How to Chase Down Your Muse

Has your muse been a little lazy lately?  Most writers struggle with a lack of inspiration from time to time.  Sometimes taking a short break is all that is needed to freshen up your tired brain and get the creative juices flowing again.  However,  if you are really blocked, here are some tips:

• Get your culture on and spend some time gazing at art.  Abstract modern art pieces are ideal because your brain naturally tries to "make sense" of the image by interpreting it and imposing meaning.  However, if you find all those lines and random patterns a bit jarring, turn to more traditional paintings and focus on the way the artist has used color, brush strokes and shape to convey the emotion in the image.  Why do Whistler's paintings seem ominous?  Why do people love Van Gogh's "Sunflowers"?  Seeing how other creative people have achieved their best work is often a very uplifting and inspiring experience.  Sure, your medium is different, but the common factor is a desire to take an idea and show it to other people in your own unique way.
• It's an oldy, but a goody:  if you want to write, read.  Pick up a volume of poetry or short stories for a quick fix, or re-read some passages by your favorite author. 
• Going for a walk is another favorite way that writers reconnect to their imagination.  The fresh air, the scenery and the exercise are all great for for boosting the flow of ideas.  As Westrow Cooper, from The Word Travels, puts it, "the steady rhythm of placing one foot in front of the other lets me see what I've been missing and puts me back in touch with my creativity."

However, all of these suggestions require you to change something about how you work, or to "reset" your thinking.  Perhaps we need to address why we run out of inspiration in the first place. 

Stress can seriously hinder creative thought, as can pressure to create something within a specific timeline or format.  While some writers thrive on such conditions, others find their creativity crumbling.  It's important to understand what conditions (both physical and psychological) you produce your best work in, and adapt your writing environment/workload accordingly. 

Psychologists offer the advice that surrounding your work space with the color blue can help to encourage creative thought.  In fact studies have shown that even something as basic as writing with a blue pen instead of black can increase your creativity!  Perhaps it's time for a change in font color? 

Some writers suggest that creativity needs to be approached in a more methodical, logical manner when your work and livelihood depend on it.   "Going for a walk, reading an inspirational book or otherwise moving away from the task I'm faced with tends not to do it for me,"  says David Drysdale, copywriter and owner of media production company DM4.  He prefers to take time to "rethink what the purpose of the task is, what the objective is or what the problem is - then I move logically forward, adding creative elements wherever I can. Once I'm in this creative/logical groove things usually start to happen."What is your method of dealing with the ebb and flow of inspiration?