10 Project Ideas to Get Out of a Creative Rut
AKA: how to find inspiration when you feel less-than-inspired.
My dad teaches high school art, and at the end of the 2020 school year, I got to do a virtual presentation for several of his classes. I set up a Google Forms survey with three topics to see what they would be most interested in hearing about, and the inspiration-focused one was the clear winner:
I got to work brainstorming, but it took some time to decide on a format that would be most helpful. In thinking about what leads us to that all-too-familiar “less-than-inspired” feeling, a few things immediately popped into mind from my own experience:
- Not knowing where to start.
- Anticipating that I won’t like the end result.
- Sensory overload.
The presentation ended up being a pretty fun aggregate of ideas and resources that help me with my own creative blocks. To organize the information, I made it fully project-based and pulled from my bookmarks on Behance, Skillshare, Pinterest and Designspiration.
All of the projects can easily be completed in an afternoon or two, with an emphasis on playfulness vs. rigor.
Project 1 — Create a moodboard:
Moodboards are a great starting point for any project. You can start from art and design blogs, clip things out of magazines around the house or pull color palettes from different images. Moodboards can either be based around a singular concept or just loosely generated from all kinds of things that jump out at you.
Project 2 — Make an object or scene out of paper:
Paper is endlessly versatile. In art classes, we often limit paper to a two-dimensional surface, but it can transform into so many different things. These projects showcase a few ways to use paper in a three-dimensional context. Create an abstract scene, make an insect, or re-create a household object.
Project 3 — Make + write a zine:
Zine culture is so rich and full of interesting stories and illustrations. It’s essentially an open-ended prompt. The common thread throughout zine culture is that there’s always a narrative component. Start with what’s in front of you. Maybe illustrate your living room, but change the colors of everything. Create a “local’s guide to…” your hometown or a favorite place you’ve visited.
Project 4 — Contour drawing:
A blind-contour drawing is the ultimate antidote to over-thinking. Just look at what’s in front of you and draw. Think no further! Explore motion, color palettes and different linework.
Projects 5 & 6 — Create your own deck of cards or an illustrated alphabet.
A deck of cards and the alphabet are the perfect creative constraints. We’ve likely seen them both from an early age and it’s really fun to try and re-imagine something that you’ve seen over and over again. They also have a really specific number to work with (52 and 26). Maybe play with illustration or scale. What would a life-size deck of cards look like? What would the alphabet look like if you created each letter from post-it notes only?
Project 7 — Look to art history.
Art history is a great place to get inspiration from for a variety of media. One example of pulling from art history references is the “In the Studio” series from MoMA. Through an engaging series of tutorials, you can learn how to paint through the lens of famous modern artists. Try your hand at painting like someone else and learn something about yourself along the way.
Project 8 — Re-design / re-illustrate a book cover.
Shoutout to all the bibliophiles! Pick a favorite book (preferably something you’ve read and are familiar with) and re-imagine a new look and feel. Play with color palettes, typography and illustration.
Project 9 — Explore expressive typography.
This is probably one of my favorite projects. Try making expressive typography with items that are lying around the house. I love that these examples all show really accessible materials (felt, sprinkles and CHEESE).
Project 10 — Play Bingo
Project 10 — Play creative limitation bingo.
An out-of-the-box list of creative limitations to get your wheels turning. You can use the card like you use normal bingo. Maybe try and get a few in a row, all four corners, etc. Or, just pick one and see where it takes you.
Onward!
