Designer's Block; Cures?

[xaviera]

How do you guys deal with designer's block? Any tried and true cures, or is it more of a sit and wait it out thing?

[NexStitch]

Never sit and wait it out, IMO. Go online. Go to stores you like. Look at the colors, textures, shapes, and lines and note what interests you. Look to books with pictures of pattern swatches to jar your interest. Decide what type of project you'd like to attempt next.(Are you up for a challenge, or would you prefer something easier?) That's my process.

[aliciasjoy]

Just make something, even if it is just simple, or even if it isn't crochet. As long as you're working with your hands, you're brain will catch up. Works for me, anyway!

[klouised]

I dig out my whole stock of pattern books and start to go through them. By the time I get through half of them, I have serveral pages of ideas to start on. I also go to the yarn aisle of my local craft store and start to feeling and squeezing those yarns. :eek LOL. The softness, textures and colors get my creative juices flowing. I can hardly make it home before I start crocheting my next project.

[Catana]

Almost everything I look at is inspiration, so my problem isn't designer's block. I have tons of sketches, but the energy to actually get down to work is missing. The horrible summer weather isn't helping at all.

[Alosha]

I'm with you, Catana. My sketchbook is about full & I have notes everywhere. Just too darn hot to sit down & get to work. I find that working on a stitch or technique that I haven't used in a while tends to gives lots of new ideas.
Alosha

[Burgandy]

I start digging thru the old stash and just tossing out random colors and see how they look together. I find a combo I like and start asking myself "Is this gonna be a scarf, blanket, hat, snood, wrist warmer set, belt or what?" Sooner or later something will come to you.

[nataleeza]

One of my best ways is to read a couple of fashion mags. I pretend I'm reading them for fun (!?) but there's usually soething that will catch my eye. I'm designing a lot of bags at the moment so contrasts of texture and colour and different decorations sometimes jolt me to run and grab my design notebook! And I mean on anything, not on bags but skirts, shoes, hair accessories etc.
Having a walk through the gardens usually helps too!

[crochetqueen]

I cut out of the fashion magazInes, anything crocheted or anything that I might want to crochet (like a dress that is made out of fabric but I will like the shape) I then cut and use a glue stick, put them on card stock paper (cover both sides with pictures) then place into a binder to look at later. I also write all my ideas in a steno notebook as well as a sketchbook. That way when I get in a "mood" I can look at one of the 3 and come up with something.

Eva

[Melissa]

Hah. I'll tell you what works for me. I get out something that I should be working on and start working on it. That way, I either finish something that's been languishing unfinished, or I come up with someting fascinating I'd rather be doing. :D

[HookandCrook]

How do you guys deal with designer's block? Any tried and true cures, or is it more of a sit and wait it out thing?
For me, it's a wait it out type of thing -- but never a sit and wait it out. ;)

I focus on other creative endeavors and leave my hooks until I'm ready for them. I will weed my garden, take walks, read books, write, clean house, bake cookies, plan on how to decorate a room, reorganize something, etc. These days I do a lot of box packing. :haha

Everyone is different and forcing your muse works for some, waiting works for others. You need to try different things until you discover what works for you.

I wish you the best!
HnC