How To's
Overcoming Creative Blocks – Creative Photo Prompts for Beginners
Isn’t it amazing how we live in a world with infinite inspiration and unlimited muses, and yet, somehow, we always end up creatively stuck? It doesn’t matter how many things you screenshot or how many TikToks you save to your phone; inevitably, you will be visited by The Creative Block.
People always talk about creative blocks because it is one of life’s most universal experiences. It doesn’t matter which medium you employ as an artist, whether you’re a painter, a writer, or even a videographer; each of us knows just how frustrating it is to want to create but not have the ability to do so.
Honestly, the older I get, the more annoying my creative blocks are. Like surely, there should be an easy solution to this, right? I want to make art, so why is it so hard to do that?
Even though the means of production are infinitely more accessible in our modern world, it can be challenging to find the inspiration and drive to create art in our daily lives. If your nine-to-five job doesn’t bog you down, then maybe you’re disheartened by the all-powerful Algorithm. Maybe you have the inspiration but not the time or the energy. Or maybe you have the time and the energy to create something, but you can’t narrow down your list of potential ideas to actually choose a project to focus on.
I think creative blocks have become so common because we, as adult humans, have lost the ability to appreciate “Arts & Crafts.” When you’re a kid, you make art because you’re bored or because there’s an inherent joy in creating something with your hands. All the adults at school made you do arts & crafts to keep you busy and because making art is good for you. (Seriously, people have studied this.) This act of creation was once a hobby that gave you a safe space to feel joy, to process emotions, and to actively exercise your brain. But we don’t have time for arts & crafts as adults. Or rather, we turn our arts & crafts into businesses and try to sell them in order to pay our bills.
There’s nothing wrong with monetizing your art, but I think when you mix business with artistic pleasure, it can cause you to burn out faster. You start seeing each new project as something that can make you money, something that can go viral online, something that you have to do in order to pay your rent. It becomes more difficult to try things for fun if you can’t waste time or materials. Your projects then depend more on success than on the potential joy of good failure. Before long, you are paralyzed with fear that whatever you make will not be good enough and that fear will limit you just as much as a lack of inspiration.
I am not immune to art block. I started a freelance photography business in college, and in the beginning, it brought me joy because it allowed me to practice my craft in new and exciting ways. And I was getting paid for it! I didn’t have to be inspired because people came to me with their great ideas, and all I had to do was show up. (And did I mention I got paid?)
But after a while, this started to drain me. Not only was I subject to other people’s whims and ideas, but I no longer had the time or energy to create the things that brought me joy. I stopped seeking out personal projects, I stopped trying to actively grow my technique, and I stopped picking a camera for fun. In truth, I got lazy. I thought I didn’t need inspiration anymore, so inspiration stopped showing up.
So, how do we find that inspiration again? More importantly, how do we find joy? How do we bring back arts & crafts? And how do we use this creative block as an opportunity for growth instead of a source of infinite frustration?
In my experience, sometimes the best way to overcome The Block is to go back to basics. You have to recall what it was like when you started creating. Stop focusing on all your expectations on your art, and recall why you began making art in the first place.
If you’ve taken an art class, you’ll know that professors do not rely on inspiration when assigning projects. You’re not allowed to have creative blocks in class because the deadline is looming, and you can’t fall behind. No matter how much you struggle to create art for a boring prompt, the art gets made. You find hidden depths within yourself when you work on these kinds of projects, and sometimes, those are the artworks that become your favorites. It’s almost more fulfilling when you create something from a lack of inspiration because it means you worked harder on it.
In truth, art blocks (and annoying class prompts) are blessings in disguise. They are a chance to grow as an artist, even if it feels like pulling teeth. You can use these creative blocks as an opportunity to go back to basics. Maybe now’s your chance to learn something new or try something you’ve never tried before. Maybe you can use this lack of inspiration to find discipline instead of inspiration. Or maybe this is the universe telling you to get up and explore. If you go looking for joy, new art won’t be far behind.
In the spirit of my college photo classes, I want to help you find joy and grow your photo technique with some prompts. All of these are ideas that my professors assigned to me when I was studying photography, and even though some of them are a pain, they were really formative for my photo craft.
