Strip away the unnecessary.
Whatever is cramping up your days with clutter and useless, time-consuming work, rid of it. Or, if you cannot completely rid yourself of it, figure out where the holes are. Then work on fixing them. Don’t just patch them, where you’ll be okay for a little bit, but once work picks back up, the leaks will reappear; make sure they are gone. By reducing friction in all facets of your work and life, you are now able to focus on the important without worrying about the minor details. To become the creative you want to be you need to make sure you allow yourself the time and space necessary to do so. If you're unsure how to, below are a few ways you can begin today.
Build a routine
This does not have to be well-structured down to the minute of every day. The idea here is that there is an expectation for you to produce creative work. It is no longer a matter of whether or not you are in the mood to paint or record a course; you will. Creatives that make a living off of what they do make an effort to produce something even when they don’t feel like it. By building a routine, you are merely saying that you’ll sit down from 9-12 to create, or you will carve out some other space in your day directly devoted to creating--no questions asked.
Begin with intention
What is your goal with your creative work? It can merely be to write 1,000 words every day or to create ads in Canva. The point of this is that you need to have a purpose for the day so that regardless of if “you’re in the mood” or not, you will still work. Your mind will expect to do the work. It might not be “good,” but that does not matter. The work will be done, and maybe it can be edited, or perhaps it’s trash--but you did it.
Write down ideas whenever you get them
Keep a notebook with you, or use your phone to record the words, photos, or thoughts that come into your mind when they do. Be sure to capture them when they happen because they might not reappear in the same way to you. Assume that you don’t know what you’re talking about, and note down all of the essential details regarding the idea. This way, when you look back later, you’re not confused, wondering what you meant earlier.
Copy other artists and creators
Not in the sense of selling their work to make a profit. Instead, look at what others have done or are doing in the field you’re working in and pay attention. Try out their ideas to see how they work for you. What do you like? What do you not like? From there, you can twerk it to your creative desires and find what your voice is. Your voice is a mixture of all of your inspirations in one. Your voice is the message and story you choose to share.
Looking for inspiration on ways to build small creative habits into your day? Check out this article on Inc. 32 Easy Exercises to Boost Your Creativity Every Day to explore what you can add to your life.
