Do you have a creative routine? (plus 4 tricks you can adopt)

Can creativity be nudged along.. or do you have to wait for inspiration to strike?

I've been reading some fascinating tales about artists creative routines.

Some are caffeine inspired.... like Honore de Balzac (novelist) who wrote fueled by 50 cups of black coffee per day.

Some are night owls... like Pablo Picasso who painted between midnight and 2.30am.

And some just well.. unique, like Victor Hugo who would remove his clothes, give them to his servants and instruct them not to return them until he'd finished a chapter!

Whatever the routine, it's safe to say there's no 'one way' to harness creativity. There is however, a set of habits that you can adopt to help nudge it along... all without removing your clothes.

Here's a few of my favourite tips I've accumulated over the years...

1. Go analogue

While you might be reading this sitting in front of your computer screen, that (unfortunately) is not the most ideal creative environment. A simple switch to make is to start your brainstorming, outlining or ideas using a good old pen and paper. Many artists swear by it, and it definitely allows you to slow things down and focus with less distractions. Artist Austin Kleon shares the example of how he has both an analog desk and a digital one.

"I have two desks in my office—one is “analog” and one is “digital.” The analog desk has nothing but markers, pens, pencils, paper, index cards, and newspaper. Nothing electronic is allowed on that desk. This is where most of my work is born, and all over the desk are physical traces, scraps, and residue from my process. (Unlike a hard drive, paper doesn’t crash.) The digital desk has my laptop, my monitor, my scanner, and my drawing tablet. This is where I edit and publish my work." - Steal like an artist, by Austin Kleon

1. Attack and then step away
   

If you're feeling stuck then chances are you've missed an important part of the creative process - to forget about it entirely! Confused? The best description I've read comes from Luke Sullivan in his book Hey Whipple Squeeze this, who explains the creative process:

1. You gather as much information on the problem as you can. You read, you underline stuff, you ask questions, you visit the factory.

2. You sit down and actively attack the problem.

3. You drop the whole thing and go do something else while your mind works on the problem.

4. “Eureka!

1. Keep a swipe file

A swipe file is way for you to hoard loads of good ideas which you can then reuse, reshape and combine into something new. Be it in a tool like evernote, or just an email file - find a way to collect inspiration as you come across it.

Copying others work = definitely no.

Taking inspiration from others work and combining it into something else? Yes!

Don't be afraid to look at other examples, competitors, especially different mediums and those outside your industry. As Will Durant (an american writer) said "nothing is new except arrangement." When you're stuck for ideas take a look at your inspiration board and see what jumps out.

1. Use the back of the napkin

You may have heard of the back of the napkin idea, but how tested it out on a problem?

There's an entire book on the subject, however in brief the idea is around simplicity - that if you're stuck on an idea perhaps you've gone to complex.

Can you take your single problem or proposition and condense it down to the back of a napkin? Even better, (since a large majority of people are visual thinkers), draw it as a sketch or picture rather than words.

You never know, this switch in thinking might be enough to get more creativity flowing.

So there's my four creativity tips! Please feel free to share your own tips and creative routines below (just nothing naughty like our friend Victor!😄 )