re thinking of what to write for your blog post (totally not me right now), we all hit creative blocks from time to time.
While I don’t have a way to miraculously give you thousands of ideas for everything you need, I can provide you with some tools I use to help get the juices flowing!
#1: Pinspiration
I know, I know. “I’m feeling creatively blocked, what is mindlessly scrolling going to contribute?” Well, that’s the thing - it won’t be mindless.
Let’s say you are trying to brainstorm content ideas for the month. You’ve already made like 6 flat lays of different pieces of jewelry and you’re trying to find a way to spice up your photos! Take to Pinterest and search keywords relating to your end product.
People forget that Pinterest is basically a search engine
For jewelry, you can search things like:
vintage jewelry aesthetic
minimalist earrings
gold dainty necklaces
fairycore rings
Create a “brain dump jewelry inspo” board and get to pinning!
#2: TikTok Unblock
Just like Pinterest, you’re going to scroll with purpose on Tiktok. However, proceed with caution, this one can be a bit tricky because it’s extremely easy to fall into a 3-hour “I don’t know how I got here” scrolling session.
Similarly, you’re going to search for specific keywords with a different search method. Are you searching for trending audios? Are you looking for a specific trending dance or lip sync? Are you trying to find something interesting to cover within your niche? What’s the purpose?
The best way to do this is to write out your goals to remind yourself what you’re searching for, like this:
Need 10 trending audios to use for the month
Find 5 of the most common CapCut templates
I run a plant nursery and want to provide more planting tips, I need at least 3 new ideas
This way, you have a goal to reach and a way to keep yourself on track.
#3: Set the Tone
Shake it off, change the scenery, and set the mood! Banging your head against the wall (or computer monitor) won’t suddenly spark new ideas - the brain needs a chance to breathe and to be stimulated in a different way.
My favorite way to do this is to drive to the nearest coffee shop, pop in my AirPods, and give myself a bit of a break. On the drive over, listen to your favorite songs and take in the scenery around you. When you get to the coffee shop, breathe in the rich aroma and find a cozy place to sit. Find a relaxing podcast or a feel-good playlist to listen to and settle in.
Give yourself a good 10-15 minutes before opening your laptop and starting fresh. This may feel a bit silly, but allowing your mind to recharge with a change of environment and mood could be just the thing your brain needed!
#4: A Little From AI
There’s a lot of controversy within the internet space about whether Content AI is a good or bad thing - personally, we see it more as a helpful tool rather than a replacement!
Websites like Copy.ai and Canva have already integrated this into their platforms to help give you ideas for content creation. Some may use some of the ideas as literal pieces of content, but we think the human brain surpasses that!
Take Canva for example, within the feature, you can type in something like “ways to grow on social media” and it will generate different bullet points on how to grow on social media - the future amiright?
You may have things like:
post consistently
create high-value content
or create a community
but let’s just think of these as a jumping-off point; something to get the wheels turning.
AI is one of our current favorite ways to aid mental blocks because it takes your mission or goal and gives your brain a creative boost!
Truthfully, no matter how much of a creative you are, you will always experience mental blocks. Every so often they’ll pop us and last for a few hours or a few days (occasionally longer), but the important thing to take away aside from the helpful tools, tips, and tricks, is that sometimes it’s best just to step away. Take a break and when you’re ready, look outside yourself for inspiration. The internet is so vast, full of knowledge and creativity - it would be a shame to let it go to waste by trying to be “the next best thing” without any outside influence.
