I posted today over on my instagram account that recently I’ve been feeling less creative and uninspired in a caption. The overwhelming outpour of “me too” was so motivating that I knew that was the exact post I needed to do today. Because of how well received it was, I decided to do a full post on the blog that will live on forever to share 5 things that I did when I felt stuck or uninspired that you can totally do as well.
Everyone goes through moments of feeling sluggish and “blah” for lack of a better word. I like to call this a period of feeling stuck or uninspired. As someone who did not embrace their creativity for years, I still find it challenging to consider myself a true creative, however, I am at my happiest when I am creating things. Whether that’s orchestrating an entire photoshoot from ideating to picking out clothing to creating the mood board or when I’m in the kitchen creating a new dish or when I’m on the blog creating new content for you guys! Creating means that there is a level of creativity being used and when there is creativity there is the opportunity to sometimes deal with the creative block, which in other words can be known as feeling stuck or uninspired.
Since I’ve been on a sabbatical from my full time career recently, I’ve had a lot more time to live in my true creativity more frequently. Though that’s an amazing thing, I’ve found that I go in and out of creative moments. Here are 5 things I’ve done to help spark that fire back up when it disappears.
Work with other creatives
Working with other creatives is super important and will immediately spark that creative fire back up. I recently hired a photographer for a few months to help me build up my brand and create cohesive images that will live over the period of several months. I could easily do this myself or ask my hubby to capture content for me but there’s nothing like seeking someone out who has a similar vision as you to partner with. Not only will you be happier with the end result but the fact that you’re working with someone who’s also in their true creative element subconsciously spurs your inspiration and creativity. Between preparing for the shoot and actually meeting my photographer, I realized my entire mood was shifting and I started to feel that energy inside of me that comes when I know I’m creating something amazing. I encourage you to work with other creatives, even though it may cost you. The outcome is always worth more than the investment.
Invest in yourself
Investing in yourself honestly ties perfectly with partnering with other creatives. Since, nothing in this life is free (well nothing really good lol) you will need to be open to investing in yourself. In this particular example, I hired a photographer for 5 months and I feel really good about that. In your case it might be buying a ticket to that conference that you’ve been dying to go to or taking that webinar that keeps following you on facebook or flying to Africa or whatever! Just do whatever IT is! We invest in things all the time that don’t truly give us added value to our lives. We spend $1,000 on an iPhone because it’s a necessity but paying a photographer $500 for a photoshoot is just too much. When it comes to investing in yourself, no price is EVER too high.
Go somewhere new
Going somewhere new is a fantastic way to spark inspiration and creativity. Recently, I haven’t been anywhere new but I think back to February when I went to Turks and Caicos for my birthday and there was so much inspiration around me. From the people I met to the blue hues of the ocean. Recharging and taking time to explore a new destination is something I recommend doing if you have the funds. Again, we spend $2,000-$3,000 on all types of things but a trip for ourselves is just too much. LEAN IN, take the trip! Find your inspiration.
Meet new people
I love meeting new people! With my recent sabbatical (being at home) it definitely has become more challenging to meet new people since I’m not out and about as frequently as I use to be. But I went to a networking breakfast the other day and simply meeting 20 or so new people literally lit my soul on fire. It inspired me and motivated me and literally shifted my entire mood and energy. I didn’t have an in depth conversation with all of the attendee’s but I did have the opportunity to interact with most of them and just the energy alone in the room was enough to get my creative juices flowing. If you work from home or if you’re in a more remote location, make an effort to attend networking events or happy hours or alumni events. These are really amazing ways to get yourself out of your comfort zone and truly open yourself up to something amazing. People are energy and energy can be inspiration and inspiration can lead to creativity. You see what I did there?
Do something that scares you
Doing something that scares you is clearly not something that you wake up wanting to do, right? But, it’s definitely something that I think will help spark joy and inspiration. When was the last time you did something that really scared you? My last leap was when I started my Beautycounter business. I had no idea what I was in for but I am sooo glad I leaned in and felt the fear but did it anyway! Even on my sabbatical I’m making supplemental income which was has been a true blessing. So, the next time something scares you, do it anyway! Success might be on the other side of that fear.
I hope you guys enjoyed this post on how to overcome feeling uninspired, stuck or uncreative. Remember that you’ve got this and you can overcome that feeling because it’s just a feeling, it’s a not a fact.
Comment below and let me know if you’ve ever felt this way and what you did to overcome.
