Doing the Unstuck [and staying there]

This is the fourth post and my attempt to answer the fifth question prompt in the #YourTurnChallenge  [days one and two were compressed into one post]

Day 5: What advice would you give for getting unstuck?

“It’s a perfect day for doing the unstuck
For dancing like you can’t hear the beat
And you don’t give a further thought
To things like feet
Let’s get happy!” – The Cure, Doing The Unstuck

I have to admit, when it comes to having ideas, I very rarely have a lack of options. It’s one thing I’m great at – I can think of a million things to make, do, create… but even still, sometimes you can have a really great idea but get stalled in the implementation. That’s the Stuck, and it’s daunting when you’re dealing with things like deadlines and expectations.

So what do I do when this happens? I have a couple of go-to plans.

a. DO SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT. Break your thinking rut/circular thought and go tackle something else for a bit. My caveat? It shouldn’t be something where you sit on your butt. No movie, no email, no Facebook. Go do something physical if possible… take a walk, dance around to your favorite music, do a little bit of housework, work out a bit.

b. WRITE. This one you can be on your butt for.  😉

When I did The Artist’s Way, the most annoying and yet effective thing that I did was the Morning Pages, three handwritten, free-flowing pages of whatever is on your mind, to start your day. I found that the three page thing also works really well for clearing your head. You just write about whatever’s on your mind, not the project that’s got you stalled. It’s a way to reset the brain. When you come back to the project, often you’ll find your head is a lot clearer.

c. EXTRA CREDIT. You can also go do the thing that I love to do when I’m having trouble getting clarity on a project – go to your stitch and bitch, craft night, or call your friends and have them come over for a crafternoon. DON’T work on the project that’s bugging you. Don’t even talk about it unless you feel yourself starting to get inspired and it feels right. I’ve found that sometimes when I’m in a group of my creative peers, I’ll unlock all sorts of creative thoughts and energies. It’s magical!

Let’s get happy and unstuck!

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