My name is Brooke and im a little new to the community - so ello. Anywho’s, im kind of experiencing a non-creative slump right now, like I just cant seem to come up with anything new. I feel like im just going through the basics of my other tricks but cant seem to break the broken record routine. I watch a lot of freestyles and such online but its still the same ol same ol thing. Any advice? Thanks!
What I do when i’m having a “yoyoers block” is film. Even if I have nothing new to do in front of a camera, I always end up learning something new. I guess it’s because having a camera film you mimics how it feels to have someone watch you.
You can also review footage to see what you did in case you forget.
Another tactic I use is just taking a break from yoyoing. Creativity cannot be forced. Try not to watch videos during the break period too. Pick up a yoyo when you truly want to!
I’m not the most creative but when I do want to be creative, I ask myself if there are beliefs I have about yo-yoing that I can challenge. For example, “Response limits what a yoyo can do.” Does it? Maybe I limit myself because I’m avoiding response.
I’m not intending that previous sentence to promote more responsive play but rather to promote a direction change in thinking, self reflection, and an alternate perspective.
It’s not a quick easy solution to creativity but it does put the " what if" and “is it possible” back into yo-yoing.
As I was walking the dogs last night, I was thinking about yoyo and planning a video. The subject of the video boils down to how much enjoyment you can get out of learning and doing your best with other people’s tricks.
This over-emphasis on creating something new all the time seems to bum a lot of people out. I play guitar, and yeah, I noodle a bit and have written a song or two, but for the most part what I like to do is pick up my guitar and bang out someone else’s song.
Why not enjoy learning other people’s tricks for a while? I bet some inspiration will flow out of that anyhow, for when you’re ready to start creating again.
one thing that always helps me a lot is to step out of the box and try tricks that i wouldn’t otherwise. this could mean picking up a new style, throwing with my opposite hand, or even just learning a trick from a player i haven’t learned from before.
coming up with tricks is probably my favorite part of yoyoing, so i’ll admit that slumps can be frustrating, but it’s important to remember that yo-yos are meant to be fun and as long as you’re still enjoying yourself you’re doing it right! sometimes it’s nice to just see how well you can polish up your old tricks, or what you can do on your “worst” yo-yo, or… you get the picture. hope you can break through the slump soon!