i wrote this list a while ago when a few readers wrote in asking me how i stay motivated. so here are some little remedies that i hope you find helpful!
please add your own ideas in the comments section below and i will add the final version in my links, with your name attributed to suggestions. think of it as part II to creative cues. i’d like to think that this list applies to all kinds of creative work.
conquering the doubts
+ begin something, anything. just the act of starting to work will ease some of your roadblock, and the task at hand won’t feel so daunting. you may even find something you begin to be useful later, but that isn’t the point, the point is just to begin. (so many times i have begun sketching without yielding anything fruitful only to find that i go through my sketches later and end up borrowing little details or elements from those seemingly “false starts.”)
+ talk it out. the worst part of feeling discouraged is that you have lost your inspiration and that it may never come back, or worse, that you never had it to begin with. when the doubts begin to take over, they can feel overwhelming and lonely, you get out of touch and proportion can get a little blown. find your perspective again by seeking encouragement in your role models, who have all gone through struggles too. they will be sure to tell you that they didn’t get where they are at now without those hard times and will probably have oodles of great advice for you too!
+ take some time off (i realize this is the opposite of the first, but these are all ideas, some help more than others depending on the situation) whatever you are struggling with, walk away from it. gain some perspective by going out, feeding your mind in libraries, bookstores, museums, wherever you get your mojo. sometimes creativity is like a bank and just needs a little deposit.
+ fuel in a different way. i always say this, but it’s not to be repetitive, it’s just because it works for me! try something new. something completely out of your field will nourish you, sometimes even directly with what you are struggling with. (those creative problems get solved in the strangest ways, don’t they?)
+ borrow strength from the beauty of the world. get out your camera, go by yourself, and just walk outside in that fresh air. see what you find without any pressure to get something specific, to please any set standard or style, and just enjoy the view and just let it go for a while. take it a step further and practice looking, just looking for things that you find joy in, and work out compositions around what you see.
+ preventative measures can be healing too. write a letter to yourself when you feel most in tune, at the highest peak of your performance. tell her everything that she needs to know. about her ability, her belief in herself, her vision that should be uncomprimising and true to just her. don’t water it down. gush. and sign the letter with “love, me.”
+ keep a momentos box. it doesn’t have to be fancy, but you can personalize it however you would like to, just make it reflect you. is it a plain and modest wooden one? a silver gilded heirloom? maybe a collaged cardboard box. but it’s you. inside you will store all the objects that remind you of your worth. these should be souvenirs that reflect the best of yourself and that get your soul stirring.
+ call mom.
+ if you can afford it, try to take a trip. making a journey of any length far from your stomping grounds has so many direct benefits to your creativity. you gain appreciation for your home, you find new ways of life, you smash your greatest prejudices into millions of pieces and grow. traveling is a metaphor for creativity: out of one situation and in another to explore. p.s. if you can handle it, go alone!
+ write, write write. i do a lot of writing. notes to friends, entries in my own personal journal, copying excerpts from the books that i’m reading…recording as much as i can adjusts my definition of what i find valuable and gives sme tons of focus. the bonus is going back through my volumes and seeing what i’ve learned, where i used to struggle, and how much i’ve improved.
okay…now, what are your remedies? your turn…share below:
those are great Jenny !
here are a few more simple ones to add:
Surround yourself with creative friends & family
Use your senses to put yourself in a good mood
if I am not in a good mood, creativity is stiffled
-Listening to favorite music, talking, singing, laughing …
-Wearing colors that cheer Don’t some colors just make your day a bit better?
why is this so?
even a certain color of a room can refresh your creativity or crush it
-Looking at the everyday thru new eyes, act like a tourist at home
or do travel to new places Reading will inspire too Learn from others written words
-Scents can evoke creativity defintely! use to your benefit
freshly baked bread, a scented candle, freshly cut flowers, favorite perfume…
-Chocolate never hurts
-Who can resist the touch of some new fabric, a new pen & journal or …..
Teach & share with others it will reinforce your creativity to be someones mentor
-Watch a child create with abandon & wonder where DO they get their fantastic ideas???
No one has told them they cannot ‘draw’ or ‘paint’ or ‘write a story’
Is that why they have such confidence???
thank you, thank you, thank you for this beautiful, wonderful Jenny.
I just can’t wait for others to share their ideas (Sandybeach, those are awesome ideas!!!).
here are some ideas that I use when I feel discouraged (and it happens often!):
- I go to the local public library and sit at the children’s section. children’s book are soothing and never, never take themselves too seriously. it reminds me to do the same.
