Good morning!
Lately, I’ve noticed that it’s getting hard to find motivation to do anything creative … whether it’s working on my blog, writing my story, or any other creative exercise (even journaling!). These are all things I love to do, but they play second fiddle to my homework so often that it begins to feel like a habit to push them off. By the time I return from class every day, I am so exhausted that I want to just read a light novel or scroll pinterest.
These midwinter months, we can often feel parched of all creativity. Especially as the spring picks up, our lives can become cluttered with responsibilities. What we really need is a call back to the simplicity. Why do we do the things we love? And how can we find our call back to the simple enjoyment of making art?
The first step is to find some white space in your life. At the soonest possible day, sketch out some time in your planner. It doesn’t have to be a whole day … it can just be your Saturday morning, Sunday afternoon, or Tuesday night. But isn’t this counterproductive? Scheduling time to do nothing? Not in the slightest, my friend. It is exactly what you need.
Change Up Your Space
This is absolutely one of the best tips out there if you’re looking to make a change in your life. Your space is a reflection of your mind. You have two options here.
First, change up your work space. One of the things I have begun since returning to school this semester is setting up “office hours” for myself. I like to pick different locations depending on the subject. The little park bench down by the fountain is where I do my reading for class. In the back of the library, there is a table with a window view where I like to revise notes and get homework done. The porch of my dorm lounge is for writing my story.
Where’ve it is, find your place, pick your hours, and stick to them. Write it down in your calendar. Make a notification on your phone. When you get there, turn on your timer for an hour or two, prop open your laptop, get some music playing, and get to work. It eliminates all distractions and forces you to focus.
If for some reason you can’t manage to go somewhere new, change up your space at home. Move the furniture around, hang up some new twinkly lights, rearrange the books on your shelf. I don’t know the science behind it, but this tip always works.
My Favorite Sources of Inspiration
- Magazines: Only a few weeks ago, when I was going through a creative rut myself, my Mom and I took an artist date to the Barnes and Noble in my hometown. We selected the magazines that looked interesting until we had a big stack of them. Then we bought ourselves coffees and then sat down to read them through. This was when I first discovered Bella Grace magazine, which was like finding my soulmate in magazine form. It is a soul-fulfilling journal of inspiration. If you manage to find time to do this, make sure to bring a notebook and a pen. Prepare to be inspired!
- Books: To slightly misquote Albus Dumbledore, books are certainly “our most inexhaustible form of magic.” Reading gives us space to imagine and expand our vision of the world. Books open us up to wonder. If you’re looking for a nonfiction book on lifestyle design, a good go-to is Sarah Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy. It’s just about impossible to read this book and not feel refreshed.
- Podcasts: I used to like listening to podcasts during my long commute to work, but lately I’ve listened to them while taking my evening walk. There are podcasts available on just about every subject imaginable. These are really nifty because they seep creative thoughts into the cracks of your day. Here are a few of my favorites at the moment …
- The Lavendaire Lifestyle: A very soothing and enjoyable podcast about lifestyle design by YouTuber and entrepreneur, Aileen Xu. These were my favorite ones to listen to while driving to my community college for class.
- The Sheroic Podcast: I first started listening to this when Cassey Ho (who some of you may know from the YouTube channel Blogilates) started it up with Lisa Bilyeu last year. They discuss empowering subjects in the realm of being a female entrepreneur.
- Speaking with Joy: Joy Clarkson’s podcast feels like having coffee with a dear friend and sharing reflections on art and what it means to live a beautiful life. There’s very few better ways to end the day than with a refreshing dose of intellectual conversation.
- YouTube: Similarly to podcasts, there are entire channels on YouTube designed to give you a surge of motivation … especially TED Talks, which are short and sweet ways to learn new things. My favorite channel of all time is Kalyn Nicholson. She is such an inspiring role model, documenting videos on everything from beauty to travel to goal setting. I would wholeheartedly recommend her videos to anyone who is feeling in a rut.
- Pinterest: I’m guessing this is nothing new for most of you, but a surefire way to spark your creativity is to spend twenty minutes browsing anyone’s online collection of ideas. Create a new board on a subject that sparks your interest. Better still, print the pictures out and arrange them in a journal spread or clip them up onto your cork board where you can see them every day.
Just Do It
When all else fails, sometimes we choose “creative rut” as an umbrella term for procrastination. When this is the case – and I know you know the difference! – grab your phone, set a timer for thirty minutes, and conquer that first step. Something – anything! Action creates motivation, as one of my professors likes to say.
The more you accomplish, the more accomplished you will feel.
And with that said, I am now feeling very convicted. So, with my cup of herbal tea in hand, I am off to go work on my own writing project for an hour.
I wish you all an inspired week.
<3 Olivia Grace
