Ron could not get his short story for writing class
started. Brenda couldn’t decide on a quilt design for her next project. Sherri had no inspiration for her next blog post. And Anna, who generally loved to cook, couldn’t come up with any exciting menu ideas.
Sound familiar? If you have ever had a creative hobby or job, you know how it feels
when your creative powers just seem to have gone AWOL. And it frequently happens when you need them most.
What can you do to get your creative mojo back up and running? While no one solution works for everyone, here are a few that may get you started.
1. Don’t panic. Remember that this happens to everyone who needs to be innovative about something. It has probably happened to you before too. It will not be permanent; it will pass. Let go.
2. Agonizing over it will not help. Accept that your creative energies are off somewhere, taking a nap.
3. Give yourself some TLC (tender loving care.) Do you need some self-care? How have you been sleeping? Are you drinking enough water? Eating too much junk food? Maybe you need to rest and give your body better nourishment.
4. Release some stress. Stress may be playing a big part in deflating your creativity. It is hard to be imaginative when we are worrying about other things. What relieves your stress? Journaling? Being with friends? A counselor? Exercise? Do what you need to do.
5. Take some time to do something else. If you can take the whole day away, that is great. Athletes take recovery days. It’s ok for the rest of us too. Find something else to do. If you can go somewhere out of the ordinary, maybe that new coffeehouse bookstore that just opened, or for a day trip to another town, do it. See new things, and feel a fresh perspective. Be in the moment and enjoy
it.
Maybe a day away is not available to you. Find something else. Many people find that going to the gym or walking does wonders. As they exercise their bodies, their minds can relax or wander. Often they wander towards solutions.
6. Give yourself quiet time. Some people use prayer and others meditate. Brenda found that when she meditated, even though she was attempting a clear mind or silently repeating a mantra, sometimes the answer to a problem or her next quilt project just seemed to sort of float across her consciousness. When she gave up trying, it just seemed
to happen.
7. Do something unrelated. Not everyone can get out to the gym or even sit quietly, even if they can find the time. If that is the case, do something else; something totally unrelated.
If it is mindless, that is fine. Clean out something like your pantry at home, your desk drawer, or your computer files at work. Cleaning out brings a sense of control, something we feel we lack when our creativity is missing.
8. Silence the negativity. Maybe you have gotten into a habit of criticizing your own work too much, particularly in the early stages.
Try to silence that inner critic and let your imagination flow without worrying. You can polish things later. When a negative thought appears, try countering it with a positive affirmation. Sometimes motivational YouTube videos can help.
9. Turn off social media; it is a terrible distraction. There are far better ways to relax. And does social media ever really provide that much respite anyway?
10. Get a fresh
perspective. See what other people are doing and how they are doing it. Brenda found that going to the local quilt guild meetings helped. Anna found in-person or online cooking classes inspired her. If you can loosely put what you want to accomplish into words, google it; you may find something to help get a fresh perspective on what you are trying to do.
11. Do something "like" what you want to do. One more way that often works for me is to do something akin to what I want to do creatively, but not necessarily that particular project.
If I were Brenda, I may sew or quilt something simple, like a mug rug or coasters, from extra fabric.
If I were Anna, I might try a new recipe, maybe chosen at random from a cookbook.
Ron and Sherri could start writing about anything...like what they see outside
their window or their last get-together with friends.
Sometimes I'll open a book or magazine and just start reading...and something written often "turns something on" within my
creative mind.
None of the activities needs to relate to the actual project. It just has to be in the same vein. The idea is to concentrate on something similar to get the creative juices
flowing again.
A complete loss of creativity would be very rare. Muted creativity happens to everyone who creates anything. Don’t panic, try some of the above strategies, and you will
soon be back on your game.
