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Your professor gave you a character who's experiencing a creative block. Can you help them?

Remember to:

1. Identify the real issue (you can use the Five Whys to do this);

2. Determine ways to resolve it and overcome the block;

3. Be compassionate with your character (blocks are tricky!);

4. Use your creativity! (Divergent thinking, brainstorming, brainswarming...);

5. Share what you learn;

6. Have fun with this exercise.

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^Jim

"Jim Nasium is a choreographer who struggles with working with others. It's not that Jim isn't social - it's just that he knows that the easiest way to get things done to the highest standards is by doing them himself.

The problem is that Jim has been offered an incredible opportunity to choreograph a show..working with another, less experienced choreographer. The payout is big and Jim needs the money, but Jim knows doesn't know how he'll be able to handle it."

1. Perfectionist, Control Issues, Insecurity, Fear of Scrutiny

2. Discuss each others strengths and weaknesses

Take the lead

Brainstorm

Share each other’s past work and incorporate best elements

Hire a mediator

3. It's very hard to try new things when the stakes are high, especially with a large payout!

Connor Carey

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The character is Sally Forth, who struggles to find a sense of satisfaction in her life. Even though she is quite successful, she is clearly missing something important in her life. She should start by being more open to different forms of expression and not worrying about how good/bad the outcomes of her creativity are.

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The character was Nushi, she had writers block and had to write a whole fantasy novel in two days. I think this stemmed from fear of failure because her first book was so successful, and it was also a form of self-sabotage to act as a crutch if she did not do as well as her first novel. I thought that to help her she could go on a really long walk and just step away from the task. I also thought she could treat herself to a coffee, call a friend to get a pep talk. Talk to themselves in front of a mirror, then sit down and just try and start. Maybe begin by writing about something unrelated just to get into the habit of writing again.

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Priti works in marketing. For years, she’s been at the top of her game, brimming with brilliant ideas. They bubbled out of her like Pepsi from a MacDonald’s soda machine. But for some reason, the ideas have suddenly stopped coming. She doesn’t know what to do.

Here is my solutions:

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Justin fell victim to a few myths. He only does things he already knows he’s good at (expert myth) he thinks he’s left brained and doesn’t have it in his blood (breed myth) because creativity is not innate and he says he’s never done anything that’s creative which is not true. Next he is very nervous. He needs to be more confident and willing to try new things. The solution is he should try some creative things that aren’t necessarily what he is going to submit for the job but just to overcome his fear. Then he can take on bigger tasks

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Carmela is a filmmaker about to share her first short film at a music festival. She is scared of being judged and is deciding whether or not to even show it.

This anxiety she feels suppressing her mentally can be overcome beautifully by showing herself she can present in front of other people and being able to be judged, knowing that her work is her best work.

Here are some things she should focus on:

No its not better safe than sorry, it is always important to start of somewhere

accepting yourself and knowing that your best effort is always appreciated will take her father than she will ever know

Focus on progression not perfection

Its her first film, feedback is crucial to advance and better her art

Remember the journey and why you started

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My character was Clara, she is finally making her dream of opening her own clothing shop come true. Everything is ready for her to move in and start her business. However, she is having concerns that her new schedule will get in the way of her relationship with Chad. She's worried that he will find her success off-putting and not want to be with her anymore because she's a successful business owner. Clara is worried that Chad will be threatened by her success if her new business ends up taking off and doing well. It seems that Chad may be an insecure boyfriend if she's having these doubts. I think the real problem is their dynamic in the relationship, rather than her business. She shouldn’t be worried about how he is going to feel or be affected by her potentially successful business. She should have a serious talk with him about upcoming expectations and their relationship dynamic, question whether he is truly happy for her, etc.

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Essentially, Lucia has a lot of creative ideas that she wants to pursue, but hasn't, as she is incredibly unorganized and lacks a sense of direction in her life in general. In order to combat this, she will need to prioritize finding organization in her own life before tackling all the creative endeavors she has imagined. She needs to commit to ideas in her own life. Like the phrase, if you chase two rabbits, you won't catch any of them. She can set some goals for herself and be more decisive with her time. She can consider what things make her feel happy or inspired. Then, she should pick one creative idea she has and run with it. If she feels unsatisfied with that, she can pick another. She needs to take risks, because how she handles those provides information about herself, something she needs to feel unstuck.

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1. The real issue here is that Frank Lee is too flustered and scared to perform b/c his relationship is on the line and he doesn’t know why and that also jeopardizes his career.      2. I think he should delay or postpone the concert because there is no way he is able to have the right mind set for his concert and go talk to Abby to try and save his relationship and career.     5. This block is very tricky but I think sometimes we can’t endure so much at once like in this situation that you really need to prioritize what’s most important.   

