Springing Creativity

Hello, sunshine. Yes, you! Are you perhaps of a creative sort? No? Maybe? Do you enjoy making things—can you paint write or sculpt? Making short colorful animations? Ooh, neat. How often? Whenever you have time and an idea that follows you like a street cat after feeding it too much? Do you ever run out of ideas or just feel down to do anything? Oh, ok, me too. But that doesn’t stop you, you say? How so?

As you could have guessed from that little intro, we are discussing creativity. Or, more specifically, what keeps us from delaying producing anything, and what rituals help keep us on the right track and in the right state of mind?

Everything can become a piece of art if you can see it as such. Imagination is a powerful tool, but as with any tool, it needs to be maintained. For example, I love to make tiny graffiti-like drawings whenever I write stuff down. It keeps me focused, and it allows my mind to float around, bringing more ideas into whatever I explore at that moment. I got into a lot of trouble when I was at school and was constantly drawing unrelated pieces of “art” in my workbooks. Sometimes when I wanted to write something new and just had a basic idea of what to write about, but had nothing else really, I would start making colorful scribbles until “something” hit me. And it usually did, not always though.

We get stuck sometimes, or our heart is elsewhere, or we just feel so low on energy that even something we like might seem like too much. It happens. When that happens, what I usually do is get up and go for a walk, run, or do anything to clear my head of the mess I have probably accumulated over the week or a month. It’s like emptying trash but for the mind. Instead of rotting in bed, go outside, work out, or do anything really, as long as it breaks the day that could have been wasted to nothing.

My go-to activity? I love coffee and I love cakes. It is related to the topic, I promise. It was that one habit that I never thought would follow me around for so long without a decrease in intensity, but it has. Whenever I feel like I need to recharge a little bit and trust me, I need a lot of recharging, I visit one of my favorite places for a nice sweet dessert and a cup of brown and mildly bitter beverage. I am a caffeine addict, I know, but bear with me.

When I sit down, make myself comfy, order my cake and usually a flat white (double the espresso for the tingles), I start rejuvenating almost instantly just by enjoying the warm atmosphere of a café. Place selection is essential for this, and when I need to recharge, I do not test a new place out. Too risky, you know. Sometimes I bring my tablet or notebook with me, so I can write or just take notes, which helps too.

The important thing is to slow down or speed up if you are a sports junkie, and testing your body to the limits is your way of relaxing the mind. Guess what, that can work too. Test some activities out and see for yourself. And while it might not always be directly removing the block from the way, I think that a relaxed, rested mind can do a lot more than a tired and burned-out one can.

Creativity needs nourishment, so whatever that may be, try something different, meet new people, visit a local comedy show, go for a hike now and again, and then get back to creating awesome things. Sometimes, trying something new can be surprisingly refreshing. Go to a place you’ve never been and try an activity you’ve never done before. You don’t have to go crazy, but to keep our minds sharp and flexible, living in a box won’t help it. To grow is to experience, try, and live. Live a rich life and then life will be your source of inspiration.

While we can create as a way to escape the lows, isn’t it better to create in a space of warmth and inspiration? For me, the answer is always yes.