Photo Walk
The first assignment I ever received in my first college photo class was to take a photo walk. The concept is simple: grab your camera, step outside, and take photos while you walk. I used my assigned walk to get to know another girl in my class, and we unintentionally walked a little too far downtown, turning a simple stroll into a chaotically long escapade trying to find our way back to campus. It brought us together as friends, but it also forced us to see the world differently as artists. Even though a lot of the photos I took that day are basic and boring, there are a few that I still think of fondly. I stopped seeing the world as I see it every day, people and places and things, and started seeing everything as an artistic opportunity. Notice how the shadows dance here, watch how the colors interact there, and focus on composition to turn a boring fence into interesting shapes and light. It stretches your muscles physically and metaphorically, and even if you don’t make beautiful art, you at least get some new perspective that may give you inspiration in the long run.
Night Shoot
Nothing is more terrifying to photographers than darkness. Low-light photoshoots are challenging, and it can be really frustrating, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced photographer. Night shoots are a staple in intro photography classes, and for good reason. If you’re shooting manually, you have to be patient and creative when working with low-light settings. But night photography offers a range of opportunities for creating unique art. Night shoots allow you to work with artificial light, experiment with light painting, or even to practice longer shutter speeds. (If you haven’t worked with the bulb setting on your camera, this is your chance!) Whether you plan a photo shoot with your friends in the dark or you decide to capture the stars in the night sky, night shoots are often more intentional than day shoots simply because you have to choose to bravely venture out into the night. It can lead to a lot of inspiration!
Slow Shutter Speed
Another basic prompt that is very popular in intro photo classes is focusing on shooting manually and manipulating specific camera settings. If you’re a beginner photographer who’s still learning how to shoot manually, this is a great inspirational prompt because you can really get creative when you manipulate your settings. Slow shutter speed was always one of my favorite techniques to play around with because you can capture some really abstract images this way. Generally, when we talk about slow shutter speed, we mean anything below 1/15 or 1/8 of a second, but depending on which camera you have, you can sometimes set your speed to a few full seconds. And, of course, there’s always the almighty Bulb setting if you want to take time lapses for a minute or more. Whether you’re shooting water in the daytime or car headlights moving in the dark, working with slow shutter speed and light painting is super fun! And the more you practice isolating individual settings, the more skilled you’ll be as a photographer going forward.
Studio Lighting
When I took a digital photography class in high school, my teacher gave us free reign to practice a studio set-up for one of our projects. He gave us paper backdrop options and big lights and told us to take portraits of our fellow classmates. While space and equipment can be difficult and expensive, you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars renting out a studio downtown to get the studio experience. All you really need for a “studio” shoot is a bit of empty space (in your bedroom? in your living room?), a light source (could be artificial or it could be natural), and some kind of backdrop. I’ve done “studio” shoots in my bathroom using my shower curtain as my background and a sunset lamp as my light. Obviously, Lensrentals has a lot of affordable options if you want to test out something new to make your in-home studio shoot come to life, but you can just as easily find mini LED lights for under $20 at Walmart. In fact, when it comes to creative blocks, sometimes I think it’s better to see just what you can dream up in your own house with your own collection of gear. Force yourself to get creative and see what you can come up with!
No-Face Self-Portraits
Of all the prompts and shoots I’ve done over the years to drum up inspiration, my go-to reset is always self-portraits. I think self-portraiture is one of the most important tools for artistic growth because it challenges you to not only bear witness to yourself but also because it forces you to learn new techniques and problem-solving. No-Face self-portraits is a common photo class prompt because it encourages you to reframe the idea of a self-portrait. It’s a simple concept: take a photo of your “self” without showing your face. Sometimes, this means facing away from the camera or cropping out your head, but it can also be something more abstract. Maybe you photograph the spaces you inhabit, maybe you show off your favorite things, or maybe you capture a specific, non-face body part like your hands. You don’t even have to be in the frame to show off your “self.” The possibilities are endless, but often, it does take some creativity to come up with an image you’re proud of. And hey, sometimes even a simple self-portrait (with face!) can help get rid of your creative block.
If you want to stop feeling stuck, you just have to create something. It can be anything, good or bad, complex or simple, but you have to force yourself to do something, or you will get stuck in creative limbo. So why not try something easy?
