Creativity Icebreakers
I love writing. I love singing. More recently, I love to write songs. Above all, I love the feeling of a creative release in all of these pursuits.
I HATE getting stuck. And let’s face it, we ALL get stuck in our creative pursuits. That blinking cursor on the computer screen or song lyric in need of a chord scream at me: YOU’RE STUCK.
But you know the beautiful thing about creativity? There are so many ways to be creative. I’ve found one of the best ways to get unstuck in my creative endeavors is to go do something ELSE creative.
Here are some of my favorite creativity icebreakers:
Photography
I love photography. I even flirted with the idea of pursuing it more professionally, until I realized my true gifts were in music and writing. Sometimes when I get stuck on words, images are a great way to trigger my brain.
I like to take a walk, stopping to look at things like flowers, trees, or whatever strikes my fancy. Often, the pictures I take help to get the words or melodies flowing.
Coloring
Sure, it sounds childish, but when was the last time you picked up a coloring book and some crayons? Coloring is therapeutic! Don’t just use the small Crayola box of eight colors; go all out and get the jumbo pack. Then you have choices like “indigo” and “tumbleweed.”
Sometimes just playing with the colors is enough to get the creativity churning. You don’t even have to buy a whole coloring book. You can print coloring pages online. I’ve found some more intricate coloring pages by Googling for “adult coloring pages.” (I was quite relieved when that search came up clean!) One of my favorite sites to print coloring pages can be found this way.
photo by Ed Schipul (creative commons)
Collages
I haven’t done this one in awhile, but every time I do, I remember how much I enjoy it. Maybe you’re writing on a particular topic but keep coming up blank. Grab some old magazines and cut out anything that relates to the topic at hand. Then slap some glue on the back and paste it all on a big sheet of paper. Once again, images can help when the words are stuck.
Painting
I am NOT a painter. That didn’t stop me from buying some canvas and paint one weekend. I painted some simple pictures that represent two of my loves in life: music and coffee. They hang in the wall of my home to remind me that I am a creative person. They’re not fancy, but they were sure fun to do.
Magnetic Poetry
If you’re a writer, I highly recommend this. It’s a bunch of words that stick to your fridge. Mine are organized into parts of speech (yes, I’m a nerd.) Sometimes it’s nice to have words at your fingertips instead of pulling them out of thin air.
There are tons of ways to be creative, even beyond whatever creative endeavor you may be pouring your energy into!
When you feel stuck creatively, what helps to get you going?
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