Getting Around Being Stuck

By Janet L. Tanguay

Most writers, artists and entrepreneurs know that getting stuck sometimes just comes with the territory. When stuck happens, we all have different ways of dealing with it — pulling our hair out, gritting our teeth, breathing, taking a vacation or avoiding it altogether.

Get around it, over it, under it or through it any way you can
Elaborate on key concepts
Take a broader look

Approach it from a different angle
Replace one part with another
Other styles
Unique attributes
New spin
Discard old habits

Ideas for improvement
Take a closer look

Get around it, over it, under it or through it any way you can

Truly getting unstuck means setting your ego aside. I try not to be a know it all and ask for help. Admitting that you need assistance and may lack knowledge in some areas is not an easy task, but the rewards are great. One of the ways I do this is to network with everyone from other entrepreneurs to my hair stylist to children (who often have the most insight). The breakthrough usually comes from some small comment made that resonates with me, but if I stay in my own world and don’t venture out and ask for help, I stay stuck.

Who can you ask for help? Who can you network with who can help you accomplish your goal?

Elaborate on key concepts

When I initially start creating something new, there are inevitably elements I like and elements I know I need to change. Recently, I took an idea I liked and made it into a series, divided it up, split it in three and now I have three pieces of artwork I like that I can either sell individually or as a unit.

Towards the end of a project, I do the same. I create energy around the work by finding the elements that also get other people excited and then motivating everyone else to talk about it. Once a few people start talking about it, a chain reaction happens and everyone starts talking about the project.

What can you do to get others to start spreading the news about your project? How can you add something to enhance your idea?

Take a broader look

I’m a big picture person and I usually leave the details for those better at the steps it takes to define the broader vision. Because I already see the bigger picture, I really have to exaggerate to make something outrageous, but I do this to get unstuck. I buy a huge canvas, step so far back that I can barely see what I’ve created, climb up high and look down at what I’ve created or lay on the floor and look up at what I’ve created. This broader look always shifts my perspective, which brings me to the next topic.

Where can you go to see your project from a bigger angle? What can you do to really see the big picture?

Approach from a different angle

In order to look at a creation from all angles, imagination must be employed. Here are some methods I use to enhance my perspective. I paint with my eyes closed or put the brush in my non-dominant hand. I rearrange the three-dimensional elements to create opposites. I use other mediums like clay or gels or writing to enhance the work. I combine different materials or colors or add new features.

How can you approach your project from a different perspective? Can you look at it upside down or backwards or inside out?

Replace one part with another

My entire collection of work is based on recycling broken instrument parts (or ‘injured instruments’ as some of my collectors call them) into new, beautiful and spiritual works of art. I turn violin bows into Cupid’s bow and arrow. I turn saxophone bells into fountains. If I’m completely stuck, I just start over and paint over. Some of my paintings become three-dimensional due to the fact that I’ve painted over them so much that there are layers and layers of work underneath.

True entrepreneurs often start many businesses before they hit it big and fail at many projects before they succeed. Successful entrepreneurs often start several businesses over the course of their lifetime.

What failures can you take and turn into lessons? What projects can you start completely over and make them better? What part can you replace with another?

Other styles

Perhaps my favorite technique is to put myself in someone else’s shoes. I pretend I’m Basquiat or Georgia O’Keeffe or Jackson Pollock and try to approach my work as they would from what I’ve read about them or seen in their work.

Storytelling can be another great style of getting to the heart of the matter. Everyone has unique stories to tell that can spark an idea and pave a new way. Listen to the stories of others or share your stories with someone new.

Finally, I think of possible other uses and markets. Would my work look good in a café or at a train station? As a result, I’ve made sales in every venue from theatre lobbies to wine stores to flower stores and used bookstores and corporate offices.

Whose style would fit your project? Is there an entrepreneur you admire whose shoes you would like to walk in for a day? Where could you sell where you are not currently selling?

Unique attributes

I never worry about the competition thanks to a manager I had once who said to me “it’s YOU who makes this project unique not the material.” I am not the best or the brightest artist, however, what I write about my artwork moves people emotionally. It is original. It is uniquely my experience.

I also think of how the senses can affect the work…can I add sound, feel, smells, etc.

What makes you unique? What makes people buy from you and not someone else?

New spin

Sometimes you just can’t easily change your project or your path. When this happens, I look for a new spin on an old idea. I turn the painting upside down to give it a whole new feel or I change where I do the work. I take the painting out into nature or onto a busy street. I might frame the painting in a new way or paint the frame a different color or remove the frame altogether.

How can you give your business a new spin? How can you frame your project a different way?

Discard old habits

I embrace mistakes, flaws, and errors. I always look for new and improved so I’m not someone who hangs onto old habits very tightly. I’ve learned that the one constant in life is change and that’s what I thrive on. Luckily, I’m someone who never take myself seriously. The Japanese have a concept called “Wabi Sabi” or the art of imperfection. Not one piece of my artwork is ‘perfect’ and that is exactly what I want.

Is there something you’ve been hanging onto that you could let go of? Is there a routine that you go through that you could change right now? Could you take a different path to work or stop a different place for coffee on the way to your office? Could you call a different vendor that might add something different to your work? Could you dress differently or speak more slowly just for today? Can you let go of perfection?

Ideas for improvement

One of the best ways for me to improve my work is to tinker. I believe that great geniuses have made wonderful discoveries by tinkering with and tweaking an old idea. Most times I make improvements this way but sometimes I discover something completely new that takes me in a whole new direction.

What part can you tinker with to make subtle improvements in the way you do business? What small change can you make that could take you to a new level?

Take a closer look

Just as I try to look at the big picture, when I take a closer look, I also find intriguing opportunities in the details. I become a spy, a sleuth, a researcher by looking at everything from nature to sheet music to the way a chef creates my meal.

What do yo see when you take a closer look at the minute details? What can you learn by digging a little deeper?

Needless to say, with all of these options, I don’t get stuck very often anymore. I hope by using a few of these techniques that you will no longer be stuck, either! •

© 2007 Janet Tanguay

About the Author
Janet Tanguay is the owner of Art-n-Soul, Inc. and a Creativity Life Coach, Writer and Visual Mixed Media Artist. Tanguay uses unique brainstorming techniques to work with clients to shift their perspective to get unstuck. Learn more at www.artnsoulinc.com or call at 518-842-1757 for a consultation.

07/16/07