These past two weeks have been awful.
It feels like my creative energy has been stamped out.
One day I woke up and I could feel it: I was in a rut.
It scared me.
I earn my living off my imagination. And when ideas don’t come, I get desperate.
“C’mon brain! Give me something!”
Usually, I have the opposite problem. Ideas come pouring out of me like Niagara Falls. But this time, I held out my cup hoping for a drop of inspiration; but none came.
Have you felt like this? Your motivation to work, create, and make goes away? (If yes, tell me about it here)
Gradually, over the last few days, I’ve been able to regain my momentum.
Here are a few of the things that helped me:
Get uncomfortable
When we’re feeling down, our inclination is to hibernate. We want to get under some warm blankets, eat cereal, and mope. Or, we seek solace from sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
Don’t seek comfort. You need to give yourself a jolt of the unfamiliar.
I forced myself to drive 45 minutes to a neighboring town to watch a documentary.
I knew it would be good for me because:
During the drive, I’d have a long uninterrupted time to think.
The film would expose me to new ideas.
I’d meet new people
The quickest way to get out of a creative rut is to make yourself uncomfortable. This means:
Put yourself in new, unfamiliar, situations
Spend time with people you don’t normally hang out with.
Take risks. Try new things. Do something unconventional.
Discomfort is like jumper cables for a dead creative battery.
Help someone else
Lacking motivation, we turn inward. We try to nurture our creative soul.
But self-focus isn’t the answer; outward focus is.
My friend Dave needed a website. I can make websites.
Normally I don’t have time to do projects like this for friends. I’m too focused on my own stuff.
However, because of my lack of inspiration, I didn’t have any current projects.
So I helped Dave build a simple static site for his business.
We spent the morning together. I could tell that launching this website represented significant progress for Dave and his new business. Seeing that gave me energy.
Helping others renews your spirit.