Getting Out Of Your Creative Rut And Feeling Motivated Again
There are times when we get stuck in a rut and it’s hard to bring ourselves out of it. There may be days or months where we don’t feel like creating because we have lost motivation and aren’t inspired to do so. Self-doubt can creep up on us making it hard to pursue our passion. This is something a lot of creators struggle with. Creators spend so much time in their head trying to force out an idea or product which usually leads to not creating anything at all. We end up asking ourselves “why”? “Why can’t I come up with anything?” “Why am I not able to make connections?”
It is time to stop asking ourselves why and leave the self-doubt behind. Here are 5 things that helped me rid myself of that creative block.
1 —
Stop trying to create
I know this sounds counterproductive, but it will allow your creativity to flow naturally. We often thing too long and hard about what our vision is that we are trying to create and this can lead to multiple roadblocks. It’s called Analysis Paralysis which is an inability to make a decision due to over-thinking a problem. An individual or a group can have too much data which results in endless wrangling over the upsides and downsides of each option and the inability to pick one. It’s okay to step away from your project and simply do nothing. Destressing and getting out of our heads is one of the best ways to allow our inspiration to come back to us.
2 —
Get Inspired (Observe & Talk)
Social media is a great way to gather inspiration from other creators and visuals on the internet. One example of this is Pinterest. This social media platform allows you to save visuals that inspire you to a different mood boards. You can then correlate each board with a project you are currently working on or wish to create in the future. Simply just looking for inspiration without the idea of creating is the first step in spawning ideas. Viewing creative works by other people can be visually stimulating. What you feel and think from viewing these works are what spark inspiration.
3 —
Reflect on Your Old Work
Looking back on past projects you have created showcase progress and can provide inspiration for future works. As you reflect on your past creations you can take notes on what you could have done differently as well as see how far you’ve come in your creative process. I think it’s healthy to look at your own work and see the progress you’ve made. It makes me think, “where could I be in 5 years?” It’s important to dedicate at least an hour of your time each week to view your past works and acknowledge your progress.
4 —
Declutter
It’s important to declutter physically and mentally. I’m not a minimalist by any means, I’m a film maker which means I have a lot of equipment on hand. Sometimes when I’m feeling unmotivated and I don’t want to work at all, I just have to clear my desk in order to make a clean space for myself. You want to surround yourself with things that inspire you. Clearing your desk or creative space can help clear your mind. Another thing I do to clear my mind is writing. I always keep a journal on myself to write down ideas whenever inspiration strikes, but I also use it to write down any thoughts or goals I have floating around in my head. It doesn’t have to make sense; no one is going to read it but you, but it will help with the decluttering process.
5 —
Explore & Develop New Interests
Creative minds need different outlets to manifest itself. A lot of us tie ourselves down to one thing and we never want to try anything else because we feel like this is “our thing”, but once you get out of that restrictive bubble and start dipping into other creative spaces, we find that we find new passions. Occupying our minds with other hobbies can keep us from viewing our “one thing”, our niche, from feelings like a job. When we as creatives focus on one thing for too long it begins to weigh down heavily on our minds. This is the time to step back and take a break and occupy our minds with something new and fresh.