Anyone who has every had a job where they have to be creative on a consistent basis knows what it's like to feel creatively blocked. To have the sense that you're up against a brick wall and don't have a clue what to do next. You feel empty and like a blank page.
Working in your jewelry craft business is no different. There are times when you're working to come up with your next greatest idea and you feel stagnant. Like there's no excitement or life to your ideas. Like you need some way to super charge yourself.
The question is what do you do about it? What do you do to get the log jam of creativity moving again so you can claim victory and creative genius on your efforts? Here are a few ideas that should help.
* Surround yourself with inspiration - In order to keep those creative juices flowing and intense, you need to bathe yourself in inspiration. I'm not just talking about jewelry at this point. I mean you need to expose yourself to inspiration from all walks of life.
Read magazines and books that have nothing to do with jewelry making. Listen to music, watch a play, go to the local artisan market and observe the work of others. Expose yourself to all different forms of creativity and see the creativity in it.
* Take a break - Sometimes you're heads down on a project and you can't see the forest for the trees. This is when you need to take a step back. Push your chair back, stand up and go for a walk. You need a break and to relax a bit.
It's amazing how much this can make a difference. Just to walk away and forget about everything you were just doing. How many times have you not been thinking about something only to get a great idea about it.
* Get proper rest - Continuing the theme from above on a larger scale, make sure you're getting the type of rest you need. While we all have to burn the candle at both ends now and again, it's hard to keep that fresh creativity when you're completely exhausted.
Take real time for yourself so you can really relax. So you can do something completely different and keep your regular efforts enjoyable. You don't want your work to become this eye gouging task that you come to hate. It's what you love to do, keep it that way.
* Continue learning - Stanley Johnson said, "Feed your mind. Ideas will follow." Get books, ebooks, magazines and videos on jewelry making. Learn new ways of doing things that challenge and test your current ideas. Talk to others who share the same passion for jewelry making you do. Get their ideas and input and share yours with them.
The more you add to your own understanding the more your creativity will grow.
While there is a lot more that could be said, just doing these things can make a big difference in keeping you creatively fresh. Before you know it that log jam of ideas will be cut loose and your creativity will be flowing again.
By: Shawn Vincent
Jewelry Making Tips |
