5 Steps to get out of your creative rut.

Most of us are familiar with the term writer’s block. It is that dreaded time in a writer’s professional life when he or she is simply unable to create something new, never mind good or bad. As you probably know by this time, it happens to photographers as well. It’s that creative rut when you feel like shooting but you can’t come up with a good idea or find a good subject. Or maybe even worse, when you have to shoot for a client and your imagination is numb. If you haven’t experienced any of this yet, it means you’re probably just starting photography and haven’t gotten there yet, but, at some point, it happens to all photographers.

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It’s not easy to get passed a phase in which you can’t tap into your creative well, and although it usually happens more then once (hate to deliver the bad news, but it does) in most artists’ life, the first time is the scariest. It is most often accompanied by feelings of self doubt , lack of confidence in skills, and overall reduced creative drive. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to address this issue, and here’s a short list of what you can do to get passed the inspirational numbness.

1.Read a book

Or more for that matter. There’s nothing like good, old fashioned reading to fire up your creativity, regardless of what kind of art you’re into. It’s like taking your imagination to the gym. It might be hard to find the time or the patience to pick up a book and read in today’s fast paced world, but a good novel can really get your creative juices flowing again.

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2.Watch a lot of movies

Now this might sound kind of dumb , as most of us already watch movies without being told to do so, but when was the last time you went into a movie theater and thought about how that movie was made? I’m not talking about the cast and budget, but about the creative, visual side of things. Study the framing and composition, the lighting and the color tones used. A lot of these things can be incorporated into your style of photography. Motion pictures evolved from still images and in times such as these, of inspirational draught, they can provide a new set of ideas to try out.

3.View a lot of photos

This is the first step most photographers take when feeling uncreative. It’s a very good method to overcome your lack of inspiration but it’s also tricky. Go to exhibitions and browse the kind of images that naturally attract you, rather then skillfully crafted photos from genres you don’t have a lot in common with. But do so wisely, because the last thing you want is to go out shooting with someone else’s photo in mind. It’s ok to seek inspiration in the work of others. It doesn’t mean you’re copying. Like the great filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard once said: “It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to.”

4.Travel

Going to new places and seeing new things has always been a good way to shed a different light on matters. You don’t have to fly half way across the planet, just go on a weekend road trip to a different place than before. A change in scenery will help you detach your thoughts from daily problems, including your temporary inability to make new stuff.

5.Be patient

Ultimately, patience is your greatest ally. You may try all these things and not get the results you’re waiting for. Bare in mind though, like all things, even the creative rut is temporary and inspiration will often find you when you least expect it.

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Image credit: nexusplexus / 123RF Stock Photo