How To Get Back In Touch With Creativity
If you practice any form of art or creation, it’s likely that you will eventually run dry of motivation and inspiration. Feeling like your creative well has run dry is a natural byproduct of the creation process without the right kind of consumption or an effective toolkit.
Some artists believe they must build vision boards, read coffee table quote books, or beg some supernatural force to swing down and push them forward into creative abundance. However, no one is coming to save you but you, and rather than letting your ideas languish in the ether of forgotten dreams for another year or ten, I've compiled a list of tips to help you complete that project and push forward to ticking more items off your to-do list.
Go to war with procrastination.
The biggest enemy every creative will find, no matter what language you speak, the art form you practice or the culture you identify with, is that pesky little devil we call procrastination. Art requires effort, procrastination is effortless, and it's only natural that you'll find yourself gravitating towards periods of wanton procrastination, but it doesn't have to be that way. Now that you've identified this devil we call procrastination, it's time to build up your armour to ward it off or fight it when necessary. Always start your creative time block by removing as many distractions as possible; this means muting your phone or putting it in another room, changing the music you use as background noise, or just turning off the Wi-Fi. If you have four friends sitting around you talking, maybe leave the creativity for another time and live in the moment. If there are distractions you cannot remove, then you'll need to learn to deal with them, whatever they might be. If you can’t heal the wound of bleeding inspiration by way of procrastination then you’ll need to triage it and slow it’s progress.
The best tool an artist can possess is knowing how to fall back in love with their creativity.
It's critical to your creative potential to remove those moments that allow you to procrastinate with false exceptions. An example of this would be checking that DM because it's from your bestie when you know it's just them sending you the 14,000th TikTok of the day or opening that email from Birkenstock when you know it's an EDM that isn't going to do anything positive to your workflow at that moment. Essentially, you need to be aware of the times you willingly allow yourself to procrastinate, even if the act is subconscious.
Another way to start waging war on procrastination is to build healthy procrastination habits that bring value to your creative process. Instead of doomscrolling Instagram, take a 'healthy procrastination' break by reading a book or watching a 'How-To' on your chosen art form. If you're a writer and want to procrastinate, watch established writers' vlogs about their process andyou'll get entertainment while you expand your craft and learn something new.
Identify WHEN you're at your most creative.
Self-awareness is arguably one of the strongest traits a person can possess, especially creative folk. The best way to avoid procrastination is to know when your brain will be in its creative element, ready to start a new project or finish that pre-existing one you've been roadblocked on. Sit down and be honest with yourself. Ask the following question: When do I tend to have my best ideas? There will be a bunch of different answers here. For some of us, it might be as straightforward as 'morning' or 'late at night,' but for others, it gets trickier, so let me give you some guidance:
If you find that you think of your best ideas in the shower (Hi! Me too), then keep your phone near you, hit record on a voice note, and speak out loud the ideas that you want to execute or the thoughts you're brainstorming for clarity—you can listen to this again later on and write it down, and act out the piece of advice you've just given yourself. If thoughts come to you on a walk, you can type on a phone (with a writing app) or take a notebook and take breaks to write down what's on your mind or draw the imagery you want to save. Another idea would be to selfie-record yourself describing or speaking about the thing on your mind that you want to utilise; once you're done with the walk, you can launch straight into the execution with the version of 'you' that came up with the ideas recorded in your phone.
Sometimes, you must think outside the box, but you're creative; you were born for this!
Once you identify the best time for you, seize those moments and protect them from outside forces. Set time aside within that time frame where you put your phone away or block off time on your work schedule for something (a meeting, an appointment, whatever it requires) to maximise your creative output.
Identifying the best times to create can also extend to knowing what will assist you in creating to your maximum potential, but be realistic with this. If you know a sneaky energy drink will help with focus and your brain, then keep one on hand in the lead-up to that creative time. If it's a clean desk, maintain it so you don't have to clean it as creativity and passion start flowing. Set yourself up for success to the best of your (realistic) ability.
Knowing what time of day or night you work best and what tools help you work better will automatically make you a better artist or creative person.
Build a daily habit.
Have you ever seen those influencers and navy seals who talk about "STAY READY SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET READY, BRO?" There's value in that message. If you consistently create daily, it will become a habit over time. You will become habitually creative.
I wake up at 3 am every day; it gives me time to read and have a coffee before I hit the gym at 4 am, but it wasn't always like this. I used to go to bed as the sun rose, wake up at midday, and then my day would finally start. One day, I decided to change my wake-up times, and I’ll be honest; was it brutal. At first, I struggled, but I committed to waking up every day. After a few weeks of this, it became a habit, and now, years later, I wake up at 3 am on the dot every single day. You can apply this to your art; make it a habit and the creating never ends.
Building a daily habit is akin to practising. You’re repeatedly doing the 'thing' until you get better at it. However, forming it around a daily ritual creates discipline, another important skill in the artists creative toolkit. Motivation is a fleeting thing; it'll come and go, strike you at the most random times or leave you when you need it most, but forming the discipline to create, consume, and practice on a daily basis will take you further than you could imagine.
Another benefit of creating a daily habit is that you'll build a volume of whatever you love doing over time. While quality will always trump quantity, once you've built enough quantity through ritual practice, you can choose what constitutes quality from the work backlog you've created.
Take breaks from creating, make time to consume.
Wells run dry if you aren't digging for new streams of water, and creativity is no different. Over time, you might find yourself consistently creating incredible work, but trust me when I say that one day, your creative well will run dry if you don't take the time to refill it.
Think of creativity as a currency in your bank account; the currency can be earned or saved for when you need it. You might find yourself going on a spending spree, writing for hours a day over weeks, but if you don’t take time to earn more currency, you'll run your bank account into the negatives. This is generally where things like burnout, writer's block, and negative feelings about your art will start to well up.
