Overwhelmed with Creativity Overload? Try these 13 Tips to get over it

You must have heard about Artists Block a lot, it is something very common about which we talk all the time! We all feel demotivated, lazy and even out of ideas when the block happens. You can check out this post for more on that. But what if it is the exact opposite? You are overwhelmed with Creativity Overload ? In this blog post I will share 13 Tips to get over it!

No doubt creative block is a challenge to deal with, but in todays times when there is an overwhelming overflow of information, one might feel like they are almost drowning in ideas! Now c’mon, be honest, how many saves do you really have on your Pinterest boards or Instagram! How tempted you feel to give that idea a try! or even better how that bug keeps on bugging you about how you can give it your own twist or come up with a better version of it?

“A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life”

– Elizabeth Gilbert

So what does this ‘Creativity Overload’ really mean?

Information or Ideas Overload is a very common situation these days. We are all addicted to our phones at some point or the other. Whether it is waiting in a line, or at the airport, waiting to see the doctor or even while eating, the nasty device has it grips upon us and fills our mind with an endless list of idea “to try”.

Too many ideas or inspiration can lead to anxiety, stress and even burnout. I sometimes feel blessed that I am a 90s kid, those days were so much fun when only inspiration came from either books, from friends or family! We used to be so excited to try them and we really used to bring to life almost 80-90% of them!

What does this happen?

As artists we are always, almost constantly looking for ideas. This is a good thing as we all need to stay inspired. But there is a difference between looking for ideas and drowning yourself in ideas. Mindless scrolling on social channels, jealousy by seeing the work of others and habit of procrastination can be the major causes. This can cause confusion and overwhelm, you will be stuck with “too much to do but no time to do!” So instead of trying out the ideas you only end up thinking, overthinking and do nothing at all!

If you are Overwhelmed with Creativity Overload, then try these 13 tips!

1. Categorize your lists:

Instead of blindly saving ideas online, categorize it topic wise. For example: Flowers idea, Landscapes to try, Birds to paint etc. instead of collection everything in one place eg. Watercolor ideas. This will keep your lists organized and you can look at one single theme at one time, this will make it easy to choose and you can start working on it

2. Prioritize your lists:

Set your priorities clear, what is it that you really want to paint and what are the thing or ideas you simply collect because you just like them. Unnecessary saving can lead to clutter and overwhelm. Collect inspiration as per your level, don’t save ideas that are way too pro level, looking at them will always give you anxiety rather than inspiration.

3. Set a time Limit:

When looking for ideas set a timer! Give yourself no more than 10 minutes! Believe me that is more than enough. This will not only teach you discipline but also save you from unnecessary scrolling and time waste.

4. Be mindful of unproductive scrolling:

Practice mindfulness, keep a watch on how much time you spend on collecting ideas vs time you spend on implementing them. It is vey important to strike a balance here. Else you would just feel anxious and drained.

5. Set clear Goals:

Set your goals and have clarity beforehand. Divide your tasks in chunks, what you will be painting on a daily basis, weekly, monthly etc. Or what is your final goal, to paint for fun, or to have a strict painting routine or to sell a fixed number of paintings a month. All this will help you stay focused.

6. Niche Down:

Don’t try to do everything! Know where your expertise or interests lie and work more on that. This will not only help you stay focused and stress free but also help you become better at that particular subject.

7. Create a daily painting routine:

This is a very critical practice for any Artist. This helps you stay disciplined, work on your passion every single day, improve your skill and a great way to use all those ideas.

8. Make content/painting plan:

Create weekly or monthly content or painting plan and stick to it. This will prevent all that mindless scrolling in the name of inspiration.

9. Apply the 5 second rule:

“Don’t wait for inspiration. It comes while working.”

–Henri Matisse

Don’t think! Just count 5-4–2-1 and start painting the first thing you see! After all these are all the things that you wanted to try at one point or the other, right!

10. Take a break:

Sometime all you need is just a break, a day off to get back on track. Spend time with friend, family or take a nature vacation. Have some calming me time. Go for a message or go to the spa! A little pampering always works!

11. Keep a Journal:

Have a habit of writing things down instead of relying on online platforms. This has a lot of benefits.

• You will not write anything that you don't “really like”
• Your journal will not show you 1000000 other similar/related ideas

• Writing takes effort it is not a ‘click and save’ thing, this will save you from collecting junk

   

12. Work with deadlines:

Set strict deadline for paintings, even if it is for personal use. This will make you work more and scroll less.

“Deadlines and things make you creative.”

–Jack White

13. Delete!:

Simply delete! Decluttering is the best way if you are overwhelmed with creativity overload. Just like a clean workspace helps you focused and stress free, similarly your idea and inspiration collection needs that cleaning every once in a while.

When we have too many creative ideas, it creates

• burnout
• overwhelms us
• increases anxiety and stress
• reduces productivity
• increases procrastination,
• lack of focus
• laziness
• adversely affects our mental health
• reduces creativity
• poor decision making
• fatigue
• mental exhaustion

• lack of progress

   

All this is not good for a creative person. That is why it is very important to strike a balance and have clarity on “inspiration vs collecting clutter”.

“Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye.”

– Dorothy Parker

To achieve your creative goals and stay motivated and happy as an Artist you need to deal with this ‘creativity overload”. This is a must for your mental well being and productivity!

Until next time,