The last few days (weeks?) have been crazy around the Wilcox house. We’re moving to Nashville, which means we’re smack in the middle of that transition of packing up your house, renting your house, finding a new house, scaling down, and deciding what matters most in terms of quality of life, lifestyle, the future – oh, and what to do with all our stuff…
Lately it feels as if my brain has been stuffed between the grips of a metal vise, and every last bit of creativity, energy, and innovation is being squeezed out. Like every last great idea has been tapped, and I have nothing left to give.
This is what it’s like sometimes when your livelihood depends on your creativity, when your clients depend on your ability to generate great ideas, and a changing marketplace demands constant innovation. Honestly, sometimes I feel completely tapped out.
Calling a Time Out
It’s cold season, so I’ve been stocking up on Emergen-Cs, Oscillococcinum, and other homeopathic preventative meds. Sometimes the same kind of preparation is important to protect our creativity and give ourselves a boost when our creativity is taking a hit.
When my husband feels like he’s getting sick, he has a pattern where he eats lots of comfort food, wears his PJs, and chills out on the couch until he feels better. On days like today, I’ve found that I have a go-to pattern for getting my creative spark back, for getting the courage and energy to jump back in the game – a kind of “chicken soup for the creative soul” remedy.
- Rest. My life and work do not fit within the constraints of 9 to 5, and sometimes, the constantly changing schedule can be physically exhausting rather than creatively invigorating. When I am feeling tapped out, sometimes the cure begins with sleep. Or a hot bath. Or a chill-out movie session. The purpose is to rest, to not think, to not try to be creative, to veg. As much as possible, I try not to worry about responsibilities; I’ll be at my best soon enough, and I’ll deal with them then.
- Rejuvenate. After I’ve let my mind rest, I’ve found that easy creative forays can be really rejuvenating. These are the times that I go through my bookmarked list of favorite diy projects, or I go to the craft store and look for a new tool or some kind of fun project to work on. It is during these times that the “crafter” in me kicks into high gear.
- Connect. It helps me so much to connect with other creatives, to see what they are working on, to hear about their lives, and to be inspired by them. This is why I subscribe to so many blogs in my RSS feed reader and try to follow as many as I can on Twitter. Forums like Deviant Art and ConceptArt.org are another great way to get connected.
After I’ve taken these steps, I usually feel refreshed and energized enough to get back in the game. If not, I simply repeat the process. What do you do when you’re creatively tapped? I’d love to hear your own “chicken soup for the creative soul” remedy in the comments.
Related posts:
- Vacation and Creative Incubation
- A Creative Process for Everyone, Part 3: The Manager
- 5 Things Inspiring Me This Week
- Behaving Like an Idea Person
- Happy Thanksgiving!
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