NEW PERSPECTIVE

Getting Into the Trees

How to overcome creative roadblocks in small windows

This is no secret, designers work long hours surrounded by 24 inch monitors and nagging deadlines. I personally have learned to embrace it. It reminds me of my younger athletic years and finding a way to dig deep and rise above the challenge. Plus, more often than not, it turns into a bigger client commitment, and everybody wins. Today it seems to have become the norm; simply put, I’m quite used to it.

How do you handle it when the days start stacking up into weeks, and perhaps even months? When the stress of creative problem solving in small windows runs parallel among several projects it can quickly render into roadblocks, and even worse, a slip in work quality.

I assumed there would be a term for this in today’s digital age, with the mess of digital noise we all experience on a daily basis. Ten hours a day in front of the computer (on a good day), simply to doom-scroll yourself to sleep later that night.

The first key is to recognize the signs. Have you ever toyed with a design for the greater portion of a day, just to realize you’ve gotten nowhere? Have you ever let a creative roadblock halt your progress? We all do it in some way shape or form. “I can’t start my blog until I find the perfect name/domain” or “I can’t proceed with my business until I know how my logo is gonna be situated”.

Although examples, I think you get the point. It’s all bullsh*t. There is so much work to be done for your mission, move on to something different, keep your foot on the gas, momentum will eventually sweep you away. Or, you can take a moment away to refresh, rethink, and clear your head.

Phillip Padilla

hello@philpadilla.com

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."

Albert Einstein

From the balcony above

The obvious answer is take a vacation, but as leaders this is not always feasible. We man up, and push through. I personally solve it with micro separation. Some of the best work I have ever completed was late into the night, after a day away in the mountains. For a very long time I have been using the term ‘I need to get into the trees’ to describe the desperate need to refresh, be human, and clear my personal creative roadblocks. When you can be human, you can connect with your thoughts. Space, and better yet perspective, is what you need most.

My family and I live in the Pacific Northwest, where the outdoors whispers your name from the hills. When I do make it out there, my primary focus is separation, to breathe some fresh air, and get a sweat going. It opens my mind, and it feels good to be a person for a little while. I don’t start thinking about work right away, I avoid those thoughts in the parking lot, knowing I’ll circle back once I get to my destination. The way I see it, separation is key to reflection. It is the ability to watch the dance floor from the balcony above, instead of continuously dancing in circles on the dance floor below.

Identify roadblock enablers

For a mental refresh, it’s important to get out of the one-track mind that typically wolly-bops us over the head when consumed by a large project. Particularly when there is a lot of information to process, like when Slack will not STOP, and it can become a roadblock enabler. Take a break from all of the coffee, and drink plenty of water, (*proven studies show that dehydration magnifies stress. It’s called sipping stress away… and they’re not referring to booze).

Visual Mind Mapping

I work through designs and user flows in my head, some call it mind mapping. I have a very strong sense of visualization, and it allows me to do my job as I multi-task through my day, or down a trail. It also allows me to approach each project with a well thought out visual strategy. The real goal of ‘getting into the trees’ is returning with a revised game plan. Don’t make the mistake of returning to your desk in the same boat as you left it. Clear your head, gain the separation you need, and revisit the issue with a refreshed, simplistic, higher-level perspective. Take this same methodology with you through every weekend, and you’ll hit the ground running on Monday.

Into the trees

Over the years, I have harnessed the ability to ‘get into the trees’ - to micro separate quite well. I can now achieve the desired effects by simply mowing my lawn or doing a little bit of gardening. I have high confidence in my creative process, it has done me very well throughout my career. It has morphed into its own creature of a process, with jaw dropping pace, and is constantly being innovated with tech and creative perspective. This reflection is the key to the dance floor balcony perspective that often holds the higher-level solution we seek.

When I’m not at the desk, you can find me spending time with my family. Or perhaps, out in the trees, searching for client solutions in a refreshing, noise and distraction free environment.

‘Into the trees’, is where I go to connect and feel human. Some of my best work comes from it. It does wonders for the creative perspective.

Phillip Padilla

hello@philpadilla.com

Getting Into the Trees

Phillip Padilla

From the balcony above

Identify roadblock enablers

Visual Mind Mapping

Into the trees

Phillip Padilla

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From the balcony above

Identify roadblock enablers

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Into the trees

Phillip Padilla

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