- I sit at my piano and sing. not an accomplished musician, I’m often shy when asked to sing or play a song on the piano. but when I feel down, I find it very healing.
- I take some time away from writing, and spend time with my kids. I set up my sons’ favorite toys while they are at school so we can immediately play together. I surprise them with a day out at a park, coloring pages, etc. my kids keep me grounded, inspire me, teach me every day to enjoy being in the moment.
- I knit or buy something for someone I care about. I wrap rose seeds in a drawing by my son and send it to a friend. I love doing it, it probably one of the things that most motivates me because it reminds me that writing, like painting, music or any form of artistic expression is about giving (at least for me!).
- I go to the gym and exercise (I hate too!). taking care of my body is often the first step to creative recovery for me.
I can’t wait to read your ideas!!!
Great ideas!
Make a list. List making is proactive and helps you see that you can get where you want to go just one task at a time.
My greatest cure for creative discouragement is coming to Jenny Vorwaller’s blog! Seriously! It’s true! I even peruse all the archives and relook at the photos. It’s a constant source…like coming to a well. Thanks Jenny!
*OH!
s m i l i n g.
+++++
these are so great, keep ‘em coming!
you are just brilliant!
keep on sparkling…
These are great! If you are truly stuck, it’s good to put the idea on back burner and do something fun and stimulating, looking at art, singing, getting some exercise. It’s good to have a reminder of things to do, though.
Awesome post! I love this.
i like doodle and jotting thoughts down freely as they come. music helps many people but i sometimes find stillness and pure silence a good remedy. going out in the nature, fresh air and warm sunshine is always wonderful. tip i will try from the posted comments is going to the library.
i second the “begin something”. just getting to the studio is the hardest bit for me (especially when the week is full of other demands). But once there, opportunities unfold. Abandoning the computer mouse and internet connection seem important. Have to sit in a room with surrounded by art stuff and things that need to be made by scratch. i listen to stories on public radio. if I am not sure what to make, I sort/organize old work. Sometimes I find a neat gem from the past.
And walks seem to get everything going. I bring a camera take pix of the city, and often call myself to leave rambling messages at home with peculiar bits of insight that only come from the road. Something to laugh at and delete later.
hIYA Jenny! Glad to find a foreigner that lives in my city (montevideo) and has so nice and such good things to say of our little country. I just was browsing for pictures of the city and came across yours, one of 18 de julio deserted. I took the chance and borrowed it to post it on my blog (with your url attached, of course), because i liked it so much!!
Glad to see you and your family are adjusting to our Uruguayan way of life! Pleased to have met you through your blog! I’ve just added you to my feed reader….so hope to read you soon.
Cheers!
what a wonderful list and all the comments too!
doing yoga helps me a lot, and also trying to find quiet moments to bring the attention to what is happening in the moment, thinking too much can kill my creativity.
besos
thank´s for your lovely remedies – that pola just goes perfect with your words!!
i always keep my sketchbook with me, but more importantly when i’m in the middle of a project i keep small versions of my photographs with me for inpsiration that i pull out when i’m struggling with an idea, to reference when photographing, or to show to other people to get their advice. i take advantage of living in a small city, by walking as much as possible; i almost never take public transit. there are so many times i get completely lost in thought on a walk and find myself almost dissapointed to have reached my destination because i can’t continue to day dream. i also turn the music off when i’m driving in the car to allow myself the quiet space to think. i watch movies. i read: both art criticism and literature. i think it out. i talk it out.
A couple things that work for me:
I always have more than one project going so that if I get discouraged with one, I can work on another until I’m ready to move forward again. Sometimes those stuck projects sit for awhile though….
I’ve learned to pay attention to my physical needs. When I get frustrated I ask myself, “When did you eat last?” It’s usually been way to long. I’ve also learned that if I’m sewing after 3 PM I always get frustrated. Time of day that I work on projects is a huge factor for me.
And everybody elses suggestions work great too!
jenny, these are so great and so very much appreciated, as are the solutions of all of the commenters! i love “call mom” as a solution– isn’t that the truth? big grin. xx
A big hug from/to a loved one can help if you’ve been slaving away for hours on your caboose. I’m lucky enough to have my dog Maggie sleep next to me while I’m working so I sneak in a hug whenever I can.
Style.com archives, Tea, and a Werther’s Original can also help. ;}
I get on my bicycle and ride…the fresh air, exercize and repetitive motion lets my mind wander and new ideas in. Gardening has the same effect for me.
ohhh, great ideas everyone! keep it coming…
bike riding, treats and hugs…xo