Consume.
Consume as much art as you can. Disregard the medium. Don’t pigeonhole yourself and only seek out art that is the same as yours. How is it possible to innovate when you don’t allow yourself to view the world through a different lens?
Inspiration can strike at any moment. I can’t even count the amount of times I have woken up at 2 am with an idea for something, fumbling around to find my phone to quickly jot it down in the notes app before it slips my mind like a dream 5 minutes after you wake up. Giving your brain new avenues to explore through various arts is one of the best ways to break through creative blocks. Does the cadence of reading a passage in a book inspire a new melody for a song? Do the precise paint strokes of a painting snap your individual scenes of a screenplay into a flowing story? The world works in mysterious ways.
Devouring and appreciating art from others is one of the best ways to obliterate any blockages you might have in your creation process. Letting the forefront of your mind rest and take in new experiences while your subconscious works to untangle the knot you have tied around yourself is like a cheat code. I know that it can be incredibly difficult to step away from a project, especially when it feels like you are so close to finishing it, but take a breath. Give yourself a break. And come back in 5 minutes, 1 hour, a week, or even longer! However long you need is entirely up to you and your creative process.
Burn out with art is very real, and incredibly damning. The feeling that you no longer enjoy creating and you have to force yourself to make something is terrifying, especially if art is what puts food on the table. Giving yourself a moment or two to check out other artists is a great way to invigorate your spirit again. I absolutely adore going to concerts, and not just for the camaraderie and love of the music. Watching the musicians interact with the audience, doing what they love and sharing a piece of themselves with the world, ignites that creative flame within me. I am always amped up and wanting to make something after I get home from a concert. Find something similar that jumpstarts your artistic side and throws gasoline on the fire, since it is a guaranteed way to pick yourself up out of a rut.
Trust me when I say you can find art in just about anything. Your perfect idea is waiting just around the corner of the last place you would expect it to be. So get out there and let yourself get lost, since only then will you find what you are looking for.
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