So, how do we build up our creativity currency and stack our bank vault to the ceiling? Consume, consume, consume, but only the 'right' things. There's no guide here to what's 'right' for you and your chosen medium, but the fundamentals are relevant. Art galleries, books, visual or audio media, conversations with beautiful minds, new experiences, and much more will refill your currency over time, leaving you rich in creative inspiration. Stepping outside your traditional creative routine to develop new habits or experience new art forms, beauty, and creative expression will help you build stronger foundations for your art form.
Failure is a part of creativity. Build your resilience through trial and error.
Resilience is a tool that will go a long way in your creative arsenal. It's common for artists to be told they're wasting their time, not artistic enough by someone else's standards or any other reason that can be perceived as shortcomings or outright failure, but you need to build up a thick layer of resilience around you. As time passes, you'll be able to better discern who means well, and, well…who's just mean.
One of the best ways to approach any creative process is to be open to constructive criticism but closed to biased criticism that cannot be explained to you with examples. If I tell you that your writing isn't the best because the tone you're going for and the tone you're hitting don't align, there MAY be something there worth looking into. However, if I tell you your writing is garbage, and when you ask why, I don't have a valid reason, my opinion is probably worthless.
Turn off the creativity, change the channel and do something else.
"Stop trying. Take long walks. Look at scenery. Doze off at noon. Don't even think about flying. And then, pretty soon, you'll be flying again." - Hayao Miyazaki [Kiki's Delivery Service]
Stay with me here, but sometimes you need to walk away from being creative or whatever project you're working on and do the opposite of that thing to bring about progress. If you're stuck on a big painting, go for a walk or hit the gym, shower or call the least creative person you know and talk about mundane drivel, it sounds counterintuitive, but in reality, sometimes our brain just needs a clean break to come back with a new mindset.
When we spend too much time thinking, overthinking, doing, practicing, editing, focusing, etc. on a single task, we'll start burning out on that task. Stepping away gives you a clean slate to work from once you come back. Don't half-ass the break, either. Take a real step back, even momentarily, and try something else, just don't come back until you feel refreshed and ready.
Another way to take a break while exploring creativity is to take a break from your preferred medium and try a new creative endeavour. Put the writing down and draw, or stop designing clothes and take up knitting. You get the drift. Just pick a new way of expressing yourself and get to it!
Engage in mentorship or a collaborative partner of sorts.
I want to preface this by being honest: it's easier said than done. However, if you're able to find a mentor or someone you can bounce ideas off, having someone to guide you or get work done alongside you can lead to mental clarity, open new creative pathways, and birth concepts you might not find on your own. It'll also offer up a healthy dose of constructive criticism.
One thing to note here is that it can be challenging to find other creatives you gel with, so this may take some trial and error. I'd suggest remaining open to a diverse perspective on the art form you're engaging in and learning to relax the boundaries you play within when creating so that it's easier to work with their process and yours.
Finding a mentor or a creative collaborator is not easy, so this will not be a tip that all of you can use, but if it's possible, I'd encourage you to seek out a friend or guide for this creative trip you'll be embarking on more frequently moving forward.
- Austin Kleon.
Don't let the conditions hinder you.
Creativity is available to anyone, regardless of background, culture, country of birth, or any other factor you can think of. While yes, it is most definitely easier to create art and feel free when you're a billionaire with a rooftop apartment and unlimited access, if you're someone facing limited resources, it's important to get creative with what you have access to and make it work for you to the best of your ability.
Limiting yourself based on the resources you can access is a disservice to exploring the complete realm of your creative expression. If you can't afford an iPad, start with pen and paper, and don't stop until you have enough finances to purchase an iPad. If you can't afford a good camera, concentrate on using whatever phone or camera-style equipment is available, perfecting the shots under harsh conditions to the best of your ability. Don’t forget that thousands of humans were creating incredible photography using ancient Nintendo 3DS camera’s to capture imagery. The beauty of making art under limitations is that as limitations lift, your creativity just amplifies and multiplies itself, making you a better artist overall.
Stop being so hard on yourself.
It's common for artists to be their own biggest critics, and sometimes, that criticism can internalise into self-hate, reflecting back onto the art we're creating. We all go through periods when nothing feels good enough, creative enough, or worthy of adulation or acceptance. The problem with these times of self-doubt is that they can spill over into our creative drive, causing creative blockage.
If you're feeling this way, in extreme cases, you may need to take some time out to seek the help of doctors or a therapist, but in other cases, there are ways you can give yourself the best chance to feel okay with your work. You could try:
Create something for a specific person (or yourself) so you can get truly constructive, direct feedback with context. It'll help build your confidence or provide guidance.
Take time to go back to the basics and re-learn the processes of creating the art you've been creating. Sometimes, in the learning process, we miss things or can't view them from a mature standpoint in the past tense, but now we can soak up more from the experience.
Create space to be bored by stepping away from creating + criticising. Moments of boredom have proven to let the mind wander, often allowing many of us to find new ideas or streams of motivation.
Accidents and miss-steps happen.
You'll often find people who are already struggling to complete a project might misstep or accidentally hinder the progress of what they're working on. In these moments, it's easy to feel doomed to failure, but accidents are part of the overall process—we cannot, and will not, be perfect ALL the time. Allow yourself the grace and space to mess up, and build your resilience over time to accept it, regain your composure, and get back on track to continue your creative endeavours.
Ultimately, along the way, we'll all experience burnout, creative blockage, or insecurities and inadequacies in our work—this is a natural part of being an artist. The goal is to get back on the horse and continue following your passion by expressing yourself through your chosen creative medium. Thank you for reading, and I hope you found this guide helpful.
