We’ve all faced it: the blank page.  Whether your blank page is a large canvas waiting to be filled with paint or a piece of paper waiting to be filled with words, nothing is quite so intimidating as that blank page…especially when you aren’t feeling particularly creative.  Creativity is not something that you can turn on like a light switch.  You are either feeling creative or not.  The trick is learning how to fake your way through those times when you have a deadline looming but can’t come up with anything fresh and new

There are many tips on how to improve your creativity.  Here are just a few of them to get you started:

1.  Carry around a notebook with you everywhere you go.  Whenever you get an idea for an article, a website, a painting—anything, write it or sketch it into the notebook.  You might feel a little silly doing this, especially at first, but there is nothing quite as helpful as that notebook when you find yourself creatively strapped.  All you have to do is look through the notebook for ideas that you haven’t yet had time to work on.  Sometimes just looking at past ideas can help you form an idea for your present problem.

2.  Try coming at your problem from a new angle.  If, for example, you have been commissioned to create some art for a webpage about sports, try looking at sports from a different angle—instead of the traditional examples, think of other things that could be considered sports.  Sometimes, forcing yourself to approach a problem from the exact opposite angle can be enough to spark your creativity.

3.  Summarize your problem with a single and basic sentence.  Let’s say you have been hired to write a radio commercial for a local car dealership. Start with something basic like “car dealerships sell cars.” For example, car dealerships sell cars.  From there, ask yourself the who, what, when, where and why of your sentence.  Before you know it, you’ll have pages of ideas for your commercial.

4.  If all else fails, get up and walk away from your project for a while—even if you are staring in the face of an impending deadline.  Go for a walk, get away from the computer—just go.  Often when you feel stressed, your creativity gives way to practicality and that isn’t good for someone who needs to find a fresh idea.  What’s more, when your brain relaxes, you’ll probably find yourself flooded with ideas for your project!

Good luck!