Slough Off the Slump: 3 Ways to Stay Creative in 2022

As creatives, we need routine; those practices that instill a sense of structure and rhythm, and give you the space to create. But too much routine can turn into a grind. Here’s how to bust the boredom, with some simple ways to get inspired and shift your mindset.

Change your view
Do you remember those toys where you could pop in a round disc and it had different pictures printed on translucent film? Well, back in the day, this could take folks to places they’d never been. They were called stereoscopes or viewfinders, and they emerged during the Victorian era, when travel wasn’t as accessible and photography had just emerged. These devices gave people the opportunity to experience new things, simply by changing their view. So how can you change your viewfinder disc in simple, easy ways?

1. Take a different way home. 

For example, if you’re driving to and from an office, or you’re driving your kids to school the same way every day, every week, that can get monotonous pretty quickly. Traveling down different streets can expose you to new spaces, architecture, shapes, signs, people, stories. I used to take the same road downtown every weekend, because it was the easiest way from our house. One day, I noticed this super sweet, midcentury modern apartment building that I’d never seen before. The next time I made my way downtown, I took a turn and I not only drove down that street and checked out that building, I drove around the entire neighborhood – an area I had no idea existed. There were some really great patterns and accent elements in the area that I used in an illustration I was building. It was like instant inspiration, and all I had to do was take a different path.

2. Go somewhere new.

Another simple way to adjust your lens is to change up your weekly task list locations. And I know this sounds very mundane, but if you’re used to hitting up the same grocery store in the same neighborhood, visit one in a different part of the city or visit an entirely different brand of store.

As an example, in my family, we’re used to visiting Aldi for groceries, but I needed to find some things that were off my typical list. I went to the larger local grocery store, and my mind was blown with the selection. They had a few full shelves just for products imported from Italy, which made my mind wander to memories of the meals and traditions I shared with my Italian family in New York. And these were all things I hadn’t thought about in ages.

Another time, I went to a different Target than my usual location. They were changing up the template of the store and bringing in new designers and products. Looking at all these items, you may find yourself (like I was) more distracted, losing myself in the offerings and displays. But what’s really happening is you’re choosing a different road. Your “mindless overdrive” of a routine, turns into an experience with exposure to new designs and inspirations. While it may take you a little longer to find the things on your list, this can allow you to create new pathways in your mind, which can lead to new ideas!

3. Make the time.

Our minds are engineered to take the easiest way to any solution. If we’re used to choosing the same physical paths from here to there, we’re going to have that sameness in our creative work. It may take a bit of extra timing and planning to forge new paths, but it’s worth it. Challenge yourself and make the time, to give yourself the headspace you need to have deeper, richer, more contemplative experiences.

Thanks so much for joining me for this first edition of Creative Coffee. For more new perspectives, explore our other blog posts, and listen to Agency for Change podcast episodes featuring leaders who are creating positive change in the world.KidGlov is a boutique, full-service, advertising, branding and content marketing agency and certified B Corp, with offices in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, specializing in nonprofit marketing, healthcare marketing, financial marketing, social impact marketing, and purpose-driven businesses.