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My character was Ann Onymous, she’s a writer that worries about hurting her friends and families feelings by writing personal stories about them. I think to overcome this she can ask them beforehand how they feel about her writing about their lives and tell them how much she would appreciate being able to use their stories. She could also change their names so that the stories are anonymous if they are uncomfortable with it. I learned from this the importance of communication and putting the importance of your relationships before your work.

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Myrtle is a professional playwright. She is working on what she thinks will be her best play yet and then her husband, the love of her life, dies... :( Um I think we all know that girl just needs to grieve and sit down. Have a good cry and dont worry about this play rn, it will still be there in a couple months. Um ik she's supposed to be blocked but if she's feeling inspired she could channel this grief and make her play super deep and filled with emotion. it could make it a lot more passionate but she probably just wants to be alone and cry. yeah I dont think this is a block she can just get over lol she needs to grieve and work through this loss. :( poor thing.

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She is a recent college graduate who feels lost in her career. She has designs she wants to submit but doesn't know if they're good enough. She has a lot of questions that other classmates don't seem to be questioning. My imaginary backstory is that she had a very strict, tough professor who only criticized her work and made her very insecure. This hindered her creativity and she still holds on to the criticism. Now as a solution, I suggest she overcomes her fear of failure by first finding a group who will support her with constructive notes and further her designs. She should disregard how others in her career are progressing and reach out to experts (networking) to answer her questions, showing not all authority figures are scary.

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Situation: Pippa and Poppy are cooks with a vegan-friendly restaurant. There is a zombie apocalypse in the US and the country is in a crisis. Pippa and Poppy are in a safe zone but the zombies are eventually going to come, and they will lose the restaurant.

Issue: Owning the restaurant gives Pippa and Poppy lots of meaning. They will lack purpose if it doesn't exist.

Problem-Solving: There is not much Pippa and Poppy can do to save the physical restaurant. I've never met a zombie before, but my assumption is they do not stand a chance of keeping the restaurant alive. They should try to identify what it is about the restaurant that gives them meaning. Is it that they are being ecological? Is it cooking? Do they like hosting people? Having their own business? Once they identify what it is that is giving them meaning, they could try to do that in the new zombie world. For example, if what they really like it owning a business maybe after the apocalypse there will be a need for zombie-proof equipment and they can open a store for that.

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My character was Wei who had his first feature-length film chosen to premiere in Canada and it received excellent reviews. However, he did not understand why his film was picked over other filmmakers who he believed were more talented.

1. Wei is experiencing a bit of imposter syndrome and guilt after his film was chosen to premiere.

2. Wei should focus more on himself and give himself credit for developing a great film.

3. When he becomes even more connected to the film industry, he can help out his friends by mentioning their names or showing others their films.

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My guy was named Phil and he struggled with his brother being pessimistic about his new ideas for the family business- which is carpet making

1. The real issue is that Phil is afraid of judgement from his brother, and is afraid to share his new ideas. He wants to share but is insecure and that is causing a big block

2. He can reach outside of his brother to other people or even talk to other carpet makers. He can get family therapy and see why his brother is judgemental, maybe he’s just jealous. He can invite his brother to a brainstorm session or ask him to come up with some ideas first. He could also open his own carpet business with supportive people but that would be a shady to the family business.

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Karl is a data analyst and has a presentation coming up. He has made the presentation but is now second-guessing himself and his ideas!

The real issue:

Karl is an overthinker; karl thinks so much because he is anxious, he’s curious about things, and he spends a lot of time alone.

Karl was not super popular growing up so he has self esteem issues

He’s a perfectionist because he thrived off of academic validation over social validation in his early life

Ways to overcome

He could do some divergent thinking where he comes up with ideas without thinking about if they are good or bad.

He could go to therapy to work through the deeper issues rooted in his childhood

He could socialize more by joining groups that relate to his hobbies so he can feel more relatable and connected

Trust his education + intelligence

Do practice run for a friend

He wouldnt have the job if he didnt deserve it

Pay people in room to cheer for him

Medication

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My character is Ima Fraid, and she has a habit of purchasing numerous painting supplies, such as acrylic paints and brushes, only to store them away without ever using them. I believe her issue stems from a fear of failure, as she admitted, "I'm scared of never finding inspiration again." It seems to me that she places too much pressure on the final outcome rather than allowing herself to enjoy the creative process. To overcome this, she could focus on using the materials she already has, lower her expectations, and embrace the joy of painting without overthinking the result.❤️‍🩹

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Toby Lerone is an inventor with a brilliant idea for a new type of chocolate in international airports. But for the past 18 years, he has spent all his free time researching how to make the perfect bar of chocolate, and he has never gotten around to prototyping or testing any form of production.

