HOW TO RIP OUT OF A RUT — We Speak in Colors

3 Practical STRATEGIES TO elevate your creatIVE energy

Words and Photos by Andy Armstrong

May 2024

My brain has mastered jumping through hoops, doing anything it can to convince itself that I’ll get to it tomorrow.

That there’s time.

A slippery slope leading to ideas being kicked down the road for months, and in many cases, years.

But over the 15 years of creating, I’ve uncovered some tactics to get things rolling. Because sometimes a little momentum is all we need.

So, if you’re in a rut, feeling like you’ve hit a wall and unsure of how to get moving, you’re in the right place.

These 3 strategies will unlock your creative energy, and propel your work into unexpected territory.

1. BOOK AN ADVENTURE

I like to think of these adventures as creative business trips.

Sure, they can be fun. But there’s intention behind them, objectives to hit.

These aren’t passive escapades, but instead purposeful missions to uncover solutions and ideas.

We‘re looking for breakthroughs.

These quests can be as simple as:

a jaunt across town to the library
visiting a park you’ve been meaning to get to
hopping a train to an unknown station
cruising a couple of towns over and turning down some unfamiliar roads
finding a view of your town from a new perspective
hitting a hiking trail early in the morning

The specifics are irrelevant. What matters is your perspective.

On this adventure (your creative business trip) you’re going to be on the hunt for opportunity and inspiration. You’re expecting them to show up. You’re expecting the breakthroughs.

Reality is a mirror, after all.

As Pam Grout says in her sacred book, E-Squared, “We see what we’re looking for.”

So, what are you looking for? Maybe it’s a:

story
a photograph
a serendipitous meeting

Or maybe it’s just a nudge in the right direction, some clarity, or a new perspective.

If you’re open and seeking, ideas and inspiration will arrive.

An adventure can be the spark, the setting for these things to show up.

As spring kicked in recently, I knew it was time to create.

This conviction always arrives as one season fades and another starts.

Unsure of what to dig my hands into, I had a feeling an adventure would tell me.

And since I was craving some country air, I sprung out of bed early on a Saturday morning, and hopped on the first train out to an iconic mountainside temple.

The goal was simple: to be open and present. To feel, think, observe, appreciate.

Of course, I was armed with my camera and a bunch of film- an artist must always be prepared with their tools.

As the journey played out, inspiration struck. And before I knew it, I’d ripped through all the rolls I had.

These photos later revealed themselves as a really cool 3-Part photo-series that I published on my blog, which could easily be repurposed into an exhibition and zine.

All from a simple adventure to the countryside.

That’s just one example.

There are endless possibilities of how an adventure can propel you.

Give it a shot. Schedule in a creative business trip, and see what shows up. You may be surprised.

On to strategy number 2.

2. PURSUE A PROJECT

Books are great. Powerful, even. So are videos, courses, and workshops.

I’ve accumulated a ton of invaluable knowledge from these kinds of resources.

But the real lessons, the true transformative learning and growth, only came when there was something to attach it to.

A project.

You see, the information and insights needed something to stick to.

When you are building something, skills get ingrained in your bones.

Projects back us into corners. They force us to face problems and figure them out.

Til I sat in that driver’s seat at 16 years old, buckled up, and ripped that big, beautiful, forest green Tahoe into gear, I had no clue how to navigate the roads of my small town. Sure I’d watched my parents do it for years and read the coursebook my school provided.

But I needed something to attach this studying to.

It’s the same with creative endeavors.

We’ll devour hours of YouTube videos and pour through countless articles. Researching til we’re blue in the face.

But this is usually the point where things come to a halt. We get stuck in the exploration phase and never actually start.

How can you blame us though? Starting is terrifying. And guaranteed to be painful.

I mean what kind of masochist actually enjoys staring failure straight in the face, risking the embarrassment and disappointment that comes from defeat.

But there’s no better feeling than working through discomfort and getting to the breakthrough.

So, give yourself a project, a prompt.

Whatever your field of curiosity, the options are endless.

Mine generally revolve around music and photography, so that’s where I’ll offer some insight.

Projects that have taken my work and confidence to new levels:

Events- booking/organizing/promoting things like photo exhibitions, music gigs, and pop-ups
Publishing- writing/executing/producing things like a song, music video, or photo-series

The complexity and scale don’t matter. It’s just about taking the first steps down the path.

Because once you begin building out a project, vision develops.

And when you have vision, you can actually start breaking things down into little goals.

Little actions.

And then something miraculous will happen.

Opportunities will just start showing up.

Your subconscious will be working for you. It will start connecting everything to this project.

You’ll sink into a beautiful period of tunnel vision.

If you decide to do a little pop-up shop and start slinging postcards, your brain will begin connecting everything to that.

The world will lay ideas at your feet, giving you inspiration for your:

table set up
sign design
layouts of the postcard
marketing strategies
collaboration opportunities
printing

And on, and on.

And throughout this process of building out your postcard pop-up project, you’ll develop numerous aspects of your craft, including:

shooting techniques
design skills
marketing abilities
knowledge of paper and printing
software competency

That’s a lot of bang for your buck.

So, initiate a project.

It will be scary, overwhelming, and intimidating. But, wow, will it be worth it.

Ok, moving on to the final third and final strategy...

3. COLLABORATE WITH A HUMAN

Photo of Billie Jean, a jazz artist, on Lake Biwa, Japan

I like my alone time. And a lot of it.

It’s when my brain gets the space and bandwidth to consider, connect dots, and rest.

Furthermore, it’s these solo periods where I can sink into deep work, spending 2-3 hours totally dialed in on one task.

Combine that with consistency, and an output superpower is uncovered.

With all this praise for solitude, it may feel like a contradiction when I say to put yourself in a room with a person.

But if you want to elevate and evolve, hear me out.

Existing in isolation is a path to nowhere.

While alone time has been a powerful tool for me, it can also be a killer.

You can get stuck in dark cycles, those treacherous rabbit holes of despair, drowning yourself in cheap dopamine just to avoid yourself.

I’ve had to learn this over and over. And will continue to learn it over and over.
All of my biggest leaps have come from long periods of working alone, but only when combined with hits of collaboration.

Working with someone forces you to step into the role of the person you’re trying to become.

You quickly see where you’re at, a fast track to exposing the holes.

It’s like sparring.

(Yes, a Mixed Martial Arts analogy)

You gotta test yourself.

How sharp are your instincts and reactions? How are you seeing things?

Collaboration gets you on the mat and answers the questions.

These experiences are pivotal to growth in your craft.

This is why photo shoot collaborations have been so fruitful for me.

At first, I was terrified to shoot portraits.

But something in me knew I had to follow this fear.

As Steven Pressfield expresses in the seminal book, War of Art,

"Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it."

So, I just started shooting.

Artists, models, fashion brands. Anyone I connected with.

I was backed into a corner and forced to figure it out.

Through these uncomfortable, and at times, embarrassing situations, I learned how to navigate:

Unpredictable weather
Equipment malfunctions
Strange vibes
Location limitations
Wardrobe issues
And every other problem under the sun

Reps upon reps of pressure situations sharpened my instincts.

So, pursue your curiosities, and find a human to work with.

It will be painful and weird, but you’ll grow more than you can imagine.

………………………………………

Book an Adventure
Pursue a Project
Collaborate with a Human

3 impactful methods to activate the loop of action into inspiration and back into more action.

It will be uncomfortable and a little scary. But the pain of regret is much scarier.

-Andy Armstrong / We Speak in Colors