Creative motivators are practices or tools you use to get inspired, focused and in the groove to take action. Within the last 5 years, access to an endless supply of creative motivators has opened up through online resources, classes, teachers and coaches, yet, people still feel disconnected from themselves and what makes them feel creatively fulfilled.
Why?
There are more resources available than quality time to move through them. Notice I said quality time. You can scan, skim, make lists and prioritize, but are you listening? Are you taking time to try a new creative motivator and really notice how it impacts you in the moment, over a few days or a month down the road? Or are you attempting to tackle various new tools at once, muddling the results?
While making the effort is the absolute first step in gaining traction towards a stronger creative spark, finding and sticking to a practice using tools that are most effective for you personally is what’s most important.
This week, the Creativity Kick-Start theme is about how to find the top effective creative motivators for your personality, creative desires and goals.
Putting the Spotlight on You…and your Creative Motivators
The creative muse within you needs inspiration. If you keep feeding it dry kibble and never take it for walks, it tends to retreat, going into hibernation. The fastest way to reconnect with that inner essence is to ask yourself what you find motivating – out loud. There’s something about hearing your own voice, tuning into the sound and deep essence of the real you outside of your mind that makes a big difference in how you hear yourself on a deeper level.
Take some time to read these questions to yourself out loud and capture the first answer that comes to you. Record them on paper or electronically.
- What type of stories (real or fiction) do you enjoy most? Fairytale, thriller, historical drama etc.
- If you had 15 minutes to spare and could teleport anywhere in the world or beyond, where would you go?
- Is there someone you admire (living or dead)? Why?
- Does the idea of a simple vacation away from modern conveniences bore or excite you?
- Are you able to let things go quickly or do you hang onto old outcomes, lingering over how they could have been different?
- Are you more creative when interacting with others or alone?
- Is there one act of creative expression you’ve developed for yourself or business that you would like to share, but always hold back?
Once you have a collection of what you think best represents your preferences, take at least 24 hours away from your list before you sit down and look deeper into the answers.
The Big Reveal Helps you Craft a Personal Practice with Effective Supportive Tools
These questions may be simple but do reveal core creative motivators that you may not realize. Without giving away all the goodies you can discover on your own through the exercise, I will give you a bit of context about how to see a little deeper into your answers to discover a helpful nugget of creative insight.
Here is my response to the first question:
What type of stories (real or fiction) do you enjoy most? Fairytale, thriller, historical drama etc.?
I really enjoy historical dramas. They focus on an interesting time period and take liberties with people, places and events, in other words, putting a more dramatic or creative spin on something that’s rooted in reality as part of history.
How does this relate to my personal creative motivators? Well, to me it means I like knowing there is a kernel of reality and truth to something to serve as a foundation for a creative idea. It acts as a springboard for something new while keeping me grounded as I spin off to envision and develop new creative possibilities. I need to connect with and use practices like meditation, spending time outdoors and with animals or connecting with other like-minds to meet this need.
When you take the time to tune into the answers that resonate most, you connect with little clues about your true creative motivators and turn them into tools. Listening to your voice and feeling how your body reacts to your responses enables you to sense your soul’s desire directly without the mind stepping in the way to make excuses or kick up fears. Then you can filter out what you know is just extra noise to focus on tools and practices that actually work for you – because you took the time to listen and get clear on your true creative motivators.
If you are looking for other ways to tune in, check out my previous posts Identify and Tame Creative Distractions and Working Through Creative Growing Pains. If you want other actionable steps, sign up for my Mini Guide for Connecting with your Inner Guidance and Creative Fire.
Photo Credit: Jennifer, Starving Artist, Joe deSousa