Living in the world of today where everything is so instant and so fast (social media being at the root of this), it is so easy to take everyday simplicities for granted. And whilst social media can be so amazing in so many different ways, especially for small businesses, we tend to get completely wrapped up in comparing ourselves to others both personally and also on a business level as well. We can, therefore, find ourselves striving for goals that aren't rational and in most cases, aren't achievable.
Staying Creative & Staying Mindful
Posted by Chloe Miles on
Although many may think that creativity stands aside from this, how many of us creatives find ourselves comparing our work to others' and wishing our work was either as good as theirs or even potentially go to the extent of trying to imitate their style and their signature? This of course, will inevitably lead to a bit of a creative funk..or creative block as such!
For this reason, I have devised a short little list of techniques that I use to get out of my own head, to be more mindful and to get my creative juices flowing when I'm feeling a bit uninspired.
|First things first, look after your vessel
Our bodies really are our temples (insert eye roll) so how can we expect anything from them if we are not looking after them properly? I have always grown up loving exercise but for some, this isn't always the case. Exercise is so important as it releases endorphins (better known as the happy hormone).
No, you don't have to smash out a full-on HIIT session every morning and night...even going for a nice long walk in an evening will raise your heart rate and cause your body to produce this beautiful hormone...plus the fresh air will do you good as well and cause your mind to feel lighter instantly!
Second to exercise, eating healthy is always important but you don't need me to tell you that! Now, if someone is going to tell me that a bar of chocolate paired with a glass of G&T in an evening is not going to do wonders for my mood, then they are very much mistaken! BUT it's all about the 80:20 balance (80% good, 20% bad).
|Feed your soul
Creativity comes from within and in many ways, we use it to communicate how we feel. This process makes us feel better, but what do we do when we are feeling uninspired and uncreative?! There are many different things that I do to broaden my perspective and with this, I am bound to find something that inspires some creativity. Reading is amazing at lifting my mood as it takes me out of my own head for a while and allows me to imagine multiple different scenarios.
Another tool that I use to broaden my perspective are podcasts. These are incredibly on-trend at the moment and there are so many different topics and people that you can follow. Just pick something that you find interesting and listen away! I listen to all of my podcasts on Spotify and my favourite podcast channel to listen to at the moment is Deliciously Ella as her and her husband, Matt, cover a wide range of different topics which will really open your mind and broaden your perspective.
|Take time for No.1
Having very chaotic lives, it can sometimes be really hard to look after yourself...I mean REALLY look after yourself! I find that spending an evening alone doing things that I love can really make such a difference as it allows me to recenter and recharge. Listening to my favourite music and taking a nice long bubble bath is definitely one of my favourite ways to do this.
|Mindfulness
Mindfulness as a practice is also very on-trend at the moment, and everyone is talking about how to stay 'mindful'. For me, mindfulness is the process of being fully present. So, if this makes little sense to you, imagine the following scenario: your thoughts are going one thousand and one miles an hour, you're sat watching tv whilst thinking about what you're going to wear to work tomorrow, whilst thinking about what you and Lisa were talking about at work today, whilst thinking about how much you've got to pay on the electricity bill next week, whilst thinking about how you need to get the washing out of the tumble-dryer before you go to bed so it doesn't get creased... you get the gist! We are all victims of it and this scattered process of thinking actually becomes very stressful and very tiring.
From my experience, one of the quickest and easiest ways for me to refocus on myself is to simply put myself on a phone ban! Yes...I literally turn my phone off and set it to the side, even if it's only for an afternoon. It is amazing how quickly this disconnection makes you feel so much more reconnected with yourself!
Another technique that I use to focus my mind and to help me feel more calm goes as follows; sit in a quiet room, or outside (if you've taken my advice and gone for that walk!), and really focus on your breathing and how your body is feeling. If your mind starts to wander, simply recognise this and then try to return focus back to your breathing. You don't have to do it for long at all, but giving yourself something as simple as breathing to focus on really clears your mind and makes you feel calmer.
Yoga is also a really lovely way to tune into your body and calm your mind, plus it is incredibly good for you as well! The best thing about it is, you can do it from the comfort of your own living room and you don't have to pay a fortune for an expensive trainer as there are many different teachers on sites like Youtube. One of my favourite yoga channels on Youtube is called Yoga With Adriene. She has a wide range of different videos for you to follow that target a whole bunch of different ailments.. plus her voice is super soothing as well!
|Use your eyes
As silly as it is to say...look at things, like really look at things! While you are out and about, or on your nice long walk if, again, you've taken my previous advice, what do you see? Maybe there will be a great snippet of woodland that will inspire your colour palette for a new piece, or maybe you've taken a line drawing of a landscape that you can develop further back in the studio? Whatever you're doing and wherever you are, draw inspiration from what you see!
|Explore the work of others
Although I have previously touched on some of the downsides of social media, it can also be a great way to spark creativity if used correctly. Pinterest, for example, is such a great tool to explore a multitude of different topics, as well as sites like Tumblr. These will be sure to inspire some new ideas without allowing you to get too sucked in. Looking at other artists and researching their techniques is also a really effective way to explore new mediums to experiment with and from there, allow your own work to progress further as well.
|Don't over think it
Creative block is awful and you can often get so in your head that you struggle to get out of it again. But as a last note, all I can say is: do not overthink it! Literally put pen to paper and just see what comes out of it!
I really really hope that you can take something from my list if this is something that you also struggle with. You don't have to do every single thing and I'm sure there are some aspects of the list that you don't think will suit you. But experiment with it and try and find your own recipe to beat your lack of inspiration!
Chloe x