There are three main components when it comes to creativity; expertise, creative thinking skills and motivation. I think it’s very safe to say that motivation, for many of us has taken a rather significant knock in the last 12 months. Speaking purely for myself here, I find that I am either hugely motivated, or not motivated at all. There is no in-between at the moment. With that in mind, todays post is 10 activities, or things you can do to help get that creative spark glowing again.
1. Unplug for a bit
Regular breaks are a must no matter what you are doing, be it work or play, and sometimes all you need to do to allow yourself to recharge is do absolutely nothing. Have an evening, a day, a week, whatever you need to just chill out and relax. I have a go to routine when it comes to needing some time to unplug, that usually includes a long bath with a bath bomb, a full on skin pamper, and some fun movies while I’m snuggled up under a blanket.
2. Do some exercise
Personally I find going for a run and blasting music loudly into my brain to be very therapeutic, and it really helps me clear my mind as well. It is especially useful if I’ve had a long or stressful work day. Once my mind has had a chance to clear, I find picking up other tasks easier because I have the capacity and space for other things. This is why most of my photos and such are usually done after I’ve come back from a run.
3. Go for a walk
Unlike when I go running I tend not to listen to music when I go for a walk. The reason being is that we have a lovely woodland to wonder around in, and a lot of it gets lost if I’m playing music. I rather enjoy being able to hear and observe the various wildlife that lives just off my doorstep, and normally have a little surge of creative motivation either while I’m still out, or when I get home.
4. Browse online
Sometimes scrolling online can help spark an idea. I find that I don’t even need to be looking at anything in particular, and will suddenly draw inspiration from a colour I see, or from a fancy fonts collection. Inspiration and creativity can be sparked from all kinds of places.
5. Look over your previous posts or work
Sometimes you just need a little bit of a kick to get you started. Have a look over your previous writing, photos, paintings, whatever creative outlet it is you choose to do, looking over what you’ve done before will help inspire you to do something new.
6. Do something different
Stepping out of your comfort zone is often a good thing to do, and in some ways it’s ‘safer’ when it comes to helping spark creativity. If you try something different you don’t have to share it if you aren’t sure about it, but in going through the motions of whatever it is you are doing, you may spark several other ideas that you do want to share.
7. Take the plunge
One of the biggest killers of creativity is fear. This kind of ties in with my previous point a little bit, but sometimes it’s worth taking the plunge and just posting. Be it a photo for your Instagram, a post on your blog, some photos for a portfolio, just take the plunge and share them. You never know, you might just attract a new audience.
8. Draw from others
Sometimes advice from others, or drawing from other areas of your life can be a massive help. When I changed my blog banner, I ran the final two designs by a friend of mine, Jordanne from ‘Of a Glasgow Girl’. When I created my background for my grid feed over on Instagram, I ran the designs and ideas past Katie and Chloe from my other account, The Plant Trio. Not only did they give great advice, but the final design was miles apart from the first one, and I ended up with something I was really happy with.
9. Step away from what you are doing
Something I do at work every now and then is ‘take 5’. If I am in the middle of a difficult task, or have just had a particularly difficult call I leave my desk area and normally go have a tea or coffee in the kitchen. The break gives your brain a chance to rest and decompress, so you’ll be re-focused when you then come back to whatever you were doing. This isn’t just a good thing to practice at work, it does well with creative outlets such as writing or photographing flat lays or images for a blog – or whatever creative thing you might be doing!
10. Just start
Sometimes getting going is the hardest part, but once you have started, you start to get into the flow. Start small with whatever you are doing, and build from there as and when you feel that you want to. When I come to doing Flat Lay shots, I have a goal that I want to have at least one by the time I’m finished, and I normally have it somewhat planned before I start – or at the very least, I’ll have chosen what I’m going to photograph. Once I get started with my one photo goal, I find it is then easier to do another, and then another and I am usually left with a handful of shots I like.
I think the most important thing at the moment is to remember to be kind to yourself. You can’t expect normal levels of creativity or motivation, when our circumstances are still far from normal.
What do you do to help get you into a creative mood?
* This is a sponsored post, please check my disclaimer for further information.
Unplugging, going for a walk or at least getting outside, and then, if all else fails, just starting are what work for me. Very often once you get going, things start slotting into place. Great suggestions, Em, thank you! Lisa
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! Sometimes just starting with basic bullet points to 'bulk out' later is a great way of getting started.
DeleteYou are very welcome, thank you for your lovely comment!
Em x