Two Tips To Free Your Ideas

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Last week I was writing a message for our high school program and it was pure torture.  Every word typed was excrutiating to produce because I felt like all that was emerging was blah blah blah.  In the end I wasn’t sure if anything I was producing was making sense.
What’s frustrating about the entire situation is that I know there are times when writing just pours from me and it’s almost a joyful experience.  But, then there are those times when ideas hit wall, after wall and after wall.  It’s just part of the work that goes into creativity, there are going to be times when we get stuck.  When this happens I take these two action steps:

1. Put It Out There:  The problem could be perspective.  The reason you’ve hit a wall or can’t produce a single idea is because you lack confidence.  Instead of killing the idea write it down, share it and let others give you their insight.  Even if it seems insignificant, get someone else’s thoughts.  Worst thing would be completely killing something before it has time to grow. 
2. Take A Step Back: Sometimes an idea just needs to simmer.  I’ve had immature ideas that I’ve written down and then repeated in my head over and over and over again.  When I have an idea that’s stuck sometimes it just needs to work itself out; however, that doesn’t mean abandoning it.  If you have an idea or thought like that do something creative. For example I go out for a run, cook or read a book.

Hitting a wall can be one of the most frustrating things in the world.  The worst thing to do is to let it conquer you.  I’m not saying you should never abandon an idea, because everything has an expiration date.  What we need to do is make sure we don’t smother our creativity without giving it the proper opportunity to grow.  So next time one comes up share it, let it grow and if it fails move forward.  You don’t have to be perfect.

How do you break through the creative wall?