Finding Your Not So Creative Inspiration…

A few tips for getting your creative content out, even when you don’t feel like it.

In this issue: The Lighter Side of Thanksgiving / Finding Your Not So Creative Inspiration… / The Best Gratitude Practices

Why you’re getting this:

I'm Andrea J. Miller and this is my “The Wellthy Leader” Newsletter. I send this to people in my networks, people I’ve met recently, and friends I want to keep in touch with. You can unsubscribe (SEE THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE EMAIL) anytime, I won’t be offended

The Lighter Side of Thanksgiving…

To all those celebrating, I wish you and your families a very happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving holiday!

Finding Your Not So Creative Inspiration…

A few tips for getting your creative content out, even when you don’t feel like it.

You decide you want to write a post.

How hard can it be?

Initially you tell yourself you’ll publish it on Monday. It’s the start of the week, people are looking for inspiration.

Monday comes around and you’re stuck.

You struggle to come up with ideas, let alone write anything you’d want to publish.

So you think, Tuesday, Tuesday is a great day to send something out. People were busy catching up on Monday and are waiting for something interesting to read on Tuesday… if only you were able to do it.

The more stressed you get, the more difficult it becomes.

Sound familiar?

You’re not alone.

In the past week, two of my coaching clients told me they had the same issue, and both found very different solutions.

The Creative Process Isn’t What You Think

For one client. the answer was simply and unpleasantly as Hemingway wrote, “drilling a rock and blasting it out with charges.”

He had been telling himself that if he were any good at writing then it should be easy – frankly, that’s bullsh*t.

Often great writing comes from simply and stubbornly sitting in front of your computer and writing, re-writing, and then doing that again and again until you think it isn’t total crap.

When you’re done or just tired of looking at it, you press send, hope for the best, and prepare yourself to accept the worst.

Gradually, you do that enough times and it becomes easier…most of the time.

My other client realized she really needed to fall in love with her work. Once she found a subject she was passionate about the words came flooding out.

Which is right?

For me, it’s both and…embracing the need, at times, for creative constraints and limitations.

Monday may turn into Tuesday, but Wednesday (hmm, isn’t today Wednesday?) is a hard stop. At that point, it’s butt in seat until I get the damn thing done.

Work, whether writing or some other pursuit isn’t always a matter of love or desire, sometimes it’s just sheer determination, commitment, and gritting it out.  And that’s okay.

You’ve been sold a false promise of how things get done.

It’s not always easy.

It’s not always fun.

And it doesn’t always turn out the way you want it to.

But (and here’s where it gets interesting), it doesn’t matter.

Each time you finish – whether you or anyone else thinks it’s good or bad – you build the muscle and you learn that you can do it. You also learn you’re the type of person who gets things done.

It becomes your superhero identity (I really need to stop watching all those Marvel Universe movies :).

However, at times we all need ideas, support, and/or inspiration to get the job done…here are a few things that have worked for me.

Five Simple Ways to Move From Stuck to Creative

1.     1 + 1 = 3

How many times have you started something only to put it aside because it didn’t “work?” There’s a magic that can happen when you combine ideas… often combining two mediocre ones can lead to a great one. My client took two interesting and disparate things and turned it into an even greater final product. What ideas have you been thinking about that may not seem quite right on their own that when put together become a more interesting final product.

2.     Phone a friend

It’s easy to get stuck in your head pondering the same story idea(s) over and over until even you’re bored with that seemingly great idea. Sometimes you just need a thinking partner or coach who can help you see the topic from a different perspective and recharge your excitement, so you can, as my client did fall back in love with your work.

3.     Take a nap

Creativity can be difficult when you’re tired. I got the idea for this post after a 15-minute nap. I hadn’t slept well the night before and within a few minutes of closing my eyes, the ideas came flooding through. Though I didn’t get much sleep, I gained clarity.

If you need more proof, a recent A study from the University of York and the University of Florida found more than 40% of our creative ideas come during downtime when we take the time to allow our minds to wander.

4.     It’s All Been Done Before…Just Not by You

Sometimes inspiration comes in the form of other people’s work. Let’s face it at this point just about everything that needs to be said, has been said, just not by you. This isn’t the first post on creativity and getting past writer’s block, however (good or bad) it’s the first time I’ve written about it.

Stay present and seek inspiration from the typical (podcasts, articles, conversations, etc) and the seemingly atypical places.

5.     Constraints and Slog Through Method

Not every good idea feels good at the moment, sometimes you just have to give yourself a deadline, slog through it and get the damn thing done. The process may not feel great at the moment, but it works.  Remove your excuses and just do it.

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In the spirit of Thanksgiving: From The Huberman Lab, The Best Gratitude Practices

Science has shown that gratitude provides tremendous positive effects on mental and physical health, however, the most commonly used gratitude practices are ineffective (such as gratitude lists). Dr. Huberman discusses the key elements of highly effective gratitude and uses the science of gratitude to design a brief but highly effective protocol that you can implement.

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Are there any other subjects you want me to cover? Hit “Reply” and tell me!

I love hearing from you :)!

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Andrea J. Miller

+1 (646) 556-5401 (Whatsapp)