How to Develop Creative Skills and Overcome Mental Blocks
I was 13. Sitting in my room, door closed. The scent of apricot pie drifted from the kitchen. I was trying not to cave in like Monterey Jack from Chip 'n' Dale. Grandma was now brewing black tea with bergamot. Everything distracted me.
The TV room down the hall tempted me with ads: “Today only! Dormeo mattress at a special price.” I thought, “I’d like to float into the deep sea on a Dormeo.”
Still, I was desperately trying to finish my poem, eyes fixed on a 2003 CRT monitor. The moment I looked away, the soft pink hue outside the window caught my eye. Sunset.
I said aloud: “The pipe smoked dreadfully in his lungs… the man in the crimson sweater.” Trying to finish a verse. But halfway through, I ran for pie… and for those last few minutes of twilight.
This inner tug-of-war between inspiration and distraction has defined me since childhood. Today, creative focus isn’t just a personal trait — it’s my job. There’s no luxury of "just drifting off." Creative tasks don’t do themselves. So I had to deep-dive into the oceans of methods, tools, and brain hacks to stay in flow — and rise from creative crises.
What is Creativity, Really?
To me, creativity is communication through symbols, sounds, images, or any form of expression. But true communication, in this sense, is an exchange that transforms all participants.
If my own creative idea doesn’t inspire me or make me dig through emotional memory for something vivid — I’m out. I need to feel moved. Otherwise, it’s not play, it’s just noise.
Creativity is not talent. It’s:
- Mental agility
- Rapid perception and transformation of input
- Language-shaping — your own, and the one your audience speaks
It’s seeing familiar things differently. Saying something new — about the old.
Childhood Clues
I once asked friends on Instagram about their most vivid childhood memories. Turns out, many creatives used to mimic people in the mirror, dress up, stage skits for family, or invent games in the yard.
I remembered my own games. Suddenly, images flooded back. Our minds are magnificent — those early fantasy-driven plays shaped our ability to communicate ideas. Potatoes were rocks, sugar was sand. I was a working mother of two named Lida. Every day brought new characters and missions.
Now, obligations often kill that playfulness. But the ability to imagine and link abstract triggers to new ideas is what defines successful creative work.
Creative Limbo: What Causes Mental Blocks?
The word limbo originally means "edge or boundary." In Dante’s Divine Comedy, Limbo was a space for unbaptized souls — neither heaven nor hell. For creatives, limbo is an in-between state. A slow, sometimes agonizing drift.
What causes creative blocks?
- Personal emotional turbulence
- Harsh criticism or fear of it
- Impostor syndrome
- Perfectionism
How to get unstuck:
- Process the emotional roots (especially fear of judgment)
- Keep learning; do creative exercises regularly
- Read, listen, watch new things
- Use a "rescue map" — places, people, habits that revive your energy (mine includes japa meditation, cooking, calling a friend, music)
- Get into "wide space": nature walks, roller coasters, horseback riding, skiing — anything physically new
Creativity is a muscle. And the biggest mistake is relying solely on past solutions. Real inspiration is born in presence, not memory. We create in the now.
Ever notice how the well-planned future quickly becomes stale past? That’s a creativity killer.
Proven Methods to Strengthen Creativity
1. Brainstorming
A classic, team-based method. I prefer to arrive prepared — problem understood, one idea in mind. But spontaneous flows with colleagues often spark the wildest gems.
2. Socratic Maieutics
My favorite. A dialogue-based method where insight is born from smart questions. Find the right conversational partner, and your subconscious will do the rest.
3. Lateral Thinking & Lateral Marketing
It’s about viewing things from unusual angles.
Lateral marketing complements this by promoting products in surprising, often humorous ways. Instead of logic-first — go emotion-first. It works.
And of course — music. I rarely write without it.
Creativity isn’t magic. It’s motion. A rhythm. A skill set. A daily practice.
Keep playing. Keep asking questions. Keep floating toward that apricot pie — but with your notebook in hand.
