Get out of a Creative Slump
We’ve all been there. We’re creative people but suddenly the creative juices have stopped flowing. We want to work and output some killer material but it just isn’t coming. a while back, but I thought it would be interesting to bring you a few of my ideas.
(Graphic) Design
Probably the hardest part of the process if you’re lacking in creativity. The worst thing to do is to just plough on and put something out there when you’re in a lull. You’ll regret it as it won’t be your best work. So…
- Meet your heroes
First of all, read an article or two written by those who inspire you. You might not be able to get yourself going but a few strong words from your heroes could do the trick and motivate you to get that design out. For me, reading about works a treat. Or a well-written article on . Hell, if both parties are up for it and are local, why not meet for coffee to get rid of your troubles for a while? Maybe talk about an issue or two within your design. See what other designers did about problems you’re facing. - Get a fresh perspective
As I hinted at above, it’s not always the design that you’re working on that is the issue, sometimes it’s your perspective. The design may be fine but if you’re in a negative mood, you won’t be happy with it. Talk over your work with someone (even if they know little about design) and ask for constructive criticism. Soon you’ll have formed a ‘to-do’ list of items you want to add/edit in your design. - Get away
Move away from work for a moment. Maybe you need a little creative distraction to get you going again. Do something creative that doesn’t have any critics, deadlines or constraints. Maybe cook a new recipe for lunch. Or if you don’t want to stray away from the computer then perhaps you could amuse yourself by doing some photo manipulation of your friends.
Coding
It’s easy to slip into a coding rut. It’s sometimes easy to start thinking whether standards, usability, accessibility etc matter so much for a particular project and one can fall into the trap of “I’ll just get it done as quick as possible.” Maybe these tips will stop you falling into that trap:
- Again, let your idols inspire you…
The same idea applies to coding as it does to design. For me, the two articles (, ) really speak volumes to me. Some inspiring words can really get the love of coding going again. Also, maybe post on a forum and work out an issue or two with fellow web designers. Solve someone else’s issue and it may inspire you to solve yours. - Review
Another way of rekindling the passion for coding and issues it brings to the party is to do a few private reviews of other websites. Jot down what you think is great about a site and what you deem to be poor work. Split it into categories like usability, validation, accessibility, semantics etc and before you know it you have a set of principles to code to. You can most likely then get through the coding block on your real project. - Reorganise your code
Whether it be correctly renaming classes in CSS or improving the semantics of your HTML, spending half an hour or so on another part of the website can often make your brain think that you’ve made progress. You’ll feel refreshed and more willing to sort out whatever issue led you to get stuck in the first place.
SEO
Probably the most dangerous area of the ‘web design’ process to slump in. There’s always the lure of . Remember though, every time you do Black hat SEO, a kitten steps on broken glass. Here’s how to save deh kittehs.
- Guess what? Look up your inspiration.
The same goes for SEO. The following articles work for me. , . - Recheck your prime keyphrases
Going through the process of checking whether you’re promoting the correct keyphrases (either via a webapp or manually) can reaffirm that you are doing the right thing or make you change direction. Either way, you can now continue knowing that you’re on track or be refreshed by a new bunch of keywords. Both give you a positive state of mind instead of having a negative slump. - Change tactics
Instead of getting stuck in an SEO rut, why not work on usability or accessibility of a site. Without knowing it, you may well be helping out with SEO as it’s .
Content & Programming
I don’t like to give advice on subjects I’m unfamiliar with so at this stage I’m handing the baton over to you, dear readers, to suggest ideas to help with content and programming. If you have any suggestions on these topics (or others) then please go ahead and post a comment.
