By Youth Hub Africa,
Today, I sat down at my laptop to write with you in mind, but my brain froze. For a second, I wondered what was going on. Then, I noticed my colleague, who was also struggling with his graphic design project, and it dawned on me: we both might be experiencing a mental or creative block.
Does that sound familiar?
That feeling of racing through your thoughts, almost catching the word you need, only for it to slip away, leaving you staring at your paper or Google Doc in frustration.
In any field you find yourself in, mental work has become the new hard work.
Every day, we strive to make sense of our tasks.
Here are a few tips we can try—and I say “we” because it’s you and me together:
Go outside: I mean it, Step outside right now. Looking at the sky and its endless expanse will do you good. Trust me, taking a breath of fresh air for a bit will help. Breathe and come back.
Talk to other creatives: Many of us worry about our ideas being stolen, so we keep them hidden. But I’ve found strength in unity. Find a community you trust and feel comfortable sharing your ideas with. You’ll be surprised at how much input you can get.
Don’t fight it; It’s okay to fail: It’s okay to walk away and try again later. Except when you have a deadline—even then, shut down the system and breathe.
The creative sector is rapidly growing and can boost economies and drive inclusive socio-economic development. Its significant contribution of 3 percent to the Global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) highlights the economic potential of creative industries as a source of growth and job creation (EY, 2015).
Here In Nigeria alone, the creative industries contributed approximately US $18 billion to GDP (World Bank, 2020), and according to UNESCO, creative industries account for more than 30 million jobs globally, employing more young people aged 15-29 worldwide than any other sector (UNESCO, 2015).
Source: mastercardfdn.org/africas-creative-renaissance
