Top 3 Secrets to Reboot Your Creativity
Does this ever happen to you? You’ve been working on a project and all of a sudden your creativity dries up? Well, it happens to me sometimes and here are my top 3 secrets to bust through those dry spells.
Secret #1: Listen to a favorite podcast
My “go to” podcasts right now are:
· Amy Porterfield’s Online Marketing Made Easy
· Brooke Castillo’s The Life Coach School, and
· WBEZ Chicago’s Making Oprah
When I hit a dry spell and need to take a break, I’ll grab my phone and my earbuds, walk out the door and hit “play” on any of these fabulous podcasts.
Amy is incredibly approachable and every podcast of hers is full of actionable lessons and tips about online marketing. Listening to her always puts a smile on my face and I learn something that I know I can implement in my business.
Brooke’s podcasts cover everyday life and the skills and mindsets that we need to become more aware of to help us move past challenges or barriers. They are the perfect mix of tough love and humor for when I’m feeling stuck.
Making Oprah is the incredible story of how Oprah got started and the focus and dedication she displayed to protect her vision over the years. It’s both fascinating and chock full of nuggets which makes it a “go to” experience over and over again.
Secret #2: Read or get the audio version of Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way.
I wrote a blog post about this fabulous book back in January. I come back to it again and again. Two of Julia’s key pieces of advice are to write what she calls “morning pages” and to take time away by yourself on an “artist date”.
Morning pages are three pages of long form writing that you do first thing in the morning and capture in a favorite notebook. The writing is loose, stream of consciousness, just whatever you are thinking at that moment. You don’t read what you wrote. You don’t judge what you wrote. You just get what’s going through your mind onto the page and then move on with your day.
An artist date is an afternoon spent by yourself in a new environment. You might go to a new exhibit at the museum or go to a new neighborhood for a cup of coffee or simply go for a long walk on an new trail. Spending time by yourself is restorative. And taking the time to observe what’s around you is a great way to refill your well of creativity.
I’ve found both of these practices extremely helpful over the years to kick start my creativity.
Secret #3: Go to the library and browse
When was the last time you went to the library? I hadn’t been in years and recently needed to do some research for a project. Instead of buying the books I needed on Amazon, I decided to check them out at the library in my small town.
On the short walk from my house to the library, I discovered a new tiny little park nestled alongside a neighborhood church. It has lovely wooden benches and large planters with mixed succulents. The sun was steaming through the surrounding trees and creating beautiful shadows.
I stopped and took a few photographs in the morning light and then continued on my way to the library. Libraries are still, amazingly, quiet places and I found that I wanted to hang out there for hours before making the trip home.
I’m not sure exactly what it is about these three things that gets me going again creatively. But they work for me and I encourage you to try them.
So there yo have it: my top three secrets to reboot your creativity when you’ve hit a wall and need something to get you going again. I’d love to hear yours!
Remember, It’s Never Too Late To Create.
Xo,
Anne
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