When you're having a few busy weeks or months and are constantly churning out project after project, it's easy to start feeling like the creative well is running dry. It's not the workload, you've learnt how to say no to the wrong jobs (see Episode 1.), it's just an average number of projects, but it still feels like it's zapping your creative strength.
For most people, creativity is not a linear, turn-on-the-tap kind of process and everyone has their own way of arriving at a creative solution for the problem at hand. For me, in a nutshell, it's about finding the red thread, the very essence of the creative needed. I usually do that by reading and re-reading the brief (and accompanying info), and then I throw myself wholly into it while listening to my newest music obsession.
In a later chapter, we'll talk about the creative process. What I want to address here, is how to keep the creativity coming when you've thrown yourself wholly into something not once or twice but dozens of times over several months.
What is creativity exactly? Creativity isn't a gift given to just a few lucky buggers by a magical fairy at birth. It's a skill that you can grow and polish and learn to recognise. Despite its apparent importance (and the fact that we call ourselves 'creatives'), defining creativity is often problematic. We can simply list well-known creative people (John Lennon, Margaret Atwood, Maya Angelou, Steve Jobs) and describe the output of their creativity (music, novels, a new perspective, or invention). But defining creativity itself can be difficult. I think the best way I've heard it described is that it's the ability to draw on past experiences and connect them to the present by developing new ideas.
With that in mind, coming up with creative solutions is exhausting, in our post covid world, where we do a lot of work at home alone and still throw everything we have at it. It can be extra draining if you're always outputting without input from elsewhere to have that 'past experience' to draw upon.
Experience someone else's creativity.
Aside from getting enough sleep, my first piece of advice is to get out and experience someone else's creativity, in person, at least once or twice a week. It doesn't matter what it is - a play, a musical, a live band, a creative talk, anything at any art gallery or performances of any kind. In fact, the more varied, the better. Push your boundaries! If you're a heavy rock person, go see a ballet. If you love modern art, go to a retrospective of an old master.
Go with an open mind and see it from the point of view of the artist/musician/director. Appreciate how much effort it took to get it out to the public. Immerse yourself in it as much as possible and see it from a different, non-judgmental perspective. Find something you like about it. Appreciating someone else's talent and alternate worldview can refresh your own imagination and spark creative pathways you never would have ventured down. Netflix isn't the same, and neither is seeing TEDx once a year. It needs to be often and habitual and in person, to be effective.
In the last month I’ve seen two plays, a cirque style cabaret show, a contemporary ballet, White Rabbit Art Gallery and Gang of Youths in concert, which was epic. Each one gave me something for my creative soul!
So much talent! Rebecca Selly in the show VaVaVoom (which I caught recently). It was created by the incredible Ame Delves. PHOTO BY ME.
Acquire your own creative crew.
This doesn't have to be fellow creatives in the same company or even the same field as you, but a few close mates with whom you can share the love of a certain art form, particularly if they are more passionate about it than you. It's contagious when someone else loves something and seeing it through their eyes can make you react differently. You might even develop a passion for it yourself! At the very least, you will have regular people to go with and be able to chat about it afterwards. I have different crews for different things; one for art, for musicals, for plays and another for bands.
Creative people travel and always have.
Think Mary Shelly, Joseph Conrad, Chopin, Gauguin, Josephine Baker, Yves Saint Laurent and of course Hemmingway, amongst thousands of others. Travel, particularly international travel, helps develop your confidence, opens your mind, exposes you to new cultures, people and experiences and can inspire you in ways being in your own environment never would. Immersion and adaptation to a new environment will fire your senses and increase and improve your problem-solving skills and your creative thinking abilities. Take that holiday. Travel often. Even a weekend away in the country, immersing yourself in nature, can benefit your mind by physically taking you away from a problem and perhaps help you to look at it differently.
Say yes to new experiences.
It's a bit like the benefits of travel and seeing other people's creative talent. Saying 'Yes' to things you've never done has an incredible effect on our brains. Think expansion and development of neural pathways, open-mindedness and cognitive flexibility. You don't have to jump out of a plane or swim with sharks (although both are good ideas if you want to do them!) but do go to circus school for an afternoon, or an art or cooking class, or a car rally, or learn how to surf or skate, or even go on a guided tour of your own city.
Cultivate a positive attitude.
Do you tend to see the bright side of things or immediately jump to the worst conclusion? Most of us fall into one of two camps: optimists or pessimists. There's been a lot of research on how our attitude can affect our creativity, productivity and, most importantly, our health. According to experts, the real difference between optimists and pessimists is how they deal with problems and how they cope with setbacks, not how they view the world. A positive attitude will help you build resilience, your imagination, and even output. If you're a tad pessimistic, you'll be pleased to know that experts believe optimism is a trait that can be easily learned. So, get to it!
Quick mentor tip
If you're struggling and have a deadline, get away from the problem for a short while. Go for a 30-minute walk outside, to a park or where there is greenery, breathe deeply and smell the fresh air. Try to catch the sunset at the end of the day to wonder at it. If you live or work near water, go for a swim, or look out over it to the horizon, appreciate where you are, and be present. These activities change how your brain functions and will have you feeling refreshed and hopefully ready to go again by the time you return. Or, if none of these are possible, I find a long shower while playing loud music can work (while singing along, of course!).
Today's Inspo
If you haven't heard of him (you might be living under a rock?), this is Rag'n'Bone Man, an extraordinarily talented singer whose voice is transformative. This particular recording is with an equally talented group of muso's. I dare you not to feel something! HERE
Bonus inspo
If you're in Sydney, this is next on my calendar. Eternityland - described as 'A fantastical pop-up theatre experience unlike anything you've ever done before'. How could you resist that? HERE
Contact me.
Have you got a subject you'd like me to address in a future article? Either comment below or send me an email with the topic, or I'm happy to answer a short question privately. belinda@bellacreative.com.au
If you want to know more about me, explore my website (above). Feel free to share this article on your socials (click below) if you enjoyed reading it.