From my journal: January 3, 2020, Newbury Park, California
“Ugh!…I feel I need to write more short pieces – take a Writer’s Digest course?…do more art – look at Life Book classes?…what activities would be fun?”
Whenever I feel uninspired, unproductive, and unmotivated, I am uncreative. When I am uncreative, I am unhappy. Very unhappy. It can happen when I’m overwhelmed with life events, when I need to take a break from something not serving me well, or when I’ve been neglecting my self-care routine. Whatever the reason, I know when it’s time for me to get back in my groove.
The state of creating is not a want, but a need. It’s essential to my well-being. It’s primal and runs deep. It is something best described as a feeling, not a thing. Some explain it as being lost in time. For me, it’s being found in the moment. It starts with a flicker of giddiness, followed by physical movement that results in something tangible. Whether it be trying out a new recipe, writing a blog post, or quilling a card, the process is the same.
So, how can anyone recapture the flow of creative energy when it decides to take a hiatus? Luckily, there are a myriad of ways! Getting that spark back to ignite our creativity can take different forms, so it’s just a matter of trying things out to see what resonates. What sticks. What works.
Over the years, I’ve collected a number of ideas such as:
- Sit on a park bench and watch the clouds drift by
- Listen to jazz music
- Pick flowers from your yard and make a bouquet
- Call a friend to catch up
- Bake something yummy
- Unplug from social media for a while
- Write a letter to a loved one
- Take your dog for a walk
- Journal your thoughts
- Go for a drive
- Clean out a closet
- Take a leisurely nap
- Go to your garden and play in the dirt
- Watch a funny movie
- Go thrift shopping
- Try your hand at a new form of art
- Treat yourself and a friend to an ice cream
- Rearrange your working area
All terrific suggestions, most of which I’ve tried. What works for me? At the first inkling of the “blahs”, the state I refer to as needing to move forward but not being able to go anywhere, I look to my GOs also known as my Get Out list.
My first GO is Get Out of my head. This is when I reach for my daily journal. In it I write down anything that comes to mind. And if I’m totally blank, I simply write lists. The day’s schedule, books I’ve read recently, or maybe projects that sound fun to try. Birdhouses, anyone?! I’m not trying to solve anything; I’m just making space for an idea to catch on.
The second GO is Get Out my art supplies. Doodling, hand lettering a word or phrase such as: Onward and Upward!, or coloring a printed design using watercolor pencils refocuses me. Playing with markers, paints, and inks most often jumpstarts my enthusiasm for creating.
To invoke my third GO takes more effort, but it is always worthwhile. It is Get Out of my craft room. Stepping over the threshold into another room such as the kitchen to whip up a snack, make a cup of tea, or refill my water bottle is a good reset. Or better yet, getting out the front door. There, a whole sensory world awaits to shift my mood. And time and time again, it’s the simplest sensation while walking that stirs something within me.
So, when the blahs hit, as they will do, getting back in my groove means only one thing. That is, reminding myself that all I really need to is…Get Out! Just GO!
A Journal Journey 