5 Ways To Breakout Of A Creative Drought

Ever since leaving school when I was 16, I have always known I needed to do something creative with my life. Since then, I've gone on to do courses in Audio Production, Media and a degree in Film Production. However, despite always dropping myself into the creative person category, I do have a lot of moments when creativity just isn't flowing like it should. 

It used to rear it's ugly head a lot in college and University, a lecturer would point their finger at me and say 'come up with an idea for...' and I'm sorry, but my brain does not work that fast, it freezes under pressure. One thing is important to remember though, creativity isn't something that just comes to you one day out of nowhere, it's like a river, it is constantly flowing. Your creative juices are there waiting to be released, but sometimes they need a little coaxing.

You may be sat at your computer screens or in front of your tablet or smartphone and not feel creative in the slightest. I'm here to tell you that right this second your brain is being creative, it's always thinking of something, even if you're not conscious of it. 

If you are stuck in a drought and desperate to tap into some of that infinite creativity lurking in the back of your mind, try these 5 ways to turn on your creative tap and get ideas flowing (see what I did there, drought metaphors).

• Create a mood board. Mood boards are a more visual way to brainstorm ideas, they tend to work best for designers, but they can be used for any kind of creativity. It's up to you how you create them, maybe you prefer to do it digitally via tools like PicMonkey or Picasa. Maybe you'd prefer a hard copy, in which case you can get a large sheet of paper and start sticking, or buy a scrap book. 

• Create a Pinterest board. I am forever creating Pinterest boards to inspire me. Not only does Pinterest provide visual inspiration but it's also a great way to find blog posts, a lot of bloggers now post their main post image to Pinterest, so it's definitely worth having a browse and seeing what you can find. 

• Take a trip somewhere new. It doesn't have to be a full on holiday to the Bahamas or Disney Land, it could be something as simple as visiting a new town or landmark. Living in Cheshire, I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by beautiful scenery and in close proximity to loads of landmarks and architecture. I always feel more inspired once I've explored a new location and it get's you out of the house and away from your computer. 

• Watch a visually stunning film. As a Film graduate and lover of beautiful cinematography, I gain a lot of inspiration from movies. It can be anything from Life of Pi (2012) to a more recent discovery The Fall (2006) (thanks to my current Lee Pace obsession). I always get inspired by the vivid colours, wide angles and epic film scores. Put on The Lord of the Rings soundtrack and tell me you don't feel epic.

• Create a calming playlist. Music is another medium that has the power to control mood and really tap into your subconscious. My love of discovering new music has allowed me to find some truly amazing songs and artists over the last few years. I love heading to Spotify to browse through the genre playlists and just listen to whatever pops up. Creating a calming playlist and just sitting and listening helps you to relax and when you are relaxed, your brain is relaxed and things flow more smoothly. 

The worst thing you can do when creativity just isn't flowing, is to force it and get yourself frustrated. By taking some time to yourself and time away from a project, you will find that things start to become a lot clearer. 

How do you get your creativity flowing? Are you guilty of getting frustrated when creativity just isn't playing ball?