Being Creative – Exercises

Fingerhead recommends these three exercises as ways to challenge yourself, move past creative blocks and keep things fun and fluid. They are general exercises, so you will have to adapt them to whatever your type of creativity is, but that should not be too difficult, whatever you do.

If you do try one of these, please let me know how it went and what you got out of it, I’d love to hear from you. And Fingerhead would, too. You can download a printable version here. If you’re into that sort of thing, you can print them on card or heavy paper and keep them around for when you feel the need to shake things up.

Randomise

Pick a card, any card. This is a good exercise if you have a lot of trouble thinking of ideas, or you’re not sure what to pick. The exercise will help you realise it doesn’t actually matter, your amazing brain can make something cool out of random nonsense. Really.

Here’s how: toss a bunch of concepts, themes, ideas, words, colours, etc. into a hat and pull out a couple. Design or create a small thing including those elements. You don’t get to redraw if you don’t like the result! Work your way around problems in a creative way, it’s part of the exercise.

Be Someone Else

A good exercise if you work yourself into a tizzy trying to figure out what your style is, or what unique properties you have to offer the world. Take a break and stop trying so hard to be unique. Being un-unique can be unexpectedly challenging and informative.

Here’s how: choose a creator working in your medium. Do a small project trying to mimic their style and their way of doing things. Try picking apart what gives their work their unique flavour. You don’t have to give your own spin to the project, but you probably will anyway, even if you don’t intend to. And that would be a clue to what your own style is all about.

Switch Media

Feeling listless and uninspired? Have turning your creative thing into creative work made it boring? Find the fun of making stuff again by switching media. The challenge of working with material you’re not used to, combined with the beginner’s attitude you will have to adopt will soothe your stressed out brain. A change will do you good, and you’ll learn loads that can be applied to your usual thing.

Here’s how: try to pick a discipline that’s related to yet different from what you usually do. Are you a fiction writer? See if anyone would like to hear you tell stories live. Digital artists, how long has it been since you mess about with real paint? You make videogames? Try designing a boardgame. Pick something kind of similar but very different.

That’s it, do get in touch if you have questions or suggestions, or if you’ve tried one of these ideas and want to tell someone how it went.

E-mail Fingerhead: fingerhead AT itchillustration.com
E-mail Willie: willie AT itchillustration.com