Beating a Creative Slump

Earlier this year, I had what felt like an absolutely unshakable creative block.  It lasted for months.  Now that the fog has lifted, I thought I'd share some of tricks that I found helpful.

• Free association writing.  Turn off the inner critic and just write.  Don't let the pen stop.  Maybe set a timer.
• Find a random word in the dictionary and use it as a jumping off point.
• Sketching: people, trees, my dog...whatever.  Geoff and I started going to Dr. Sketchy's, a fun, informal  figure drawing class.  There are branches worldwide and the classes are generally held at cool bars.
• Learn a new technique.  For me it was encaustic.  I love working with layers, image transfers and mixed media. 
• Choose an "assignment".  Homework...really?  Yes.  Definitely.  I find that when the perimeters are defined, even just a little bit it's much easier to get started.  Little assignments are good, like
  the sketchbook project or 6x6x2012  (the latter project really helped me to turn the corner with my own creative block.) 
• Organize your work space.
• Do something totally unrelated: try a new recipe, dig in the garden, go to the beach, take a hike...
• Read
• Take a break from the internet. 
• Don't over commit.  Creativity needs room to breathe.  I learned this one the hard way!
• Finish something that's been nagging.  Oh yes...this was the biggie!  I finally managed to finish this project that had been simmering on the back burner for over 2 years!  It had become a total debacle and I was doing an excellent job of beating myself up about it.  Now it's finished and I've moved on.  Hooray!

If any of these tips help, or if you have some of your own to add, I'd love to hear!