After a brief hiatus caused by the pesky inconvenience of steady employment, I’m back. My summer was not one full of backyard day-drinking and excessive overspending on Door-Dashing food to my house multiple times a day like last year. Instead, I threw on my big girl blazer and got myself a job. An internship, actually, but who cares what it’s called as long as the direct-deposit hits?
nn
Now that my corporate stint has come to an end, at least (hopefully) temporarily, my brain is recovering from the daily grind of ten hour work days (I had a babysitting gig on the side #girlbosssummer ) and can now formulate basic sentences again. My fingers, no longer weary from their 8-hour shifts, are chomping at the bit to type again, this time for fun.
nn
I’ve honestly been eager and almost yearning to write like this again. But the exhaustion always seemed to creep in or the million other things that needed to get done like cooking, eating, cleaning, keeping up with my general hygiene, spending time with my new boyfriend, etc. But now, there’s peace. As much as it sucks to not have a reliable source of livable(ish) income once again, I’m grateful for the time I’m now afforded to catch up on the things I’ve wanted to do but haven’t had the time for these past 3 months.
nn
Okay so I know the past few paragraphs have been a bit exposition-y but worry not: here comes the value-add. Maybe I should have led with this for SEO purposes, but it’s my blog and I’ll talk about what I damn well please. Without further ado, how I’m getting back into my creative flow:
n
- n
- Setting up my workspace: I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit obsessive when it comes to my work area. I’m very tidy and want very few distractions. If there’s a mess of papers or other things strewn across my desk, I can’t focus. So literally just yesterday, I cleaned up my desk, and my entire room, to make sure I have the ideal environment to stimulate my creativity. It’s like adding chemicals to a pool to shock the water so you don’t have to swim in slimy, green H2O all summer.
- Finding inspiration: I’ve learned that waiting “to be in the mood for something” is bullshit and an excellent way to never get anything done. However, it can be tough to pull yourself back into creative mode at times. That’s why finding something to inspire you can be helpful. For me, I look to other creators and my own past work to help turn the ignition in my brain back into creative mode.
- Giving myself freedom: As a perfectionist, my fear of creating something that is not 100% free of flaws is one that gnaws at my creative impulses, curbing them into submission. It takes a lot of practice to give yourself the freedom to just create, without any other expectations. I have to give myself permission to put the words down, even if they’re not perfect. Remind yourself that you can’t improve something that doesn’t exist, so give yourself the chance to create and get better!n
n
n
n
I know myself best, and I’ve learned many things over the years to help me thrive. I know that my environment is a very important factor in successfully getting a single syllable down on any screen or sheet of paper, as well as cultivating a mindset that drives me to be creative by finding inspiration and pushing away the negative thoughts of “not being good enough.” You may find your own ways of getting back into your creative flow, and I think that’s beautiful. 🙂
nn
Much luck to you on your creative endeavors!
