AND stay motivated in your Creative Space
Have you lost your creative mojo?
Can’t find the glue gun for your glitter?
Working in a creative niche can be super fun and energizing. Like when you get the colour just right. Or your seams match perfectly. And that AH-mazing feeling when something turns out way better than you thought it would.
But the flip side? We all have those days, you know what I’m talking about right….?
Those “blah” days.
Those stay in pjs and watch Netflix days….
Those “stand at the kitchen bench eating cheese whilst thinking about what you actually SHOULD be doing” kind of days.
Yo yo. I’m telling you. You’re NOT alone. I love my job. Like LOVE it. But I still have “blah days”, and these are my 3 sure fire ways to get my creative butt shakin’ and my hands a-makin’!
ONE: Clean up and Organise your Creative Space
Now I know that you’re already suffering from the “can’t be bothered blues” but this one WORKS.
Can you remember what happened last time you cleaned up your creative space? I bet you found something cool that you’d forgotten you even had. You then immediately went to play with it or create something with that item and ceased all cleaning right? RIGHT?
So this tip is really not about cleaning and organizing, it’s about tricking your brain, finding something cool and getting back your creative mojo!
Worst case scenario, you wont find anything amazing that sparks your creativity. In this instance, I would suggest going to your nearest craft shop or fabric store and buying more stuff. No, really. At the very least you’ll have a tidy & clean workspace for when your creative mood returns.
So whether you have a sewing/craft room or a cupboard or plastic tub where you store all your crafting notions, get it organized. Pull everything out and have a look at what you’ve got. Get rid of the stuff you no longer want or need.
Wipe down the shelves or counter tops where you work. Put new needles or blades in your equipment. Untangle the cord to that bloody hot glue gun that makes it impossible to close that drawer!
You get the idea.
TWO: Make a List
What are you working on at the moment? I’m tipping there is not just ONE project on the go. If you’re anything like me you’ve probably go several things that are half done and begging to be finished.
A lot of the time having too many projects on the go actually STEALS my mojo. I get overwhelmed and annoyed at myself for starting yet ANOTHER quilt before I finished the previous. And I know why. Because you don’t that “feeling” often enough. You know that “feeling” you get when you finish something, stand back and say “that’s freaking awesome and I made it, so that means I’M freaking awesome!”
There is REWARD in finishing a project, and being rewarded means you’re likely to repeat that behavior. Its goes like this:
Completion + Reward + Repeat = Motivated Maker
Not the most complicated of equations but makes sense don’t you think?
I usually write a list of things that need completing and arrange them in order of the project that will take the least of time to get done. That way I’m going to reach that “reward” component quicker!
This list making plan can also be applied to all the crazy ideas in your head. Creative peoples brains run a mile minute, we are thinking about that pattern, the colors we love, the fabric we wanna use, the tutorial we saw online etc etc etc.
And with all that activity its easy to lose focus and feel overwhelmed. Get your self a cheap notepad and jot down those ideas and glimmers of creative greatness. In no time, youll have a vault full of ideas and plans that you can reflect back to whenever you need!
THREE: Get Social!
You feel like sitting around doing nothing anyway right…? At least you can kinda feel productive by checking out the amazing work of others online. Social media has a mountain of creative geniuses posting their work online so that your eyes and your creative heart can be entertained. Particularly Instagram. Now let me tell you sister, if you go down the handmade rabbit hole that exists on Instagram you may never return!
All you need to do is search a hashtag that relates to your creative passion and it’s ‘bye bye blah’ and ‘heelllooo lovely!’
Try searching for hastags that are broad and you’ll get the most results. For eg. #handmadebags if you’re into Bag Making. #quiltsofinstagram if you’re a Quilter. I love checking out all the embroidery on #crossstitch.
I put together a list of my favourite Quilters on Instagram in one handy post that you can find here.
Next stop, PINTEREST. Same deal here. Do a search on your favourite topic or hobby and let work of others nourish your soul!
Just don’t let your Social Media binge turn into a procrastination…. Yeah I see you with your thumb all sore from scrolling down Instagram ; )
When you’ve lost your creative mojo and the motivation to get stuff done is nowhere to be seen, these are a the little tricks I use to get the pep back in my creative step!
And if these don’t work for you, maybe your body is telling you that you need a day off… Go eat some cheese and catch up on your Netflix babe, and we’ll catch you tomorrow!
Kerri x