Stagnates. I hate that word. I had to really think about using that word in the title. It didn’t take me long though to decide that that is the only word that fits.

When you want to come up with a new idea, a new product and all you’re doing is hitting a wall, it’s just like writer’s block. Or perhaps you just can’t seem to get motivated. The ideas are there, but you just can’t bring yourself to go to the work station today. It happens to me more often than not; my creativity comes in bursts. But I’ve found some ways to combat the stagnation.

Let me give you two examples of how MY creativity stagnates. The first one is when I just can’t get started. I sit down, I want to work, but I just can’t settle on an idea. I have an entire 2 inch binder FULL of drawings and ideas. I even have more on my Wunderlist on my iPad. And more in my head that I just never wrote down (horrible habit). Or wrote down and lost. But for some reason, none of them interest me. The second is when I have an idea, get half way through it, and either the project isn’t going perfect or suddenly my motivation just drops through the floor. A perfect example is a skunk I’ve had sitting at the bottom of my wool barrel for about six months. It’s really cute, but I messed up the fur. I could fix it, but I’m so annoyed at myself for messing it up that I put it into the pile for now. Eventually it will be finished but who knows when that will be?

So how do you combat this? Here are just four, simple suggestions.

1. Take a break. Have you been crafting for days upon days and just haven’t taken a break? This might be all you need. Step away for a while; your creativity will wake up in it’s own time.

2. Write Down All Your Ideas. This is something that can be done all the time, creative or no. Don’t rely on your brain to remember it all. I couldn’t count the number of felted designs I’ve forgotten because I didn’t write it down. There might be one item on that list that DOES spark your imagination. And for the love of God, keep it in one place! I wrote it down on a lot of scraps that ended up in the garbage.

3. Do Something Else Work Related. There are a TON of other things you could be doing work wise. Work on your social media. If you have an Etsy shop, try refreshing your about pages or doing a shop update. Do some research on local craft and art shows coming up.

4. Work On Simple Projects. You might just have to force yourself to work for some reason. Concentrate on the simpler projects. Ones that should get done, but might take less energy. For me, when my creativity is not there, forcing myself to work on a new or complicated sculpture would be the worst idea under the sun. It WILL turn out horrible and I’ll be in a worse mood than when I started. I usually take this time to turn on a movie or an audio book and work on the cores of birds, squirrels, and giraffes. My popular items that I know by heart without looking.

 

These are just four approaches to take when your creativity and motivation hits a snag. What do YOU do when you just can’t bring yourself to craft? Let us know in the comments!