5 ways to jumpstart creativity after a break

The open mode is a mood in which curiosity for its own sake can operate, because we’re not under pressure to get a specific thing done properly. We can play.

John Cleese

When you’re curious you find lots of interesting things to do.

Walt Disney

Creativity is like fitness. The longer you’re away from it, the more difficult it is to get started again.

As a longtime fitness coach and group exercise instructor, I know, however, that the best way to get back into any routine is to just start.

Let go of judgement and expectation, meet yourself where you are, and above all, choose an activity that’s fun and playful. The more experimental and outside-the-box the better. Approach your materials with curiosity and interest. Ask ‘what if’ questions. Expect nothing. Be totally surprised with whatever transpires.

I apply the same principles to jumpstart my creativity, whether I’ve been out of the studio for an extended period of time, or just need a way in to a new body of work. Below are five approaches that always work for me (and exactly what I’ll be doing as we head into the New Year).

5 ways to jumpstart creativity after a break

• Make friends with words; writing has always been the easiest way for me to access my creativity. Whether it’s brain-dumping my thoughts into a journal (a la ‘morning pages’), jotting down a poem, quote or song lyric that resonates with me or meditating on a feeling that I want to invoke, beginning by focusing on words almost always leads to a satisfying painting session. In addition to clearing space in my brain for creativity, writing notes by hand also helps to warm up my wrist and fingers. Not a fan of journalling? Jot your thoughts down on scraps of collage paper or even the canvas itself. Even if you cover them up, they may still help to direct the work in subtle and subconscious ways.
• Cut and paste; when I’m not quite ready to pick up a paintbrush, collage is my favourite way to create quickly and without pressure. I love that it allows my problem-solving brain to work alongside my intuition. Colour swatches, explorations with acrylic paint, shopping bags and magazine pages are my favourite papers to create with. Often my sketchbook collages give me ideas for new larger works and clues to how I might move forward with stalled paintings. Ever a fan of recycling, I often use my written words and journal pages in these explorations. Try bright-coloured Posca pens on deli paper for a lovely effect.

• Change it up; Rather than grabbing materials that I use regularly, trying a new material or tool (or one I’ve forgotten I own) forces me out of default mode. The marks I make are always fresh and interesting and often lead to further investigation. Sometimes a new colour is enough to unleash a flurry of new ideas. The bigger the deviation from my normal way of working, the better.

• Thumbnail sketching; I almost always begin a studio session by making a series of small composition sketches. These ‘quick and dirty’ paintings are typically done with a silicone shaper and paint right out of the tube. No palette or brushes to clean. Colours that mix and mingle on the paper. Focusing only on shapes and sometimes lines. In addition to being a great way to warm up before I tackle a larger painting, they’re also perfect for jumpstarting creativity after time away from the studio.

• Dust off an ‘ugly’ painting; Many of my paintings don’t make it onto Instagram ;-). They get abandoned in the ‘ugly’ stage and relegated to the back of the studio. Because I’m not worried about ruining them, they often make the best surfaces for new explorations. Applying any of the above ideas to an otherwise ‘ruined’ canvas appeals to my preference for recycling over throwing away. And sometimes, playful new marks breathe life back into a piece I was ready to gesso over. This approach is particularly appealing when the confines of a sketchbook just aren’t doing it for me, but I don’t want to ‘waste’ a large panel on a creativity jumpstarting activity.

Bonus tips

• Limit yourself; try choosing just a few colours, one or two mark-making tools or setting a time limit. Ironically, limitations often lead to inspiration and increased creativity.
• Create laterally; long before I ever started painting, my go-to creative activity was knitting. Always a fan of beautiful, hand-painted yarns, I believe that this hobby paved the way for my current love of colour and texture. Spending some time with yarn and needles can help inspire me to return to the canvas. One of last year’s mini-series was, in fact, an ode to a particularly gorgeous skein of yarn!
• Out with the old; removing finished paintings from the studio helps me to release ideas I’ve already explored and clears the way for play and experimentation. One of the best ways to clean out the studio is by offering my newsletter subscribers a discount. Make sure you’re on the list, as I don’t announce these in advance!

There are as many ways to jumpstart creativity as their are creatives. What’s your favourite?