Powering through a slump: How to get those creative juices flowing!

When you’re a creator, there's no doubt that you've been to that place before – that void, that towering wall, that endless horizon of nothingness. It’s the frustrating feeling of trying to force yourself to create something, yet nothing seems to be flowing through your mind. When all other factors seem to be going smoothly, yet when you try writing down that first word, figuring out that proper note, or even planning your next stroke – everything just goes blank. Dubbed by internet slang masterminds, this is called a creative slump. And it is indisputably every artist's worst nightmare.

Though today, we are not here to dread the matter. Instead, we have come up with a list to help you get your creative juices flowing once again. Erika Dyane Corsino, a 20-year-old graphic designer based in La Union and a 2nd year BA Communication student at the Saint Louis University Baguio, shared some tips and tricks on how she finds reason to power through.

1. Find inspiration. Starting on a blank page or canvas can be quite overwhelming. Make use of online domains and services such as Pinterest, Behance, Youtube, or even the socials of your favorite artists. Looking at other people's works gets you inspired to produce ones of your own.

“As a young creative, I always find inspiration from other artist’s work. There’s a sense of fulfillment when you realize that you can produce something out of being motivated. Whenever I feel like I can’t start my creative work, a little help from online domains does a bit of magic. Sometimes, inspiration comes even in forms of mere colors. From there, magugulat ka nalang what can you make out of it,” said Corsino.

2. Take a breather. Do a little reset before you take your first stroke. Pushing yourself to create things when you are not in the condition to do so will only result in a half-baked output. Look for other things to do like playing video games, brewing your coffee, baking a snack, or even watching your pastime shows. Getting a reset in between work sessions does wonders.

According to Corsino, forcing yourself to get creative in an instant will only make you feel overwhelmed. A short break from doing art is a must to avoid burnouts. “Grab that chance to do do things out of your comfort zone!,” she exclaimed.

3. Don't aim for perfection. It is always better to have a finished output rather than having a perfect but unfinished output. Aiming for perfection induces unnecessary stress on the artist and undue disappointment when not achieved. Instead, aim for a completed output and apply whatever you have learned to your next one.

“This might be easier said than done, but it surely wouldn’t hurt to try. Yes, as artists we become very wary of the quality of our work but it shouldn’t come to the point where we will be incapable of getting anything done at all. Making art is a process of learning, unlearning, and relearning. Oftentimes, imperfections can be beautiful too,” the 20-year-old graphic designer shared.

4. Watch your comfort creative films. Who says films can't be sources of creative inspiration? Dive into the world of cinema and watch films to regain motivation! Some films might just be what you need to reclaim momentum in doing what you're passionate about.

“While there’s a ton of creative films we can watch to be inspired, the first one that came to my mind was actually a cartoon film, entitled Soul, which I watched way back in 2020. For me, the message of the film was simple and straightforward – reigniting one's passion, purpose and complacence in life,” Corsino stated.

5. Start a creativity challenge. Starting your creative challenge will surely help you to systematize productivity. A prominent figure doing this is Abbey Sy, an artist, author, and creative entrepreneur based in Manila. Her monthly creativity challenges on Instagram keep artists consistent in creating different journaling techniques and styles. Listing a prompt or two is already a good start! And once you get used to the process, having a list to stir your creativity for a whole month will be a piece of cake.

Erika shared how journaling prompts helped her become consistent in delivering fresh ideas for her designs. “ I can still remember Ms. Abbey Sy’s creative challenges which I participated in last 2017. It made me keep a creative journal that I enjoyed posting on Instagram. New prompts every week with different things to log, write and draw. Another thing that I also liked about it was the community Abbey has built– full of passionate and artistic young people,” she recalled.

Experiencing a creative slump comes with a lingering feeling of emptiness but getting used to this feeling is the least thing we would want to happen. It's normal for everyone to fear that void, that towering wall, that endless horizon at times, but with the tips presented above, your creative juices will eventually come out from the artist within you.