Placed in: Home arrow Useful arrow Tips arrow Offline ways to keep your creative fluids going

Cialis Online

Offline ways to keep your creative fluids going

"Inspiration can be found everywhere". But what if you're simply empty and have no fuel in your creativity tank left? You can always get stuck at a creativity block, which could have a very big impact.

To prevent this phenomenon from happening to you, I compled a list with 10+ offline ways to keep your creative fluids going to prevent a creativity block.

Be Creative

As you can see by the title of this article, this list aims at the offline ways (by not using your computer) in order to turn your creativity spark into a bursting creative flame. Feel free to share your number one way to keep on being creative! Where do you find your inspiration?

Take a break and rest

Sumo Lounge

Taking a break or resting is one of the best ways to keep your mind of the subject to boost your creativity once again. I personally love to relax in my Sumo bean bag (the version I have is the Sumo Gamer). Just lay back and chill! At work, we have a true bean bag (filled with little beans), but the Gamer version from Sumolounge is stuffed like a huge pillow. Perfect to lay back to fill your inspiration tank.

Also, the Sumo Gamer comes in different colours which can fit in your work area. When you choose a colour that's totally different than the colours you're already using in your workspace, you can create a creativity boost too!

Take time for yourself to relax, take a break and rest. I personally like to use the Sumo Gamer to do so, but I'm sure you know other ways to make some time and relax.

Read a book or magazine

Books about a certain subject can open your eyes and give you new insights about the problem. For example, when I read the jQuery 1.3 with PHP book, there were some examples I've never thought of. This can open up new doors for new ideas.

This also counts for magazines. They usually bring you information faster than books, so a great way to be on top of the game. Also, the covers from several webdesign related magazines can be enough too!

Come back to it later

Leave the project to rest, sleep over it or take a walk outside. In simple words: Keep your mind off the project. Taking a small break can be enough to give you a creativity boost!

Change your work area

By rearranging your office/work area, you change your surroundings and with that, you break your "natural way" of doing things. Don't make the change a small one - try to place everything in a different place. Why not place your desk at the other side of the room with different light surroundings?

Take out your pencil

Pencil

Creating drawings or paintings can be a great creativity booster. You don't need to kick up Photoshop; A pencil, paper and eraser can do the trick too. Even creating simple sketches could help you pop out a new idea.

Wireframing for new ideas can be pretty great too. Janko started his redesign using wireframes too. It allows you to easily start over and take a whole new perspective of things. You can even use some pre-made wireframe sketch templates so you can fully focus on the design.

Get inspiration from others

Although the sentence Inspiration can be found everywhere might sound a bit cliché, it's true. Take a look at: art, fashion, architecture, interior design, hardware; it's full of inspiration. Just make sure that you get inspired to create something new and creative and not copy it directly. I personally like to draw inspiration from architectural buildings (like the ones in Dubai) and Hardware (iPhone design etc.).

Look at nature

Nature

Nature can be a beautiful place to find inspiration and get creative. Take a look at some beautiful plants or animals (like insects). Go outside and be adventurous; Look at what nature brings you and you'll most certainly get a creativity kick out of it.

Brainstorm

Creating mind maps (or other techniques to brainstorm a problem) is a great way to explore new possibilities. Approach the problem from a different angle to see if something totally new pops up. Feel free to write down all the things you want - even if you think they're stupid. Maybe, later in the process, they don't seem stupid at all! Of course, you can ask the opinions of other people too.

Listen to Music

Music

And I don't mean listen while you work; Take the time to actually listen to the music. This can also be combined by relaxing (just like laying down on the Sumo Lounge) and float away to the beats you're listening to. This will most certainly help you get your creativity spark back to a burning fire!

Do something totally different

Doing something which is the complete opposite of what you're trying to do can really help you out when you have a creativity block. Designing something in Photoshop but you can't seem to finish it? Go outside and climb some trees! Just to something completely different and it might give you new insights on your problem.

Build up confidence

When you have more belief in yourself, you are more likely to do things totally differently and explore more of your creative brain. Stand up and feel free to share your opinion. Believing that what you produce is correct and making sure you have a solid opinion can come a long way when thinking about creativity.

