Sparking Creativity When You're Drained
It’s no surprise that the past couple month have been hard on everybody. We’ve been experiencing high volumes of stress, little sleep, and much more as a collective whole.
We’re tired, worn out, and a bit on edge.
I’ve spent a good bit of time chatting with other creatives be it writers, designers, artists, and I’ve heard the same thing over and over again:
“My creative spark is…gone.”
Even non-creatives are feeling the rub of this in lack of motivation and general frustration. So I’m here to give you some encouragement and a push in the right direction to restoring your creativity and breathing through the hard times.
Rest
This may be the last thing you want to hear, but it’s true. When your creativity is sapped and you feel dry and out of luck, just rest. Our bodies can be thrown into a fight or flight response due to stress, and your body needs REST after these responses. If unable to rest, your creative mind will continue to be blocked. Consider finding a favorite TV show and let your mind relax for an hour or two. Take a nap with comfy pajamas on or read a nice book. Whatever your form of rest is, take time for it.
Do the Mundane
Your lack of creativity may be due to doing too much too quickly. Give your brain a break by doing small, unimportant tasks. Maybe organize a closet in your house, paint an accent wall, find a new recipe to make, or even take some time to declutter or move some furniture around.
Push Through It
Even if you feel fairly uninspired and lacking creative control, push through it. Take thirty minutes on whatever creative task before you and just push through it. Will it look/sound/be great? Not necessarily. But it’ll push you into the practice of the hard things in life. The state of discomfort you’re in is actually good for the soul. Without resistance, plants won’t take as deep of root. Same goes for growing humans. Keep going - you’re heart and creativity will eventually catch up!
Summary
As the great Jack London said, “You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” So get out there and seize the day and your creativity.
