Diminishing creative gains? Time for a gut check.
Every creative has experienced a period of diminishing creative gains. You know what I mean — it feels like you are producing a product or a result more than creating something beautiful from the heart, and it can start to weigh on you. Clients have needs (and demands) and since they are paying, they get first priority (says your mind). So when the line of creative joy and obligation are fully intertwined and your creative twinkle is waning, it’s time to hit pause and do a gut check.
Stress, obligations, loss of motivation or inspiration, boredom — all of these things can impact how you feel about your creative gifts and the level of love that goes into them as they are crafted. And often once you are aware of this feeling, you also begin feeling guilty, as if you’ve failed in a way you cannot pin point. If your creative insights are a bit murky or dwindling, then it’s time to step back and assess where all your creative energy is going instead of in the form of love into your projects.
Pinpointing Diminishing Creating Gains and Dropping the Duds
You wouldn’t put clothes in the drier before you wash them, right? The same goes for re-igniting creative sparks. By dropping the duds first, you can then light new creative sparks within the freed-up stream of energy to create from a new, fresh space.
Start is by asking simple questions that offer perspective on where you currently stand with your time and energy:
- What and who feels like a drain?
- What tasks feel like they suck out your brain?
- Where and on what are you spending your time?
- Do you ask for help, or do everything yourself?
- What does the to-do list look like, and does it ever include anything fun?
- Is your work day set, or does it meander along?
- Are you eating well, exercising, engaging in regular meditation? Write down what keeps you from engaging regularly.
- Is there a health issue distracting you from being fully present? If so, what is it and how can you heal it?
- What kinds of time to you allow yourself to explore or contemplate creative insights before starting in on a project each day?
- What few simple things do you require to get you centered, and do you allow yourself time to actually do them (and enjoy them?)
This short series of questions will help you get a bit clearer on what’s zapping your energy and creative drive. Nothing dries up the conduits of creativity faster than starting the day depleted or neglecting your own basic creative needs.
Sit with these questions and begin jotting down answers, communing with them for a few days then coming back them, adding more details as needed. Creatives often don’t take the time to ask themselves important questions like this to fine tune personal creative flow and priorities, so don’t put a timeline or judgement on the answers. It’s all just information that will guide you through the creative potholes to a new perspective.
Open Up Creative Conduits with an Infusion of Things you Love
Once you have worked through these questions, you have a good understanding of where things may be plugged up or dried out. THEN it’s time to add back in the creative joy. Do something you know makes you smile or inspires your creativity at least a couple times a week, if not every day. Add it to the schedule like you do any other appointment, make it fun and light, and DROP the guilt about it. Making room to honor this time is most important — it’s what will connect you to the flow of your ongoing inner inspirations, new ideas, people and projects, and it’s a cost of doing business, just like any other operating cost.
You know what gives you goose bumps and creative jolts of joy; you know what brings you back to center as a delight or a practice. The biggest challenge in front of you is making the time to do what serves your heart, knowing it’s just as important as the physical “doing” part. If you are looking for inspiration on how bring in some playful ideas, you can check out some of my previous posts what moves you and life is not a to-do list or this post on how to crank up creativity.
Clients are paying for your creative ideas and insights, so never feel guilty for taking the time and space you personally require to keep the creative light keep a-flowin. What are some simple ways you that re-infuse your creative light to keep things a-flowin?
Photo credit: Lauren Finkel Photography on Flickr