The Unhappily Uninspired Creative’s Guide to Kickstarting Creativity (+ Gaining Back Creative Confidence)

by | May 29, 2012 | Inspiration

[This post is from my archives over at my old blog EricaLeeXO.com/blog, although it’s been slightly tweaked + updated. Enjoy!]

In this “Information Age,” we can devour all kinds of different creative media.  We can scour the web for new photographers, research the latest in emerging fashion designers, see an artist’s work before it ever hits a gallery + read our favorite writer’s blog in between books just to get a taste of their every day lives.

Not that I’m complaining (who me?), but with all this information at our ever-so-restless fingertips , it’s easy to feel overloaded. Forcing too much “creative inspiration” into our minds can have the opposite affect than what we’d hoped. Sometimes it can put out our creative fire instead of feed it. And a squelched creative fire aint no good for a biz owner who basically needs creativity to put food on the table.

Forrealskies though, momentarily losing your motivation to do that thang you do isn’t the end of the world. Every creative individual experiences it from time to time – + they all bounce back, too. How, you ask? Here’s some ideas for getting your creative groove back. I know most of you reading this have your own creative businesses (+ really, what business isn’t creative in one way or another?), so why not give some of this a try next time you’re in a artistic funk?

Imitate. Let’s face it:  Every creative person is a copy cat.  There’s really no such thing as a totally original, completely unique piece of art. There are limited words in the English language + limited resources available to us as creative humans. Such is life. However, “creative imitation” – as I’ve dubbed it – not only exists, but it’s also a natural part of what it means to be a creative person.  So, here’s what I suggest – + you may already do this already – but why not intentionally try to do something like one of your idols? Check out books from your favorite author. Attempt to re-create the design, texture or style of an artist you admire.  Inevitably, you’ll end up adding your own flavor to whatever you’re creating – + learning what does and doesn’t work for you. Win-win.

Make a Pandora station for a band you’ve never listened to. (Same goes for a Spotify playlist!)

Change your medium. This is one piece of tried-and-true advice that I swear by.  Expressing myself with words (those things I claim to love oh-so-much!) sometimes gets old. (And not like delicious aged cheddar old, but like..crotchety + repetitive old.) But, if I do something different, like design a website, make a collage or try my hand at GarageBand– I usually get a little flow goin’.

Drink a glass of wine. For some, a nerve-soothing glass of wine works like a charm to inspire creativity.  Alcohol lowers your inhibitions just enough to free your mind from some of those nasty, negative perfectionist thoughts. In turn, it allows your ideas to flow more naturally. Plus, it turns off (or at the very least, turns down the volume!) on that little nagging, scrutinizing, shitty voice in your head that tells you’re no good at whatever you’re doing. (And you are good at whatever it is you’re doing, ya hear me?)

Just DO Something. Get up. Get active. Get the eff movin’. Or, quite simply: PUT. DOWN. THE. REMOTE.

Read someone’s private diary. Anais Nin, Anne Frank, and even strangers on Xanga or Livejournal have provided me with lots of creative fuel.

Abandon your original plan. If something just isn’t working, don’t be afraid to abandon ship.  Search Wikipedia about subject that has absolutely nothing to do with what you’re working on, but has always made you perk up + listen more intently when it’s brought up in conversation.  Watch a movie from your past that made you feel like life was magical (you know the kind. Peter Pan or The Little Princess, mayhaps?), or rent one you’ve always wanted to see (suggestions: Factory Girl, White Oleander & Girl, Interrupted always get my blood pumping…and not just because they all have super hawt leading ladies. OK, that may be part of it…)

Pick an emotion you’re not currently feeling – + pull it into your work.

Obsess, obsess, obsess. Immerse yourself in whatever subject lights your heart up & makes you forget about all your other responsibilities. When I was a teenager, I had a few very intense interests – + that’s it. Consequently, my writing, dress and personality completely reflected these obsessions. I wrote like the love child of my idols (which were, embarrassingly enough, Francesca Lia Block, Courtney Love & Sylvia Plath, perhaps in that order) – seamlessly blending their styles into a voice partly my own. I incorporated elements of all my quirky interests into my daily activities (like, y’know, practicing magick spells, writing poetry by candle light, hanging out with junkies). Although I no longer advocate the last part (a-hem), I think it’s really fun to be obsessed with something. Productive obsession, like immersing yourself in writing for an entire evening, is actually good for you. So scrap the cellie, turn down the TV + just do whatever it is you do. All. Night. Long.

Make peace with your inner demons.

(And don’t believe the hype that all creative types are manic, depressive or just plain insane). I wrote a post back in the day titled Where’s the Beauty in Burning Out? which touched on this absolutely ridiculous notion that all writers, artists + thinkers are (or need to be) locked up in asylums somewhere. Not true, not true at all! (Though I will admit, I do think creatives are a teensy bit weirder than the average human, but in a totally intriguing sort of way. Let’s just say, whenever I meet someone who is doing something creative, I instantly know that what I see is not necessarily what I get with them. And I luh it.)

Spend some quality time alone. The #1 habit of all creative people, according to Leo Babuata at zen habits, is solitude.

Stop worrying about whether others will “get it” — instead, aim to make them think. They don’t have to “get” it for it to be good writing/art/what have you. Sometimes, my favorite writing is absolutely a mess (House of Leaves by Daniel Z. Danielewski, anyone?), but it’s that reckless messiness that makes it so textured + fun to read. All my college journalism classes stressed the importance of simplicity – + yes, if you’re writing the front page story for a newspaper, you better make sense + you better do it as quickly as possible. But if you’re writing (or drawing/sculpting/jewelry-making/glass-blowing/collaging/designing outfits for mythical mermaids), mix it up a little. Throw in something that will totally confuse the hell out of your audience  + feel the creative juices start to pour in. Feels good, amiright?

Drink more water, take your vitamins + get a pedicure. Nourish your body + breathe, baybay.

Dig into your old love notes. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know I’ve been my most passionate/creative when I was in the midst of a deep (albeit, sometimes shady) love affair. I think it might have something to do with the obsession thing – it’s been proven that love alters brain activity.  Essentially, we’re all a little, well, Crazy in Love.

People watch. We’re all so strange + diverse + so much fun to watch.  My undergrad creative writing prof once gave us an assignment to sit in a crowded area with a notebook + pick an interesting looking character from the crowd + write a story  from their point of view or about them. It’s inspiring to get out of yourself + your experiences for a little bit + explore what it might be like in someone else’s shoes. Or stilettos. Whatevs.

Unplug. Back in my younger years, I read a lot more books, newspapers + other print shizz.  I was constantly immersed in the works of Francesca Lia Block, soaking up Dali + listening to whatever records I could find in my parent’s basement.  It can be really creatively stimulating to “get back to basics.” Seriously! Give it a go! No e-books allowed.

Drink a Soy Frappucinno. Oh yes I did.  That’s right – I am totally giving you permission to indulge in the big ol’ C-word!  (No. Not that one!) But hear me out: Caffeine, in small doses, has actually been proven to spark creativity.  My undergraduate Drugs & Behavior professor (yes, we actually had that class + yes, I totally took it!) said that humans do perform at higher intellectual levels on some caffeine. It’s only when we go overboard that we actually perform worse than we would without it. (Translation: Order a grande, not venti + you’re golden.)

Your Turn >> That’s all I got for now, but I wanna know: What ways do you sugar plums get the inspiration to do what you do? Sound off in the comments!