Do you ever had days when you grab your supplies and get settled in to create something....and then the blank canvas/page/fabric/screen just stares up at you and you don't know where to begin? It feels like your creativity has deserted you.
I know the feeling well, and over the years I've developed some tricks to coaxing my creativity out of hiding. These tips have always helped me feel inspired and get over any creative slump I may be in, and this week I'm sharing them with you!
Find some Nature
When I'm feeling creatively drained, getting outside and sitting by a lake, or visiting a botanical garden, or walking through the woods is the best way I've found to re-energize and get inspired. So many of my ideas are inspired by Nature to begin with, that it's only natural to spend time outside when the inspiration well runs dry. Sometimes all it takes is a particular color of flower to get the creative juices flowing!
Walk Away
Many times, I can't find my inspiration mostly because I've been sitting in one spot for hours! On these days, just the act itself of moving and changing my perspective is enough to rattle loose a new idea or creative impulse. Often, I'll grab the pup and head out my front door... and 10-15 minutes later I'm running back in the studio with a new idea.
Change up your workspace
This one is so easy, but it can really change a creatively-frustrating day into a productive day for me!
Tidying and organizing is a good starting place, but depending on how uninspired you're feeling, don't be afraid to think outside the box and change things around! It doesn't have to be a huge change (I'm not talking re-arranging your furniture every time you don't feel creative); small changes can have just as much effect. For example, before we left Denver I rearranged how my pens were organized on my desk. Such a small thing...but it was just enough to get my mind working and I was off creating before I knew it!
Turn on Some Music
Maybe it's because I'm a musician, but I believe in the mysterious power that music has over us. When I'm not feeling creative, I always turn on some sort of music to help inspire me. Sometimes it's orchestral classics; other days it's gentle piano music. Sometimes I listen to old college jams, and many times it's Broadway music. No matter what I turn on, however, I always feel more focused and less intimidated by the idea of creating something. Music reaches some part of my brain that makes my hands want to move across the page; I almost can't help but create something visual to express how the music makes me feel!
(Above: My top 4 Pandora Stations for work!)
Focus on Something Small
Sometimes a blank page can freeze my creative juices. There's so much space to fill...how can I possibly make this entire thing beautiful?! When this happens I try focusing on something small that I want to create, like a new technique I want to try out or a particular color I want to use. In many cases, making a small decision can be a great place to start, and suddenly the scary blank page is just an invitation to dive in.
More from Shannon that you might enjoy:
Organization is my jam! Click here to check out my 3 Secrets to Staying Organized!
Don't think you're creative? My dear friend, Dina Tibbs wrote an article about accepting our creativity called, "Why You Should Stop Saying You Aren't Creative". Click here to check it out!
Let's get to know each other even better! Click here to learn 5 things that most people don't know about me.