My teacher's lecture today made me realize that being creative and getting ideas can be done in ways in which most of us Graphic Design students do not even think about. Brainstorming does not have to be a boring, challenging thing, instead it can be done in a more exciting, different way. Finding a different spot or atmosphere to brainstorm helps a lot. Being in a new environment refreshes your mind, giving your brain more potential to produce more ideas. Being in the same environment every single day can become redundant and with seeing the same things around you, can create a challenge when brainstorming. Your mind needs to be refreshed!
Surprisingly enough, another way to unblock your creativity, is to stop thinking so hard, let your mind take a break, and disconnect yourself from the project for a while. Do something else that you enjoy, whether it be meditation, exercising, reading a book, shopping, or seeing friends. Now, being in a very busy program, most students may find that this is quite hard to do, as won't taking a break from your work put you way behind? I automatically would say yes, I don't have time to take a break, I have way too much to do! But when you really start to think about it, taking a break, and once again refreshing your mind, can make you more productive when developing your ideas. When you are having a creative block, sitting at your desk for several hours trying to come up with an idea can be counter-productive. If you instead took a short break and got yourself out of your working environment, your brain can finally rest, giving it more energy to be able to produce better and more ideas once you've returned to that environment.
Thinking of different brainstorming techniques can also help quite a bit. Creating a mind map or mood board gets out the visual images related to your current project, rather than using just words. This gets you thinking more, generating a wider variety of ideas. Remember that when you do get that brain wave full of ideas, write them ALL down! Don't stop writing until all of those ideas up in your head, are on paper. Keep in mind that there is no such thing as a stupid idea. What you may think is a stupid idea, can be an absolutely brilliant idea to another person. Be confident in yourself and don't be afraid to take a risk. You'll never know until you try!
For more information on creativity and ideas, I highly recommend the book "How To Get Ideas" by Jack Foster. (the new expanded edition)
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