your Muse has picked up her skirts and run screaming from your presence
It happens to the best of us.
You find yourself in a creative funk, stuck for ideas and despairing that you’ll never create anything… ever… again…
Be assured that the funk will pass. Your Muse will return.
To give her a little nudge, why not try one (or all) of these 5 ways to channel your creativity when you don’t feel inspired.
- take a walk
Creative thinking improves while a person is walking, according to this Stanford study.
Artists through time have said that they develop their best ideas while walking (though it is also possible to do some of your best procrastinating while walking as well!).
Walking releases your bodies natural happy drugs – endorphins.
Instead of stressing over your lack of creativity, move away from your computer/easel/desk/camera and return calm, collected and full of new ideas.
- have a shower
I don’t know about you, but I always seem to have my best ideas while in the shower…!!
We spend so much of our day in a world of constant stimulation, with our attention directed outwards.
Jump in a warm shower and you start to relax. Combine that with a release of dopamine and your mind starts to wander. Now you’re finally able to hear the quiet voices in the back of your head… the ones that have been whispering answers and inspiration to you all along…
- change your scene
A change in your environment can help you to see the world with a fresh set of eye.
Take yourself out of your familiar and be conscious of your new surroundings. Look for the fabulous in the mundane and open yourself up to new experiences. It is sure to trigger your next fantastic idea.
- look at inspirational images
What better way to get inspired than by learning from the best.
Whatever your creative field, study the work of the Masters and those skilled in your area. Or better, step outside your creative field… A photographer? Flick through a cookbook!
Pinterest boards. Old reference books about the painting masters. New coffee table books from celebrated photographers. Magazines. Visiting art galleries when I travel.
My location and mood depends on where I go for inspiration, because it is all around.
- celebrate your failures
Artists are their own worst enemies.
Hypercritical of anything less than perfect, our fear of failure will often paralyse us into not creating at all. You play it safe, when what you should be doing is throwing caution to the wind. Because it is our failures, mistakes and errors that help us to grow. And you’ll be in some pretty good company, with some of the most brilliant minds and their failures.
AND A BONUS TIP!
- write it down
Whether you’re old school with pen and paper, or embracing technology, make sure to have a way to record your ideas. So when your Muse has picked up her skirts and taken your creativity with her, you’ll have fuel for your creative mind.
Tasha xo
