 Ah the creative block. The biggest obstacle in our creative path aside from the magnetic pull of our comfy beds. I used to think that inspiration had to always come naturally. Now I still think that it does but I realized that there are ways to boost the chances of it happening. Today I'm going to be sharing five tips that help me shatter the shackles of creative block and I'm sure that they're going to help you too. Let's start with a tip that might sound weird be bored or in other words take a guilt-free break. Now I know what you're thinking a break? Really? I'm trying to beat creative block not channel my inner couch potato. Our minds are constantly slammed with information, ideas, and distractions. It's like trying to paint a masterpiece on a canvas that's already covered in random brushstrokes. Sometimes we need to clean the canvas and make room to think and dream. By being bored you actually let your mind declutter, reset, and recharge. So how do you take a guilt-free break? First, resist the urge to fill your downtime with distractions like social media, binge watching, or endless scrolling. Instead do simple activities that let your mind wander. You know go for a walk, draw a picture of your dog, or just sit in a quiet room and let your thoughts flow. I personally like going on walks while listening to lo-fi music if the weather permits. You'll be surprised at how quickly your imagination starts to come up with new ideas and creative solutions. Some of my best passion projects started out from just a walk or staring out the window with a coffee in my hand. The key here is to give yourself permission to take a break without feeling guilty. So the next time that you're facing a creative block, don't be afraid to embrace your boredom and just give your mind the space it needs to work its magic. I used to think that binge watching more videos would inspire me. After all, I make videos, so it would make sense to watch better ones from creators that I admire. But the thing is, it didn't inspire me and it made me feel like I couldn't come up with ideas as good as theirs. And then one day, it clicked. When I would listen to a new song, visuals would form into my head like a music video. And when I would see cool designs for posters or magazines, I would want to use parts that I liked into my own work. I realized that I was inspired by other creative work outside of video creation or filmmaking. There are even times when I browse art lists and I come across a song that literally inspires me to create. Either because I already imagined visuals to go along with it or I just know that it's a song that I'll use for a future video. For example, I know I'm going to use this song in the future for a cinematic video. You never know when a bold color or a fancy pattern or a cool pose might inspire you to see your own work differently. But remember, with great inspiration comes great responsibility. Don't just copy someone else's work. Austin Cleon's book, Steel Like an Artist, is one of my favorites with insights on this. Take those ideas and put your own unique spin on them. All right guys, we've all been there staring at an empty project file wondering where to even start. Sometimes we get so scared of making bad work that we don't make anything at all. And that's where tip number three comes in, creating a clear process. You see, when you create a clear process for yourself, you give yourself a roadmap to follow. And when you have a roadmap, it's so much easier to take action and avoid getting lost in the wilderness of creative uncertainty. So how do we even create a clear process? Let's start by asking yourself a few key questions. What do you want to achieve with your video? Who is your target audience? What kind of message or feeling do you want to convey? Once you have a clear understanding of these aspects, it's time to create a list of actionable steps. For example, if you're a video editor and your goal is to create a captivating travel video, your list of actionable steps might look something like this. First, research popular travel video styles and techniques. Second, choose a specific theme or narrative for the video. Third, find the right song for your video. Fourth, sort and select the best footage from your travels. Fifth, edit the footage, incorporate transitions, and color grade. And that was how I made one of my favorite passion projects, a travel video that was a little bit different than what you're used to, but it incorporated all the things that I enjoyed about being a creator. With a clear process and a list of actionable steps, you'll feel way more in control and less likely to be paralyzed by the fear of creating bad work. After all, as the saying goes, a goal without a plan is just a wish. Now, when it comes to making videos, I used to be a perfectionist. I was scared of bad ideas and just making bad videos. My mind felt like a traffic jam of ideas, doubts, and indecision. Now, this held me back from improving because it stopped me from creating. But the way I learned to break free was to just let the bad ideas flow. Behold the secret notebook that I got when I decided to start training my creativity. Now, I thought of this as a gym membership for my imagination. I've got ideas for Instagram posts, YouTube videos, all sorts of crazy stuff like patching projects and so on. Now, I only went through with maybe 10% of the ideas that I wrote down there because the other 90% were just bad ideas. But it took writing out all those bad ideas to get the ones that got me really excited to create. Think of it as revving up a car engine. You need to let it warm up a little bit before you can hit the open road. The same goes for your creativity. By writing out all your bad ideas, you create momentum and you get into the creative flow. Try it and I'm sure that it'll help you as much as it did for me. I have saved my favorite tip for last and it's something I started doing recently and it's just been a breath of fresh air in my creative journey. The tip is to take on challenges. Now, if you've been following this channel, you know that we've done our fair share of challenges from shooting a commercial with only one light to editing a video with random music and footage. Challenges push us out of our comfort zone, force us to think differently, and keep us on our toes. It's like trying to make a gourmet meal out of whatever that you find in your pantry. The element of chaos helped me problem solve better, which as a result got me out of creative blocks. One of the things that really helped me overcome these challenges is having access to high quality video making assets like music, sound effects, footage, and templates. With Artlist, you get unlimited access to their entire catalog so that you can have total creative freedom and really focus on your craft. That means you can experiment as much as you want no matter what challenge you take on. So what you can do is start by searching for online challenges or competitions. Now, I used to enter these music video editing competitions, which really helped me develop my skills and inspire me to edit more. You can also create your own challenge like making a TikTok every day. Challenges have not only helped me overcome creative block, but also made it really fun to create. And that's the most important part of being a creator. It's completely normal to experience creative block and you're not alone in this journey. I still experience it sometimes, but these five tips help me shatter creative block like it's made of glass. Instead of gambling on inspiration coming from nowhere, I've realized that you can take actionable steps to spark your creativity. And when I finally get out of my creative rut, having access to high quality assets is so important to keep the ball rolling. So I go on Artlist for their music, sound effects, footage, templates, and so much more to get all my video editing needs. Check them out if that's important to you too. Now make sure to subscribe to the Artlist channel for more videos like this and check out one of the challenges that we did that helped me get out of a creative block. Otherwise, I'll see you in the next one.