Make notes

Notes

Carry a notebook (like this Moleskine) with you all the time. It's great to write ideas down that suddenly pop in year head in the middle of the day. Write down the small things, just like Jacob Gube does. Check out how his Moleskine looks on CreativeOverflow - now that's pretty creative!

Write down lists like this

When I was compiling this list, I was looking for more ways keep my creative fluids going. It opened my eyes too when thinking of stuff to achieve this goal. You can simply pick up a piece of paper en think of some more offline ways to be creative that are not on this list!

So, what do you think? Are there any other offline ways that you like to use to keep your creativity spark going?


Tags:  tips offline inspirational programming design

Interested in this topic? You might enjoy another article I've written called

Did you like this article? Subscribe to my feed or email to keep updated on new articles.

Spread the word and submit to:
Digg!Reddit!Del.icio.us!Facebook!StumbleUpon!
Comments
Add NewSearchRSS
Saud Khan   2010-03-02 19:41:10
Gravatar image Good Tips.

I think a relaxed mind is almost essential.

Engaging yourself in casual discussions with talented friends is another great way to come up with new ideas.

Moleskin can help a lot too.
Marco - Yup!   2010-03-02 20:28:45
Gravatar image Yup - you're absolutely right here Saud - that's why "relaxing/taking a break" is #1 on this list ;) .

I've forgotten about the discussions with other creative people, but you're totally right! They can change the spotlight in a whole different position and open your mind for more :D !

Thanks for your comment mate!
Brigitte - That wonderful Pencil   2010-03-02 19:49:09
Gravatar image Thanks for the great post. I often get sucked into being online and have discovered that, often, one can be more productive if you step away from the computer. My sketch book is the place I go to to get the creative juices flowing. At the moment I am using a new strategy. I have printed out some of my favourite screen shots from sites that I like and am drawing little thumbnails of their layout. Afterwards, I make (brief) notes and brainstorm about why I like those layouts. A good way to understand both my and other designers decision making processes and layout styles.
Marco - Great!   2010-03-02 19:56:54
Gravatar image Thanks a lot for the nice comment Brigitte! It looks like as if you already follow some of the points from this list (brainstorming, notebook, drawing, learning from others) but added another great one (printing website and learning from that) too!

I've never used that technique before, but I can surely believe that can help you being creative as well :) .
Prashant - Thanks   2010-03-03 07:08:00
Gravatar image Gr8 post. Very practical and helpful. Thank you.
Umut Muhaddisoglu   2010-03-03 11:27:23
Gravatar image As a person who is frequently online, being offline itself became an inspiration for me (which is pretty funny:) ).

