The freedom to create anything you want can sometimes turn into a burden and weighs down your artistic soul. You find yourself unable to think of new ideas, hopelessly staring at that blank piece of paper, waiting for that 'light bulb' moment. Here are some ways you can get your creative juices flowing again:

FIND INSPIRATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Pinterest, YouTube, Tumblr, Instagram and sometimes even Facebook can be great sources of inspiration. I personally find Pinterest the most helpful since it's relatively easier to use and keep track of all the saved photos. You can create different boards and save the pictures you find interesting/inspiring for later when you're in need of some inspiration. There are countless tutorials on YouTube and no matter which 'level' your art skills are on, you can find yourself a suitable tutorial and follow through. This will help to take away the stress of deciding what to draw. Having someone else guiding you through the process is pretty freeing and will leave you with a finished artwork which you might not have been able to produce on your own.

BUY NEW ART SUPPLIES

Get those art supplies you've been eyeing for some time now but never actually got around to buying. That being said, there is no need to splurge in hopes of gaining that artistic spark you were looking for. Treating yourself to new materials now and then, even if it is just a pencil or a sketchbook, is sure to make you want to use them to create something and hopefully get you out of your creative rut.

EXPERIMENT WITH A NEW MEDIUM

You most likely have a certain medium in mind that you've always wanted to test out but never did. Now is the time to dip your toe in those unknown waters. Experimenting will not only help you curate new ideas but will also give you a break from the constant pressure of completing a project since you don't really know what to expect from this foreign medium.

ART CHALLENGES/PROMPTS

There are many art challenges taking place worldwide that you can take part in, the biggest one being Inktober . While it's true that art cannot be forced, sometimes setting boundaries like following a certain prompt or sticking to one medium can help you get yourself out of that art block and think differently.

RECREATE YOUR OLD ARTWORKS

If you've been creating art for a while now then you've surely come a long way since your initial trials and errors and have gotten significantly better at art in general. Recreating your old artworks and seeing how far you've come will definitely help you regain confidence and might even spark new ideas in the process.

STOP, DROP AND ROLL

Okay maybe don't do it LITERALLY but at times you do need to stop, drop that paintbrush and roll a little without stressing over not being able to create anything. Before you whip out the Ouija board to summon Bob Ross's spirit and ask for help, you need to consider giving yourself some time off to prevent a creative burnout. Maybe all you need is a change of scenery and some time to recharge.

Some of these might work for you and some might not. Don't worry if you find yourself in a block, it will pass eventually and you'll be back to creating masterpieces in no time.

Afsara keeps zoning out in between conversations. Tell her to get help at facebook.com/afsaraakhan