I force myself to do this when I'm stuck

The Memo from the Desk

Ever feel stuck?

Not like a little stuck. I’m talking major, soul-crushing, career-questioning stuck.

I remember working on a logo for a venture capital firm back in the day. Did discovery with the founding partners, wrapped the stylescape process… everything was technically “good.”

But I felt nothing.

They were sharp, professional… but didn’t really have a strong point of view. And while they gave solid feedback, I just wasn’t inspired.

Not exactly how you want to kick off a logo project.

So there I was.

Staring at an empty Illustrator artboard. And this one wasn’t messing around. I think we’ve all seen artboards like this one. Menacing. Defiant. Cagey.

A blank page that was somehow full of attitude.

I found myself doing anything else. Checking on my bookkeeping software. Scrolling Pinterest. Organizing my books by color. Cleaning my desktop. Sweeping the office floors.

ANYTHING… to avoid that artboard.

Then it hit me. Imposter syndrome roared into life. Thoughts like “you’re not as good as you thought… poser” started to bubble up.

At that point… creative ideas felt farther away than ever.

I was stuck.

Some folks refer to this as creative block. It’s built up and romanticized in tales of tortured artists.

For me? I think it has a lot more to do with perfectionism. None of my ideas feel good enough. Or original enough. Or on-brand.

It’s like I’m waiting for the perfect concept to materialize in my head before I put anything on the canvas. And what inevitably happens? All of the ideas are edited out before they have a chance to exist.

But this doesn’t always happen on the first concept.

Most of the time, I get REALLY excited about a concept early on. I rush to get the idea on the canvas, step back, and give myself a high-five. Not bad.

Then it’s time to come up with the second or third concept… and THAT’s when creative block hits.

Sound familiar?

I get it. And if you’re struggling with this right now… big hugs. I know how much it sucks. I’ve been there plenty of times.

There’s one thing that seems to pull me out of being stuck creatively better than anything else: Dialing up the volume.

When I or someone on my team gets stuck on a logo, website, presentation… anything creative, we go back to the drawing board. Literally.

It’s an exercise that I call fifty in fifty.

Fifty concept sketches. In fifty minutes.

With only one minute to finish each concept sketch, these have to be fast. Loose. Half-baked. Hell, a lot of them have to be downright awful.

By the time you hit concept number 20, you’ve run out of all of your pre-baked ideas. The editor in your head puts up a good fight… but gives up when number 21 goes down.

Things start to flow a little easier at that point.

Halfway through sketch number 32, a new idea pops up and you start to worry that your pencil can’t keep up with your brain. Gotta get that one down quick before you forget it.

Sketches 38—43 are a little similar to each other so you swing for the fences on the next few. And those last four? They’re the toughest yet… but you push through anyway.

At the end of the hour, you’re on fire (and if you’re not, you might just need to call it a day hehe).

Admittedly, most of the sketches you dropped on the page are hot garbage. But there’s two or three… well, maybe four… that show some promise.

Even if all this did was confirm that your original idea is best… it did its job.

Because the point of this exercise isn’t to magically find the idea.

It’s to get rid of the friction we feel in starting.

That first mark in a brand new sketchbook or first frame on an artboard feels like a sin. Like we’re ruining something that’s already perfect by committing a permanent scar.

But that’s the point.

To make something exist, even if it isn’t perfect.

Because we can react to something that exists. We can move it around. Break it. Play with it. Maybe even accidentally stumble into something interesting.

But none of this can happen with an idea that doesn’t make it onto the canvas.

If you’re stuck right now, don’t try to think your way out of it. Tell that editor in your head to take a lunch break.

Set a timer.

Make a mess.

You'll clean it up later.

Ben Burns

Co-Founder, Maker Division

P.S.This “fifty in fifty” thing has been coming up a lot lately… partly because of something coming next month. Logo designers, you’re gonna like this one.

P.p.s. Creative block doesn’t really survive inside the Division. There are simply too many creatives making, sharing, and pushing each other forward. Join us! Click here to sign up.

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