CREATIVITY TIP SHEET

Designed for those moments when you’re feeling creatively stuck. Perfect to stick to the
front of your fridge…
Live better every day

GETTING “PROBLEMSRARELYHAVE SHARPEDGES, ANDOFTEN

THERE IS NOMATCHING ANSWERIN THE WORLD.

STARTED
YOU NEEDCREATIVITYTO BOTH FRAMEAPROBLEM
INVENTIVELY ANDTO BROADENTHEARRAYAND
POSSIBILITIESOFHOW THEPROBLEMMIGHT BESOLVED.”
Keith Yamashita, Chairman of SYPartners

Begin by doing something else

UNSTUCK POINT OF VIEW
You’re in warm-up mode: not quite ready to
Problem solving is at the heart of
tackle your creative project. So don’t. Take your creativity. It is the process of finding
technique of choice — paper mache, Post-it connections that don’t exist yet —
notes, Powerpoint — and create something an ability that resides in all of us.
entirely unrelated. Your mind will start clicking
into a creative space.

FINDING INSPIRATION
HOW TO STAY Look for inspiration
in nonobvious places

OPEN-MINDED The hardware store

Talking to Mom
Walking the
neighborhood “INSPIRATION IS NOT
Flea markets Reading ADESTINATION.
1. D
 on’t play the expert children’s books IT’S BEINGOPEN TOSEEING
so you can learn Playing board
games People watching THINGSTHATMAKES
something new. at the mall THE DIFFERENCE.”
Riding the bus
In the woods
2. Listen more than Galleries Vanessa Holden
Poetry Creative Director
you talk to get Clouds West Elm
A record store
new perspectives. Riding a bike
An atlas
A fancy food store
3. A
 sk “What if…” Ball games
Antique store UNSTUCK POINT OF VIEW
to uncover new At the movies
The candy aisle
Inspiration appears when we are willing to
possibilities. Zoos consider that what we believe might not be true.

PUSHING THE STATUS QUO

How to uncover BIG IDEAS
(an exercise for one or more people)
1. Define the universal truth. This is your purpose or goal.
For example: Spending more time together strengthens
our relationship.
2. Search for, collect, and arrange artifacts that relate to — but
push — the truth into a new place. Artifacts can be pictures,
physical items, articles, quotes, websites, whatever inspires.
3. Weed through and discard the obvious artifacts.
4. Repeat step 2.
UNSTUCK POINT OF VIEW
What looks like instant creative brilliance
actually comes from a steady practice
of seeing, thinking, and acting creatively.
“IFYOUWANTTOBECREATIVE,YOUHAVETOMAKETHECHOICE
TOCHALLENGETHEWAYTHINGSAREANDCHANGETHEM.”
Scott Slavin
Creativity Coach and Director of “Naked in Alaska”

5. Study your collection to discover the golden nugget.

BREAKING THROUGH A BLOCK

HELP! “BEOKAYWITH TRYING
Unstuck Can HELP
Take advantage of the Unstuck app’s free

I’M BLOCKED 10DIFFERENTTHINGS

ALONGTHEWAY BEFORE
tools to help you solve creatively, including:

• “Tell Me Why” to get to the core

• Close your eyes and tell FINDINGSOMETHING THAT of what’s blocking you.
someone what you see. WORKS FORYOU.” It” to find and
• “Visualize

• Look for something to Linda Zacks organize inspiration and ideas.

Brooklyn-based Artist
solve. • “Now or Never” to tackle
and Designer
procrastination.
• Help someone else.
• “Shake Up Your Routine” to get out
• Limit yourself in one
of a rut.
or more ways: time,
technique, words, colors, • “Pros vs. Pros” to make decisions.
UNSTUCK
money, materials. POINT OF VIEW
• Do something physical A creative block YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE FREE
is simply a sign that UNSTUCK IPAD APP AT
that requires little or HTTP://BIT.LY/UNSTUCKGIFT
no thinking. it’s time to try a
different approach.
• Look at it from someone
else’s perspective.

www.UNSTUCK.com