Being creatively stuck is annoying at best, but for some, it can be mistaken for a sign, that it’s time to give up on a dream/goal/project. Being creatively blocked is often due to too much pressure we put on ourselves. I’ll give you a tip you can try, to get creatively unblocked.

In Stuart Brown's book "Play - how it shapes the brain, opens the imagination, and invigorates the soul" he writes that play is a state of mind, rather than an activity.

This is pretty big news for those of us who thought playing meant having to do something annoying like playing cards or board games. I don’t like board games.

As play is a state of mind, you can play at any age, doing pretty much any activity you enjoy, as long as you have a playful mindset.

In his book, Stuart Brown shares the benefits of play :

• When we play, we are in the truest expression of our individuality.

• Play lies at the core of creativity.

• Play helps sculpt the brain.

• It's fun!

• Play creates new neural connections and tests them.

• It creates an arena for social interaction and learning.

• Play creates a low-risk format for finding and developing innate skills and talent (This is why I started painting)

Fun tip for getting creatively unblocked

The top and fun tip to help you get creatively unblocked is to bring a more light and playful approach to your work.

There are many ways you can do this, but I’m going to keep it super simple, and just give you one question to ask yourself.

When you notice you’re stuck or creatively blocked (awareness is one of the most powerful tools), simply ask yourself this:

How can I lighten up, and make this more fun?

Questions are great for activating your brain. The trick is, to ask a small question in a gentle way, repeatedly. And then wait for your subconscious to come up with the answer.

By asking how you can make your approach to your work lighter and more fun to do - over and over - you get to practice patience and new ideas.

That in itself is useful.

Why creating for fun make you more creative

When you lower expectations and the pressure you put on yourself and your creativity, the amygdala in your brain starts to relax. Playfulness is a great way to make you relaxed and gets you access to your cortex, and the creative brain.

Unrealistic expectations, pressure, and perfectionism are huge creative blocks. Probably the biggest.

Most of us grown-ups don’t sit down and play with pen and paper when there are dishes, kids, dinner, clothes, etc. to be sorted out. We might play with our kids if they’re little, but play, just because we feel like it? Not so much. But it’s really good for us.

If you’re feeling inspired and full of beans, go on with your bad self.

But if you feel creatively stuck, maybe it’s time to take a small step back, put on a Billy Connolly video, or something else that makes you laugh, and ask yourself:

How can I make this work a little more fun to do?

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