I think the issue here is that he is scared of failure, and he needs to get over that and make a prototype, even if it's his only good idea. It is better to see if it works rather than spending 18 years wondering if it doesn't. Worst case, it does not work and he learns from his mistakes and comes up with an even better idea.

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Rosie is a student studying abroad in Barcelona who has her creativity final project due soon. Her idea is to draw the train station of each place she visit. Most recently, she visited Lisbon and lost her sketchbook, all her work from the whole semester. She is getting worried because it is due in a week and now all of her work is gone. I believe that the real issue here is that Rosie is not thinking of quick alternative solutions. Although is it unfortunate that her work is gone, she could easily pivot and come up with a new way to fulfill the assignment requirements. She can make a photography collection of all of her posts and create a scrapbook or other visual medium that shows all of her travels instead. Or, she can create drawings of these photos that are in her camera role. I feel bad for the character, so to show her talent, maybe she can submit other past drawings as well to show her talents off.

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Eileen is feeling down about her pottery piece (a vase) as it is crooked, and is not as good as the images she found on Pinterest.

Why? Because it is not as good as the one's she saw on Pinterest.

Why? Because it is crooked.

Why? Because she is a beginner

Why? Because she just started

Why? Because she has had fun and is looking for a new hobby.

How can I help: I think Eileen needs to try some simpler projects, that will boost her confidence. She definitely struggles with comparing herself to others and has a high set of expectations for herself. I think she should also take pride in her crooked piece, it has its own personality. Picasso's pieces were often crooked; he took on his own style. I think she should also look at how other's started and see that their pieces were not perfect, but they pushed through in order to improve. With all these methods, she will see her confidence improve and will understand that it is impossible to be perfect as a beginner. The important part is that she enjoyed making her piece - that genuine sense of contentment will allow her to go further than anything else.

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he's having trouble coming up with new stuff for his job (writing greeting cards). sounds like he's only doing it for money and is not all that happy with the job. either he accepts that this is something he does for the money and that's all (and he doesn't need to "enjoy" it) and find his enjoyment elsewhere, or shift to a different job where he'd actually enjoy what he's doing

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Sam is a programmer and thinks she has a brilliant idea for an app, but she can't bring herself to work on it. She is scared it will fail miserably and hesitant to try, but she is frustrated that she hasn't made her dream a reality.

Sam has deep rooted anxiety and insecurity based on trauma from her childhood. Her parents enrolled her in every sport and activity–ballet, soccer, piano, basketball, violin, drawing classes, debate club–but nothing she did lived up to their expectations.

Sam did not love all of her classes at school and was an average student. She enjoyed her computer science classes, but did not have the overall GPA to get into a good computer science program.

She has been searching for a purpose in life and come up with creative ideas but is scared to share them with the outside world.

I think that Sam needs to go to therapy to help fix her deep rooted insecurities.

She should go forward with the idea for her app because it is better to have tried and failed than be left wondering.

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Madison is about to live out her dream of being a professional musician but is terrified to perform before a professional band. I believe the real problem is whether she can achieve her dream or not; she is afraid of not being good enough. I think she should play for herself without the worry of going big as a way to calm herself and let herself know she can do this. After putting on a performance for herself, she can boost her self-esteem by giving herself a pep-talk. Although it is her dream, it is important to remember that success does not define us, and a way of learning is to make mistakes. This first show could be seen more as a warm-up for her career than her first show ever to ease her nerves.

-Ashley

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"At 55 and with the kids gone off to college, Karen is knee-deep in a mid-life crisis. What's she supposed to do with her time now? What's her purpose? When she was a teenager, Karen had always thought she'd be an actress - not a movie star or anything like that, but she really loved local theater. A part of her longs to try out for the town play, but the problem is she doesn't remember anything about acting. Where should she even get started?"

1. The Real Issue: she doesn't have anything to do with her time. She misses her kids. She is scared to try new things because she doesn't want to be embarrassed.

2. Join an improv group to get casual exposure to acting, and when you build up your confidence, try out for the play! This is a very normal feeling, and it takes a lot of courage to step out of your comfort zone; but, by doing so, you'll participate in an activity you enjoy, meet new people, and fulfill your childhood dreams!