5 Ways to Deal with Designer’s Block
Just like writers and other professions, creatives of all fields can go through periods of designer’s block and even burn out. If you are having creative fatigue, here are some ways you can once again, become energized and refreshed in your work. Whether you’re a graphic designer, photographer, UI/UX designer, or videographer - these five tips can help you out of your creative rut.
Tip 1: Take a Break
This may seem like obvious advice but it’s something that so many designers ignore. In days where “the hustle” is glorified, our own mental and physical health is put on the back burner. A break can be as small as going to make yourself a snack or taking a few days to yourself. Put the screens down and connect with the world around you.
Ways to take a break:
Set a timer and get up and stretch every hour
Go for a walk - or just go outside and breath in fresh air
Make yourself some coffee, tea, a snack
Focusing on a single thing all can make you feel uninspired - try to cycle between different projects throughout the day to help relieve the boredom.
Tip 2: Find Inspiration
There are so many innovative artists around the world and they are all easily accessible online. Follow and support other artists that inspire you to be at your best.
Some ways to engage with fellow creatives:
Sites like Dribbble and Behance are a great source of inspiration. You can find professional artists from every field on these sites. A great plus to these types of sites is that they also have job boards.
Of course, social media is even more accessible. If you don’t know any artists to follow on Instagram, you can follow certain hashtags to get started. For instance, if you follow #graphicdesign, you will start seeing some of the top content creators that are using that hashtag.
A newer feature of Behance is their daily livestreams from creative professionals. Lots of experts from around the world are streaming every week. They cover a variety of topics and almost every creative field (graphic design, photography, video production, UX/UI design, webdesign, and illustration). There is so much to learn and best of all, you can chat and ask questions to these pros in real-time. It is important to note that Behance is an Adobe site and all streamers are using Adobe software (Adobe Creative Cloud). If you are unable to watch live, their streams are saved and you can watch anytime. Check out the Adobe Creative Cloud Youtube Channel to get started.
Tip 3: Work on a Personal Project
We get it - the work you are hired and paid to do is not necessarily the work that inspires you. Working on personal projects is a great way to break the everyday monotony. If you happen to have no current personal projects to focus on, make up some! Come up with fictitious projects and work on them for fun. There are a ton of sites that can also help you with a creative prompt.
Sharp.design is an excellent site with a variety of creative briefs. Find whatever topic brings you joy and work on a personal project. In addition to practicing new techniques, these projects can also go in your portfolio.
Tip 4: Work on a Creative Challenge
Similar to the tip #3, you can work on a more structured project. Adobe hosts Creative Challenges in Photoshop, XD, and Illustrator. This is a great way to pick up new skills or learn a new program. The Adobe challenges also have a community Discord chat (each challenge has it’s own Discord group - check the links above for those) - so you are working alongside other creatives and sharing your work.
Tip 5: Find Communities of Designers
Find other creatives to connect with. There are so many communities out there - both small and large that you can take part in. In addition to Adobe’s multiple Discord groups mentioned above, you can find other on social media like Instagram, Twitter, and Reddit. Designer Brandon Groce hosts a creative community called The Game Changers. With over 800 members, this world-wide community joins together to practice their skills and receive feedback to improve as creatives. Brandon also hosts his bi-weekly livestreams on Behance, the podcasts Design Hustle, and his YouTube channel.
If you are already an avid Reddit user, check out these subreddits: