" You must train your intuition - you must trust the small voice inside you which tells you exactly what to say, what to decide."
- Ingrid Bergman
How often do we start a project with great enthusiasm only to find after our initial breakthroughs we tend to get bogged down or lose momentum. It happens more frequently than we would like but its been my experience that there are ways to try and overcome these obstacles:
1. Don't let insecurities and perfectionism stop you or slow you down. The pursuit of perfectionism can cramp your style, rob you of your energy and can become obsessive. You would never create anything if you waited for perfection. Put those thoughts of " it might not be good enough" out of your mind and give yourself the freedom and confidence to run with your ideas.
2. Give yourself time and space to work on things. Not everything comes in an " aha " moment. Sometimes you just need to give yourself the gift of time and allow yourself to mull over aspects of the work in a less pressured manner.
3. Assess your work - make notes or jots which document your progress - the positives and the negatives so far - what your initial goals or aims were - how that has remained the same or evolved.
Change is good - it is a reasonable and natural progression in the creative process. Don't become a prisoner of your original idea.
4. Try some mind mapping or " word clouds" as that often gives you food for thought and allows your mind to " go with the flow".
5. If you can, skip parts that are slowing you down. Set them aside for later if possible and move forward. Re-evaluate at a later time.
6. Don't always look for other's approval and don't focus on being judged. That is one of the quickest ways to slow down the flow of your work.
7. Give yourself a break and just let yourself " be" . Don't censor your ideas or be overly critical of them - let them flower and be playful.
8. Listen to your gut. It rarely lets you down. Instincts are an " inner knowing" or a " subconscious comon sense" and can be a powerful motivator. Learn to have faith in yourself and trust those inner feelings.
9. Engage different parts of your brain. Sometimes taking a break from the intense pressure of a one track mindset and doing something completely different can break the log jam. Read a magazine on a topic that is not your main interest. Participate in a conversation with someone whose ideas and
lifestyle are contradictory to yours. Be open to diversity and other thought patterns that may enlighten you or stimulate other ideas you may not have considered or overlooked.
10. Don't be afraid to eliminate anything that is not pulling it's weight. Sometimes it only takes one small change or the elimination of one particular part of the work for the entire piece to suddenly all pull together.
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