We’ve all been there. You’re starting a brand new project. You’ve outlined the requirements and listed the features in various ways. You’re sitting and staring at a blank document in Photoshop, or a blank page in your sketchbook, and your mind is also completely blank.
Creative burnout happens to all of us. As a creature of habit, I tend to get into a routine and stick to it. After several weeks of sitting in the same chair in the same office day after day, I can feel the creativity slowly ebb.
The answer is to get out of the office (or wherever it is you usually work). It doesn’t matter if it’s for a few hours or a few days, but a regular change of environment is essential to keeping your creative edge.
Regularly getting away from your familiar routine can pay big dividends by refreshing your perspective. If you sit in the same chair every day, your eyes tend to rest on comfortable, familiar objects. As soon as you move out to the back garden, or the coffee shop, your eyes will have a whole new palette of stimulus. It’s not only visual; that rose bush in the garden, or the low hum of conversation and music in the coffee shop can give your nose and ears a fresh perspective as well.
In the case of public spaces, you have the added advantage of possibly meeting and talking with new people. Sometimes, just being near enough to overhear some conversation can give you new perspective on a design problem.
I came into design from a photography background, so one of my favorite things to do to spark creativity is to take my camera out and seek out patterns, textures, colors, interface elements, or whatever strikes my fancy. Doing this in the real world instead of on the web gives the whole process a much more organic feel.
I like to plan several trips with my wife during the year where we go find a small town, stay in a bed and breakfast or hotel (an Internet connection reduces stress for me on these trips). Then, we just spend two or three days either hiking local trails, or walking the streets and browsing shops in the town. During these trips, I always try to see things as much as possible through the lens of my camera. It narrows my focus and helps me isolate interesting design elements. Invariably, I return from a weekend trip with a fresh perspective and a recharged creative battery.
It’s not always easy for freelancers to get good quality, constructive criticism on a new concept. We can always ask friends and family members, but we’re not likely to get a critique that is based on solid design practices and concepts. Asking in online communities can often lead to caustic, unhelpful comments. Concept Feedback is an online app that attempts to bridge that gap. Here’s what they say about their concept:
