4 Tips To Tend To Your Creative Maintenance
As creators, I’m sure we’ve all hit a point where we’ve felt burnt out, depleted, and uninspired. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon, as we’re always using energy as ideas flow out of us and it’s hard to get out of a rut as quickly as most of us would like.
It’s sooooo important to nurture your inner child to not only keep yourself inspired, but also to take care of yourself mentally and emotionally as a creator. We call this “creative maintenance.” Creative maintenance is a form of self-care and can help rejuvenate and inspire you so you can continue pushing out fresh ideas. Yes, you can use creative maintenance when you’re feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, creatively blocked or just a lack of motivation in general, but it’s also extremely helpful to nurture your creativity all the time even if you aren’t feeling these things.
Having a few creative maintenance techniques in your back pocket will help you to keep your inspiration flowing and nourish your creativity so you can keep doing what you love!
Take Time to Rest and Recover
I probably mention this in every post ever, but it’s arguably the most important thing a creative person (or any person in general) can take time to do. Rest and recovery is so important, especially for creatives. What we do is very demanding work and we sometimes forget to rest and take care of ourselves because we’re always in a zone when creating. When you’re feeling off, tired, or a lack of motivation, the first thing you should try is resting.
For a simple and quick recharge, try taking a walk, getting a good night’s sleep, or spending time doing a hobby outside of your creative work. Something small may be all you need to reset. If you feel burnt out and exhausted, you probably need more of a deep rest. Give yourself time off. I know it’s SO hard for us creatives to even fathom taking time away from our craft, but you’ll be more efficient and put out better work after a long rest.
2. Take Yourself on an Artist Date
An artist date is doing something your own that interests you and fills your cup. It doesn’t matter what you do - as long as it’s fun and refreshing for you. The best artists dates are the ones where you can fully indulge in your own curiosity and sense of wonder!
They can be as simple as listening to a new artist or genre of music that you normally don’t listen to, writing yourself a letter, or reading a book in a beautiful outdoor environment. If you want something a little more exciting, you can try things like going to an art museum, going on a hike to explore, or attending a class on a topic that interests you. Do whatever keeps things fresh and different for you and do them as often as you need to keep yourself excited and inspired!
3. Create and Accomplish “The Shortlist”
You’re probably wondering what a shortlist even is. Well it’s EXACTLY what it sounds like. A literal short list. It’s just a small list of easy, manageable tasks. Now, I know what you’re going to say… Why would you ever need a list like this?
Well, as creatives we all experience our fair share of unmotivated days where everything just feels extra difficult and taxing. Maybe you feel burnt out day-after-day and can’t find your way into a better headspace. Or maybe you feel more severe feelings of unease, worry, hopelessness, or emptiness. (Disclaimer: If you feel symptoms of anxiety or depression, be sure to seek help and consult a healthcare professional to discuss treatment.) Either way, a great, simple way to help you be more mindful and present in the moment while you’re going through this tough time is The Shortlist.
Every day make a list of 3-5 easy tasks, like taking a shower, getting dressed, making the bed, or just stepping outside for 10 minutes. Giving yourself an easy to-do list will help you feel accomplished, which in turn, will bring back your confidence and help you rebalance yourself.
4. Try Something Different
Another tip to nurture your creativity and help you escape a creative block or burnout is to simply try something different. So vague, so simple, yet SO effective. This can be literally anything, from trying a different creative process, trying a different artform, or changing up your environment.
Trying a different creative process means switching up what you normally do a little to see what happens. Maybe start with something different than you usually start with in your process. If you create in the morning, maybe try creating at night instead.
Trying a different artform allows you to continue to express yourself, just in a different way. If you normally make music, try dancing or painting instead. This new artform can be used as an emotional outlet, while also giving you much needed time away from your regular craft.
Changing your environment and where you normally create may be all you need to find that spark again. This could simply be going into a different room, outside in your backyard, or to a park. Or you can really switch it up and go on a trip, rent out an Airbnb, and try creating in a totally new setting. No matter where you choose, just make sure it reinspires you.
Burnout and exhaustion is SO real for those that work in a creative field and live creative lives. That’s why creative maintenance is so important to help you through the ups and downs of this lifestyle. It’s necessary to nurture your creativity all the time, not just when you experience lack of motivation and burnout, to avoid the pitfalls as much as possible. These techniques can give you the support you need to continue working on your craft and delivering your best work possible, while, most importantly, having fun and enjoying what you do.
