‘Trendsetting’. The Key To Overcoming Your Creative Block.
If you’re a human being on planet Earth and engaged in any sort of daily creative work or activity, than you know more than most what it’s like to suffer from mental or creative blocks.
It’s that feeling where nothing is coming to you. Zero inspiration. An idea of an idea, as it were and not much else.
Unfortunately, these difficult blocks in our work flow are more or less inevitable. I personally suffer from writer’s block constantly.
So then how do we overcome this challenge? Better yet, how can we further develop our workflow in such a manner that reduces the likelihood that such ‘blocks’ arise in the first place?
While I can’t claim this will work for everyone — I do have a theory.
But first..
A Marketing Lesson
Back when I was still in college pursuing a Marketing degree, I was introduced to a lesson in ‘trends’ and how to recognize them in the marketplace as a key variable for developing better business strategies.
Now from my overall observation in life, I find that the majority of us tend to follow trends rather than set or create them. This sentiment by the way, applies to all things creative from fashion to music to art, etc.
With that being said, the thought dawned on me while stalled in the midst of one of my creative writing projects, that something about my approach to craft wasn’t working as well as I needed it to.
Up until then, I found myself continuously working to write for people in an attempt to satisfy supply for what I thought was their demand for certain content.
A similar article regarding my first screenplay sale tackles this in-depth:
I began to consider this as more of a default than anything else and needless to say, that’s still a very valid form of approaching one’s craft.
But it was that college course on trends which granted me some much needed clarity on how to better my approach supply and demand which more or less entails — creating the demand.
Setting A Trend
You see, as creatives it’s our responsibility to visualize the world we wish to see. Furthermore, we must develop the tools necessary to carry that vision into reality.
But I find that, more often than not at least as far as I’m concerned, it’s the execution of said vision where we encounter the majority of our creative blocks.
The solution? Set a trend. Focus on the execution of new and innovative ideas rather than the result.
“It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.”
If you find yourself uninspired by the status quo, then there’s your sign to shakes things up with that fabulous imagination of yours.
More often than not we stop ourselves short from following through on some of our grandest ideas and the reason is quite simple — we get ahead of ourselves.
I equate it to a marathon runner who attempts to sprint the entire run. It’s non-sensical. But with proper training, planning and patience in the process, you’ll eventually find yourself farther along than you expected. What’s more important is you’ll invariably create an organized workflow, tailor-made to suite your creative endeavors.
Ask yourself, what it is about the current project that got you started to begin with and build a conducive, consistent routine around it.
By weaving your passion through your work, you enter new and exciting territory which no one has yet to discover but you. And that’s the point.
If done right, it should leave you feeling galvanized and the work, free-flowing.
Parting Thoughts
I will add that a commitment to consistency is also key here.
Now, to recap — developing the confidence to set trends means first recognizing the establishment and identifying any room for improvement. Identifying your niche. Once you’ve decided what that is, you want to create a sustainable routine which encourages consistency.
As mentioned earlier, this is all theory at the end of the day but I’ve got a good feeling about it.
Thanks for reading everyone - I hope some of you find this approach to be as beneficial as it has been for me. If so, let me know in the comments below!
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