How to Spark Creativity as an Artist
Today’s post is a little ditty and comes from some recent thoughts I’ve been having on creativity. More precisely, what to do when we don’t feel creative.
Here’s the plain and sad truth: Creativity doesn’t always come to us when we need it. We all experience a lack of inspiration at some point in our creative journey. But what if those few uninspiring days turn into weeks, or even months? The deadlines start piling up and panic ensues. I recently experienced a kind of rut, burnout, lack of inspiration, whatever you like to call it, and I knew there had to be a reason for this. As I attempted to move through this experience, and surrender to the thoughts I was having, I realised a lot of things in the process. So today I’m here to tell you how I did it! And more importantly, why I think it happened in the first place. I hope you can take a piece away from it too.
I truly believe that we are all creative. Whether you practise art or not, we can all be creative in any aspect of life. So when we say that our ‘creativity is blocked’, what does this truly mean? If we can harness creativity at any point in our day, how can we truly be blocked from a limitless source of imaginative, free-flowing energy? This is what I asked myself in the thick of my own rut. I challenged myself to change this belief and find a way into that flowing state. And the answer that I found was simple:
Kill the distraction.
Simple to say. Harder to put into action. The thing is, if we feel blocked from our creative energy, it’s likely because we are overthinking, overanalysing or overactive. Life is busy. Maybe you’re working on a personal project, but if there’s a client waiting for a piece that’s due by the end of the week, your brain will likely prioritise the most urgent task. For our monkey minds, creativity is just another sub-task to be catalogued and shelved until further notice. In order to reconnect to our creativity, we must first get into a flow state, in which the brain switches from analytical to free-flowing. To do this, all you need is a few hours to allow your brain to completely switch off from thinking. This could be walking in nature, visiting a museum or exploring a new place. I visited libraries and collected visual research during this time, watched people pass by a café window, visited a costume exhibition, booked a yoga class, and tried out new recipes. Within just a few days, I was filling up my sketchbook again with fresh and exciting ideas.
It may feel counterproductive at first. You may think ‘who am I to take time off? I have so much work to do.’ But taking time to switch off from your analytical mind could be the most beneficial thing you do in order to reconnect with your limitless imagination. Whatever activity you choose, try to go for something that is done alone, to be with yourself and in your own mind. Within days you may just realise that the block was actually just a plea from your inner artist to be listened to for a while. Whether you find yourself in a season of low creativity, or have an urge to make something new, it’s likely because a part of you is calling out for attention. Listen to it. It may be the missing piece you’ve been searching for all this time.
If you’re interested in more on this topic, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron is an amazing resource for understanding our creativity and how we can open ourselves up to flow. I highly recommend!
Magic from October…
*New album from The 1975 on repeat.
*I’ve been obsessed with making ramen recently, albeit not entirely traditionally BUT it does promise a comforting bowl of noodles at the end of a long day which is always a win in my books. I love this simple recipe when I’m looking for something speedy and delish.
*Last month I went to my first Yoga Nidra workshop to welcome in the Autumn Equinox and it was a beautiful experience. There’s so much to learn from this mindfulness practice, which you can read about more here.
*I’ve been loving these sketchbooks at the moment. The paper is a gorgeous texture, not too thick, not too thin. And lots of colours to choose from!
Now it’s back to the drawing table. Then outdoors. Because there’s still a handful of days before Christmas arrives good and proper and I intend to capture every last moment of Autumn before it does!
Happy creating xx
Catherine