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How to Find Inspiration Again!
Sometimes you just hit the inspiration roadblock.
I
t happens to everyone, even those of us in the creative professions.
So what will help when you’re having a slump day? Here are my suggestions for getting the creative juices flowing again.
Before you try to DO anything, though, it’s important to understand WHY you’re in that creative funk in the first place. In my experience, there are usually 2 big reasons: burnout and over-creation. And these creativity busters often have their beginnings in really positive aspects of business ownership, like having a lot of fantastic clients or successfully juggling the boss and mom life. But when you get to the point of running yourself into the ground or feeling like all your ideas are blending together without uniqueness, it’s time to do something.
And let me just say, I get it. I really do. As a photographer, I often do 4-5 shoots a week plus everything else for running my business, and this means definitely hitting creativity gaps at times. But because I understand what causes these lapses of inspiration, these are some of the things I do to counteract the burnout and over-creation:
- If I can, I walk away–not permanently obviously, but for long enough to just let the project breathe for a bit. When I come back, I can usually see where I’m overcomplicating it and causing myself trouble.
- I go for a run or walk. Fresh air makes for fresh ideas.
- I have lunch with a friend. A chance to relax and think about other things goes a long way toward freeing up some mental space for inspiration.
- I get creative in some art form other than photography. I’ve used coloring books for adults, dabbled in painting, and taken local art classes to help me find my own artistic expression again.
- I look at magazines that talk about different types of art and photography to see what others are putting out into the creative space.
- I involve my kids in these activities, since the girls inspire me all the time!
Remember that your creativity isn’t a bottomless resource that you can pull from forever on demand. Inspiration is about seeing with new eyes, which requires space and time for exploration of the world. And while the suggestions above can help you get your mojo back when it’s gone, it would be even better to incorporate them into your life on a regular basis to help keep your eyes fresh.
In the comments below, I’d love to hear what you like to do to break away, get inspired, and come back to look at something in a completely different way. If you’re local to Phoenix, AZ, shoot me a message so we can trade ideas about creativity resources in our community. And you can always check out my Business Resources page for some freebies and workshops that could help jumpstart your creativity.
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