How To Refuel Your Creativity When You’re Running on Empty

Absorb new inspiration. It doesn’t matter what you read, or where you go....if you’re not open to receiving fresh inspiration, you’ll feel as uncreative as sitting at home in the dark. Let your senses fill with everything that’s around you, notice the details you previously overlooked, be curious about what ideas and creative projects can be developed from everything you experience as you go about your day.

Remind yourself how creative you can be. Take some time to look back at the last year or few years and recall some of the creative projects you’ve been most proud of. Once you start writing them down, there will turn out to be more than you realised. You created then, and you will create again. Your creativity may go through quiet spells if neglected, but it can always be rejuvenated with a little care and attention.

Try a brand new medium. When you create in just one form, and get stuck, it can feel like your creativity in every area has completely dried up. So shift the scenery a little, try a new creative form you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t. Adopt an attitude of experimentation and play, and have fun exploring your creativity in this new way, without the expectation of instantly creating masterpieces.

Join a creative community. One of the hardest parts of most creative disciplines is doing it all alone. So rather than creating whilst wondering if anyone else in the word knows or cares, connect with others who definitely do know and care, and will support and encourage. The difference when you feel part of a creative and mutually supportive group of artists can transform your creativity levels.

Just create. If you write words on a piece of paper or type words on your computer, you’re a writer. It doesn’t matter if you start by writing: “I don’t know how to write, I’m hoping by just writing it’ll unlock something” fifty times over. It will unlock something. Just the physical act of creating means you’ve made that commitment and you’ve given your creativity permission to flow.