Very nice article.
Suhasini   2010-03-03 19:08:25
Gravatar image This is just perfect and it will help me a lot and many people too who need to do something other than being online.
Pop Up Displays   2010-03-19 11:34:45
Gravatar image Listening to music is my favourite way to keep my creative fluidity. J from Pop Up Displays
Akash - Share it tips   2011-02-16 03:58:07
Gravatar image Nice Article . :)
josephsholland@gmail.com - anti smoking pills club   2011-06-10 08:50:22
Gravatar image This site was really newsworthy and I had really liked it very much. Thanks a lot for the information. I had also saved it for my future use.
josephsholland@gmail.com - overweight usage records   2011-06-10 08:51:05
Gravatar image Reading your blog had made me learn some aspect. Really it was a great site and the information was very nice. Thanks a lot!
josephsholland@gmail.com - hair loss pills news   2011-06-10 08:53:04
Gravatar image To visit your blog was very lucky for me because at this time I need to get this kind of information and that to with your site. Really nice post.
josephsholland@gmail.com - live birth control pills tips   2011-06-10 08:54:18
Gravatar image The information in this blog was very nice. It was a cool site. I had never visited to such type of site before. Thanks a lot for the information.
josephsholland@gmail.com - internet diabetes pills   2011-06-10 08:55:06
Gravatar image It is a great work from your part I had really liked it very much. Thanks a lot for the information. I had liked it very much.
josephsholland@gmail.com - hair loss diet pills information   2011-06-10 08:55:51
Gravatar image It was a great effort from your site .thanks a lot for the information. I had really liked it very much. Thanks a lot for the information.
josephsholland@gmail.com - cheap secure weight loss pills   2011-06-10 08:57:08
Gravatar image This was indeed a great posting which I had never seen it before thanks a lot for the information. I had liked it very much.
josephsholland@gmail.com - best clinical pharmacy journal   2011-06-10 08:57:36
Gravatar image Generally I do not comment on the blogs but when I read this blog I felt very happy and wanted to write on this blog. Really an awesome blog!!!
josephsholland@gmail.com - hair weight loss pills reviews   2011-06-10 08:58:06
Gravatar image It was great to read this wonderful blog. I had loved the content very much. Thanks a lot for the information. Keep updating more information.
josephsholland@gmail.com - peoples pharmacy info   2011-06-10 08:58:35
Gravatar image This was nice to read with this blog, because the information was very helpful for me. Thanks a lot for the information.
josephsholland@gmail.com - legal online store pharmacy   2011-06-10 08:59:10
Gravatar image Amazing site!!! I should say because the information which was given in this blog was really very nice. Thanks a lot!
josephsholland@gmail.com - online diabetes pills tips   2011-06-10 08:59:36
Gravatar image The information was very factual, it was very nice. I cannot express my feelings in words. Really it was a superb site.
josephsholland@gmail.com - live pharmacy meds   2011-06-10 09:00:02
Gravatar image I had never visited this kind of blog before and this time when I visited this blog I felt very nice. Really it was a nice post.
josephsholland@gmail.com - top birth control pills   2011-06-10 09:01:15
Gravatar image The information which was specified in this blog was really very awesome. I had really liked it very much. It was great from your site.
josephsholland@gmail.com - best pharmacy plus hub   2011-06-10 09:02:01
Gravatar image After reading this blog I felt very happy because this was the exact information where I was searching for. Thanks a lot for the information.
Belstaff UK   2011-09-09 08:38:44
Gravatar image ss
2023xqp - 2023xqp   2011-09-20 07:54:36
Gravatar image Nike produces a wide range of sports equipment. Their first products were track running shoes. They currently also make shoes, jerseys, shorts, baselayers, etc. for a wide range of sports including track and field, basketball,ice hockey, tennis, association football (soccer), lacrosse, basketball, and cricket. Nike Air Max is a line of shoes first released by Nike, Inc. in 1987. The most recent additions to their line are the Nike 6.0, Nike NYX, andNike SB shoes, designed for skateboarding. Nike has recently introduced cricket shoes, called Air Zoom Yorker, designed to be 30% lighter than their competitors'.[16] In 2008, Nike introduced the Air Jordan XX3, a high-performance basketball shoe designed with the environment in mind.
kevinking - I should say because the information   2011-10-12 10:34:24
Gravatar image Listening to music is my favourite way to keep my creative fluidity. J from Pop Up Displays
Belstaff Jackets Uk Online   2011-10-14 03:41:45
Gravatar image Silt-Cheng
Belstaff Jackets Uk Online   2011-10-14 03:42:18
Gravatar image Silt-Cheng
Belstaff Jackets Uk Online   2011-10-14 03:42:40
Gravatar image Silt-Cheng
Belstaff Jackets Uk Online   2011-10-14 03:43:10
Gravatar image Silt-Cheng
Roni - Offline ways to keep your creative fluids going   2012-01-03 08:52:33
Gravatar image Offline ways to keep your creative fluids going ...this is great...awesome...thanks for the sharing this post..
Read more...
Name:
Email:
  Gravatar enabled.
Website:
Title:
UBBCode:
[b] [i] [u] [url] [quote] [code] [img] 
 
 
:angry::0:confused::cheer:B):evil::silly::dry::lol::kiss::D:pinch:
:(:shock::X:side::):P:unsure::woohoo::huh::whistle:;):s
:!::?::idea::arrow:
 
Security Image
Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.
Unsubscribe from e-mail notifications.
 
Next >
Subscribe

7374 readers subscribed here. Subscribe today!