Welcome to Part 1 of 3, of our blog series Reigniting your creative self! In this blog series we will be covering all things creativity, motivation, and inspiration!
Have you ever had the feeling of inability to create?Have you ever had a super cool idea, but never been able to follow through?
That, my friends, is the dreaded ‘creative block.’
Unfortunately, creative blockages don’t discriminate. At one stage or another, we can guarantee that you’ve all felt ‘writers’ block or ‘creative’ block.
For those of you that may not be familiar with the term, creative block refers to the ‘inability to access ones creative’. It can be an extremely frustrating thing to go through – especially when you are closing in on a deadline, and have a mountain of work ahead of you.
Why you may be experiencing a creative block
Creative blocks may be caused by number of different things including:
- Procrastination: delaying a task, until the last minute and becoming demotivated, hence resulting in a block.
- Self-doubt: as creatives we are our biggest critics, we tend to overthink our work, and fear it not ‘being good enough.’
- Comparing yourself (aka imposter syndrome): ‘what if someone does it better than me?’ – comparing yourself to others shows that you’re on the right path because you are improving, but can equally be demotivating as well.
No matter what kind of a creative you are – this blog will assist you to turn your creative funk into creative funky! So, how can you overcome these inevitable blockages when they creep up on you?
Read on to discover 7 practical tips on how to combat that ‘creative block!’
Words : Yaren Ugur
7 ways to get your creative juices flowing
1. Get those thoughts out!
As creatives, sometimes we get stuck on all the things we want to do. Most of the time, our minds are the perpetrators of this restraint! We’ve realised that we’re often coming up with all sorts of excuses to discourage us from releasing that inner creative.
However, being able to physically illustrate your ideas and concepts can be really beneficial to your creative process, and help remove yourself from unhelpful thoughts
Brainstorming with a teammate or colleague is an excellent way to not only generate ideas, but it involves and aids in exploring possibilities and unlocking inspiration by building a strong team connection. Brainstorming encourages critical thinking, lateral thinking and paving the way for awesome possibilities!
Some ways that you can brainstorm;
- Pull out the old pen and paper and jot down any thoughts that you have
- Sound-boarding with your colleagues or a friend and discussing any ideas, and get those thoughts in order
- Utilising programs such as Asana or Trello.
Here at Content Savvy, we work as a team to come up with ideas and create content for clients, especially when it comes to our Instagram management. In fact, there’s no way we could do it without brainstorming as a team!
2. Reflect on past projects!
They say that the journey is better than the destination – and we couldn’t agree more! It can be really easy to get fixated on the destination, and miss out on all the opportunities that come with the journey.
Revisiting some of your old work can give you an insight into how far you’ve come with your creative journey, and help you appreciate your growth. It can also help you see potential mistakes you’ve made in the past, while also giving you an opportunity to give yourself a pat on the back for all the success you’ve had so far.
Google Cloud creative lead Drew Hoolhorst says: “Reread the first things you ever wrote. You can hear this tiny child version of yourself that has frightening amounts of wonderful enthusiasm and a complete lack of chill with any train of thought. Always makes me smile and remember why I do this.”
Learning from the past is also a useful way for you to prepare for the future. For example, we know that a lot of businesses have learnt some incredible lessons due to the recent pandemic, and are now equipped with the skills to cope with similar events in the future!
3. Find a fun passion project or hobby
As a creative, one of the hardest things to do is to switch from ‘work’ to ‘home’ mode. We always recommend having a passion or hobby project on the side – one without the deadlines or harsh rules. Something that you are doing just for you!
Engaging with non-work related activities and hobbies has a number of benefits including stress reduction, higher energy levels, and increased levels of creativity – which has the bonus of boosting your overall work engagement and retention.
Some of our favourite hobbies here at Content Savvy include:
- Tending to our plants and gardens
- Drawing and painting
- Crocheting
- Cooking – and trying out new recipes (yum!)
We also recommend that you share this side of you with your followers. We’re big proponents of business owners showing up on their socials on a personal level, and sharing interesting hobbies and pastimes just happens to be a great way of sharing a part of yourself with your audience!
4. Go for a stroll – get those endorphins flowing!
When we exercise, our bodies release chemicals called ‘endorphins’ which trigger a happy and positive feeling in the body! Endorphins are vital to relieve pain or stress and boost our happiness!
Physical exercise such as going for a short walk around the block or your local park, will not only get those endorphins flowing and will produce happy hormones – but it can also be a great place to gain inspiration!
Some other things you can do to increase your endorphins:
- Try uplifting essential oils, such as orange, grapefruit, or ylang-ylang oil
- Indulge in some dark chocolate. The amount of flavanols in dark chocolate increases the amount of oxygen flowing to the brain, so the darker the chocolate, the better your brain’s cognitive skills will be.
- Give a friend a call and laugh it out. Laughter can help reduce feelings of stress and depression – there’s a reason they call it the best medicine!
- Give back to your community. Whether you do it as a business or on a personal level, donating your time, energy, or resources will benefit your community while also making you feel good.
5. Find some inspiration!
Part 2 of our 3 part blog series will be covering all things inspiration and will be released June 3rd 2020, feel free to subscribe to our mailing list, so you can receive the hot copy first in your inbox!
Finding inspiration looks different to everyone, and you can find inspiration in all sorts of different aspects of life.
One of the key ways to find inspiration, is to incorporate changes in your routine. This could be something as simple as going to a different cafe for your morning coffee, or even working from a different location for the day (even in your own home!).
6. Meditate and dedicate some time to breathing exercises!
Meditation is a great way to slow down, and become in tune with your body and mind, and is a form of training in awareness and gaining a healthy sense of perspective.
If you want to enhance your attention span, increase your self-awareness and reduce stress levels whilst promoting emotional health – meditation is definitely for you! It also encourages mindfulness, which is the ability to be present, and rest in the now and being present with whatever you are doing in that moment.
Headspace has a free trial meditation program, starting at a few minutes a day, guided by experts in the field such as Andy Puddicombe. YouTube also has some great free guided meditation videos such as this 7 minute meditation to start your day.
7. Eat healthy!
Studies show that most of our bodies’ happy hormones are produced in our gut! Reducing the amount of processed sugars, caffeine, and alcohol you put in your body, will mean that your body can channel that energy into your creativity, rather than processing those foods.
One of our favourite fruits to snack on are blueberries; because they are an absolute powerhouse superfood! They are high in antioxidants and promote healthy brain function, and are excellent in protecting your body against free radicals. Just half a cup of blueberries contains 10% of your daily Vitamin C intake.
A really delicious way to include fresh blueberries in your day is by using them in a smoothie bowl! You can customise a smoothie bowl to include all of your favourite goodies, we love some cacao nibs, almond flakes and peanut butter in ours!
Some other foods that are rich in antioxidants include:
- Pecans,
- Strawberries,
- Artichokes,
- Goji Berries,
- Raspberries and Kale.
Here’s an easy peasy blueberry smoothie bowl recipe!
Get creative again today!
So there you have it, 7 practical tips on how to get those creative juices flowing!
If you ever find yourself struggling to get out of that creative rut, feel free to get in contact with us, or jump on over to our Instagram to discuss all things social media, writing and creativity.
We hope that you enjoyed these tips, and we look forward to seeing you in part 2 of this blog series, where we discuss how you can find inspiration to boost your creativity!
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