Creative block is never fun. It sneaks up on the best of us, preventing our minds from moving from one idea to the next.
We all have those moments we feel like we can’t do it anymore. It comes when you have a story that you just have to tell, but then when you sit down to write, it’s just not coming. The words are missing, the idea isn’t forming well, or your characters are so annoying they’d make even Lemony Snicket cry. The result is you have something in your head that needs to get out, but right now it’s not coming out of your fingers.
Please be kind to yourself — remind yourself of everything that brought you to now in this moment, all the little victories you faced that helped build your skills and your confidence along the way.
You, as a story teller — whether that’s through the words you say, or the images you share — need to be intentional and create purposeful content. Anytime you train yourself on something new…you are building your skill set. You need to focus on your craft.
Here’s 10 tips to help you through he rough patches.
- Celebrate small wins
- Thank your community for showing up & supporting your journey
- Make sure you are pulling your your audience into your story. Tell them where to find you or where to find you or what to do next
- Keep a log of your best content so you can repeat that winning combination
- Create a creative journal — do a brain dump
- Plan out your content strategy for the week — highlights, milestones,
- When in doubt, take a break and do something less creative
- Find your visual theme — Decide on 1-3 themes you’re going to stick with
- Collaborate with other content creators — Consider a social media takeover
- Answer FAQs [frequently asked questions]
Finally, we know video content is on the rise and with good reason. Video is a highly engaging medium — consumers now spend more time watching videos than reading text based articles making it an important form of content. So, now the question becomes what type of video will work for you and your business?Creating videos should definitely be a part of your integrated marketing strategy.
Want to jump into video content but not sure where to start? It isn’t always about the cool transitions — don’t get me wrong they are fun and keep attention — but maybe try getting back to the basics. Follow Take Roots on Instagram for tips and tricks. Better yet, send a DM and ask for a list of 30 video content ideas and we’ll send it to you.
The next time you find yourself sitting in front of your computer screen with a blank stare, waiting for a cool idea to pop out of thin air, remember you’re not alone. The secret to overcoming it is knowing how to beat it.