8 Quick Ways You Can Overcome a Creator's Block

Tricia Lim

Let’s be real. We’ve all experienced creative blocks—, from feeling uninspired or burnout to a constant state of “meh” when it comes to coming up with fresh ideas. As creators, we want to maximize our time and resources to curate content as best as we can. Pair this with the hustle culture of our everyday lives, the last thing any of us needs is a creator’s block. Ask any content creator and they’ll agree.

In an ideal world, we would be free to create whatever, wherever, and whenever we liked. But unfortunately, that’s not how the real world works. Nowadays, we need to churn out creative, unique, and original ideas 24/7 to survive.

There are times when we wonder about these questions ourselves:

What content should I share on our social media?
How can I write a blog post that’s creative AND adds value to the readers?
How can I jump on the latest trends effectively?

If you’ve ever experienced that feeling of being stuck for ideas, here are 8 ways to get your creative juices flowing again.

How to overcome creative block?

1. Turn back to your content pillar strategy

If you’re not sure where to begin, go back to your content marketing strategy and plan! What content marketers have in their arsenal is a solid content pillar strategy that keeps them from feeling overwhelmed or stuck for ideas.

Content pillars are a great reference point if you ever need content ideas. They’re typically 3 to 5 topics, which your brand or company consistently discusses, amplifies, and creates content for on your marketing channels. Content marketers all love them because they make the process of planning your content much easier and smoother!

Of course, your content pillars should be specific to your brand, but they can encompass several themes. For example, an independent bookshop could focus primarily on their new book releases, local authors, and coffee shops. Here’s another example: a skincare brand could focus primarily on sourcing sustainable ingredients and a healthy lifestyle.

Once you’ve selected your content pillars, you can begin to create and plan your content calendar with a more stress-free approach. Make notes of important dates relevant to your brand before scheduling when each content should be released. Doing this helps you see exactly what posts need to go up and what captions or graphics that accompany it.

With a content pillar strategy in your market, you’ll be able to confidently create content consistently.

2. Have creative brainstorming with your team

When you’ve already experienced a lull in your creative process, it does help to get third party views and ideas to move things along. Spending even just a few minutes with a colleague to brainstorm ideas after you’ve hit a wall can save you valuable time and help you with creating quality content.

I find great comfort in my team knowing they often help point me in the right direction when I seek them for their viewpoints and feedback. Many times, all we really need is 2 minutes of our colleagues’ time to bounce ideas off each other. Even if it’s a brief conversation, exchanging viewpoints opens the door for them to be a goldmine of inspiration for ideas.

3. Don't hesitate to jump on trends

This requires you to be quick on your feet and your finger always on the pulse. If there’s a current trend that’s worthwhile and relevant to your niche, it can be a source of inspiration to build content around that.

Trends come as quickly as they go, so if you’re considering creating content based on trends and pop culture references, it’s best to be on your toes! They’re a great way to build connections with your target audience and make your brand stand out.

Of course, you’ve got to be wise about choosing which trends are suitable and relevant to jump on. Sometimes companies jump on trends but they backfire because it’s not properly thought out or aligned with their brand values at all!

A word of advice, always ensure your content aligns with your overall business goals and branding to remain professional, credible, and consistent.

4. Ask the right questions

One of the best ways to come up with content ideas is to first put on your problem solving hat. What I mean by that is to create content with the perspective that you’re helping your target audience solve their problems or answer their questions. Ask yourself what kind of questions your target audience has regarding your industry and publish content that addresses them.

Here’s an example: outside of work, I like rock climbing. I enjoy solving the routes like they’re problems and finding ways to improve my skills to climb better. Content best tailored for climbers like me would look a little like this: “5 ways to improve your climbing technique”. I could not resist the urge to read more.

This is one way you can brainstorm content titles ideas for your target audience.

5. Dive deeper on a previous topic

I used to think that all great content ideas had to be from scratch or completely innovative. Just because you’ve already covered a topic before doesn’t mean you can’t cover it again. There’s always more that you can say about any given topic, regardless of your industry or niche.

The best piece of advice is to have a look through some older content which needs updating. It’s the perfect opportunity to add, expand, and dive deeper into that previous topic. Plus, ensuring that your content is up-to-date also gives readers an additional reason to read your content, especially if it’s helpful to them.

6. Draw from what you're reading

We’re consuming content all the time. During our work and our down time, we’re spending a fair amount of time reading and consuming other people’s content. (Especially if you’re a content writer or marketer!)

If you’re looking for ideas, the best place to start is from the platforms you’re reading. There’s an infinite amount of sources to turn to for ideas, such as blogs, industry publications, and local news. Staying current with what your competitors are saying and doing also helps to inspire you to do better with your content.

Most importantly, keep tabs on what your target audience is reading and saying! It’s a good tool in helping keep yourself informed, but it also gives you valuable insight into finding gaps that you can plug. Filtering results from hashtags also assists you in gauging what people on social media are talking about.

7. Take a break from your usual routine

There are days where you have the right topic, angle, and ideas that just mesh well together. Then there are the days when you’re just stuck on executing your concept. That’s when I’ll say, “girl, you need a break”. The best thing you can do to overcome this creator’s block is to break out from your usual content creation routine for a hot minute.

You can try to:

Change up your environment! Get up from your desk and take a short walk if you need to. Thankfully, our Medianetic workspace provides us that kind freedom to work in every nook and cranny to help us change up our work routine.
Change up your task – Sometimes all you need is a hard reset. For me, I find that when my creative juices aren’t flowing, it helps to switch up my taks by doing something more monotonous before jumping back into creating content.
Get outside if you can – Spend some time outdoors or in nature and simply get moving. Even if it’s just a walk around the block or heading to your favorite neighborhood dog park, it might just be the break you need.

8. Allow yourself to fail

Admittedly, taking a break when we need it most and allowing ourselves to fail can be one of the hardest things to do for some of us. If you’re a perfectionist and you find that it keeps you from creating, then welcome to the club. We tend to be our worst critics.

Designer Jordan Sigmund hits the nail on the head when he says “I’m trying to teach myself to be okay with the fact that creative work will always be a work in progress. It’s a mountain without a peak, and there’s no shame in letting yourself breathe.”

The takeaway

Above all, this article is written as a reminder that it’s natural to face these problems as a creator. It doesn’t invalidate the struggles we experience when it comes to trying to produce stellar creative content which our target audience enjoys. Instead, by learning to overcome these challenges, we might become better versions of ourselves at the end of the day.

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to our newsletter and stay tuned for other articles!

Do you have a special technique for overcoming creative blocks? Share it with us in the comments or drop us a message in our chatbot! We’d love to hear your thoughts.