---
name: creative-unblock
description: >
  I'm stuck, I have no ideas, I don't know where to start, writer's block, can't think
  of anything, I'm blocked — user unable to make progress. Warm-up exercises, creative
  provocation, progressive engagement to build momentum.
---

# Creative Unblocking

Break through creative blocks and help people who don't know where to start find their momentum.

## The Blank Page Problem

People get stuck for specific, addressable reasons:
- **Paradox of choice**: Too many possibilities, can't pick one → Add constraints
- **Perfectionism**: Every idea feels not good enough → Lower the bar explicitly
- **Evaluation apprehension**: Fear of judgment → Create psychological safety
- **Anchoring**: Fixated on one approach → Introduce randomness
- **Lack of domain knowledge**: Don't know enough to generate ideas → Research first

Diagnose WHY the user is stuck, then apply the right unblocking technique.

## Step 1: Diagnose the Block

Don't jump straight to exercises. First understand what's happening:

"I can tell you're stuck. That's totally normal and fixable. Can you tell me more about what's going on? Is it that..."
- A) "I literally have no ideas — my mind is blank"
- B) "I have one idea but I'm not excited about it"
- C) "I have too many ideas and can't focus"
- D) "I don't know enough about this topic to have ideas"
- E) "Everything I think of seems impossible or too hard"

### Diagnosis → Treatment Map

| Diagnosis | Root Cause | Treatment |
|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| A: Blank mind | Paradox of choice / cold start | Warm-up exercise → Constraint addition → Starbursting |
| B: One uninspiring idea | Anchoring / limited exploration | SCAMPER on the idea → Reverse Brainstorm → "What's the opposite?" |
| C: Too many ideas | Lack of constraints / evaluation paralysis | Quick sort (Impact/Effort) → Pick one to prototype thinking |
| D: Don't know enough | Knowledge gap | Dispatch domain-researcher → Share findings → Then ideate |
| E: Everything seems hard | Perfectionism / feasibility fixation | "Worst Possible Idea" → Constraint Manipulation → "Magic wand" question |

## Step 2: Warm-Up Exercises

Reference `references/creative-unblocking.md` for the full exercise library. Select 1-2 based on diagnosis:

### The Worst Possible Idea (for Perfectionism / Blank Mind)
"Let's start with the WORST possible solution to your problem. The more terrible, impractical, and absurd, the better. What's the worst thing you could do?"

Why: Lowers the bar. Removes evaluation pressure. Often contains hidden insights when inverted.

Follow-up: "Now, what if we flipped some of those? Is there anything surprisingly useful hiding in the bad ideas?"

### Constraint Manipulation (for Paradox of Choice / Blank Mind)
Ask a series of "What if" questions that add or remove constraints:
- "What if you had unlimited budget and 100 engineers?"
- "What if you had to launch by Friday with just yourself?"
- "What if your users were all 80 years old? All 12 years old?"
- "What if it had to work with zero internet connection?"
- "What if a competitor launched the same thing tomorrow — what would make yours different?"

Why: Constraints create the structure that blank minds need. They eliminate options (reducing choice paralysis) and reveal what the user actually values.

### Random Stimulus (for Anchoring / One-Track Thinking)
"I'm going to give you a random word. Tell me the first connection you see to your problem. Ready?"

Pick from: lighthouse, garden, orchestra, bridge, recipe, map, puzzle, mirror, river, telescope, library, compass, volcano, clock, forest

"The word is [X]. What does it make you think of in relation to your problem?"

Why: Forces the brain out of its habitual patterns. The connection doesn't have to be logical — the goal is new pathways.

### Analogical Exploration (for Limited Perspective)
"Let's look at how others have solved similar challenges:"
- "How does [nature] handle this kind of problem?" (e.g., how do ants organize? How do trees compete for light?)
- "How would [famous company] approach this?" (e.g., "How would IKEA redesign this?")
- "How is this problem solved in [totally different industry]?" (e.g., "How does the restaurant industry handle this?")

Why: Cross-domain thinking produces the most novel ideas.

### The Magic Wand (for Feasibility Fixation)
"If you could wave a magic wand and the perfect solution appeared — what would it look like? Don't worry about how to build it. What would the USER experience?"

Why: Separates the vision from the implementation. People often know what they want but get blocked by "how."

Follow-up: "Now, which parts of that magic-wand vision are actually achievable? What's the closest realistic version?"

## Step 3: Build Momentum

Once the user generates 2-3 ideas (even rough ones), shift to building:

1. Pick the idea with the most energy: "Which of these excites you most, even slightly?"
2. Build on it: "Interesting — what if we took that and also added..."
3. Explore variations: "What's a completely different version of that same core idea?"
4. Add structure: "What would the simplest possible version of this look like?"

## Step 4: Hand Off

Once momentum is established (user is generating ideas without prompting):

- If they need more structured ideation → Route to idea-generation skill or brainstorm-session
- If they're ready to design → Route to design-sprint skill (software) or brainstorm-session (other)
- If they have enough ideas → Route to idea-evaluation skill or `/evaluate`

> "You're on a roll now! Want to continue with structured brainstorming to develop these further, or do you have enough to start evaluating?"

## Facilitation Principles

- **Never say "just think harder"** — If they could, they would
- **Lower the bar constantly** — "Even a bad idea is a starting point"
- **Model imperfection** — Offer deliberately rough ideas: "Here's a half-baked thought to react to..."
- **Celebrate every idea** — "Good one. What else?" (never "Hmm, let me think about that")
- **Short exercises** — Each warm-up should take 2-5 minutes max
- **Read energy** — If one exercise isn't working, switch to another immediately
- **Don't explain the technique** — Just DO it. "Let's try something. Give me the worst possible..."

## Signs the User Is Unblocked

- Responses get longer and more detailed
- They start building on their own ideas without prompting
- They offer alternatives unprompted
- They push back constructively on offered ideas (engaged disagreement = engagement)
- They ask "what if..." questions themselves