Sometimes it can be challenging to make progress on a brief, particularly some of the stinkers Marc sets… It can be both frustrating and worrying when you just can’t seem to think of any new ideas, especially when a deadline is approaching, and points are on the line. It can be hard to be at your best all the time. I thought I’d share a few techniques I use to get my creative juices flowing again when I feel like I’ve hit a wall.

1.Go outside! Sometimes, the answer is as simple as removing yourself from the difficult task for a limited period. 

2. Listen to an empowering or motivational podcast by someone who inspires you. Often, we feel unmotivated because we’re subconsciously telling ourselves negative things, or there’s no trigger to push us into action. Listening to people who have great insights and entertain you will help dispel those thought patterns with positivity and goals. If you can listen to a podcast while you work, it’s a great way to avoid other distractions.

3. Work on a project you are passionate about, sometimes a change is as good as a rest. Work that is high pressure, difficult or just long winded can suck and take the fun out of it. If you’ve reached a block work on something that you love and want to work on. 

4. Share your thoughts with others, SCA is full of talent someone else might spot a golden idea that you overlooked. 

5. I also believe in trusting the process. I usually find that once I get a snippet of an idea it soon starts to flourish as I make connections between things. Utilizing creative techniques like substitution, subversion and inversion will help your ideation. Being patient is key, don’t put too much pressure on yourself or you risk thinking too hard that nothing comes at all.

6. Return to the research phase, re-read the brief, and dig a little deeper. Maybe your proposition isn’t quite right. Don’t give up on it but perhaps approach it from a different perspective.

7. I would also encourage you to get in a habit of writing down any idea that comes to mind, absolutely anything whether it makes sense or not. I promise one day it will save the day and you will thank yourself. What I’ve learned is that coming up with ideas isn’t the issue, the problem is that we’re not writing them down. Same goes for photographs. Snap, snap, snap! My biggest source of inspiration is from photographs I’ve captured. You never know when a shape, texture, compositional idea, or typeface will come in handy! Start collecting those dots…

8. Finally, from me to you, take the day off listen to your body and accept when you need a break. 

@mollyohayon