How to create when you're not so in the mood to be creative
I didn’t feel like writing tonight.
Even though I have a warm cup of tea by my side and a new co-working buddy on the screen with me.
Even though I have a eucalyptus lavender candle flickering on my desk, and I usually find writing by candlelight a magical experience.
Even though I went for a walk with my partner and my pup before sitting down to write.
Even after practicing the 4 x 4 x 4 breath.
I didn’t feel like writing tonight.
I share all of this…because even in the most ripe conditions, even if we nail all of our routines and rituals that make us feel good in a day…..
We’ll still have days where we don’t feel like creating.
Where we don’t feel motivated or inspired.
This is all so very normal.
Interest, motivation, inspiration, energy, creativity and focus.
They all take a dive or dip here and there.
They ebb and flow.
Just like learning to handle self-doubt and fear, learning to move through the dips in motivation and blocks is all a part of being creative.
I would argue that moving past doubt or willing yourself to create when you’re not feeling motivated are both creative acts themselves.
On days like this what I find most helpful is to begin creating (you know me - movement is magic)....BUT with a very important caveat….
I ask myself to make the teeniest commitment.
This teeny commitment is like a release valve for the pressure.
It doesn’t overwhelm our nervous system or freak out our brains too much. There are little to no expectations.
I didn't ask myself to write a newsletter even though that’s what was on my to-do list. That would be like asking myself to jump into a cold, fast moving river with rocks and rapids (okay maybe a of bit extreme example - but no thanks)
I asked myself to just write for 3 minutes.
That felt like easing myself into a hot bath.
Three minutes feels doable.
I can do three minutes. You can do three minutes.
Once I begin, once I’m writing (or painting or whatever activity it is) then I bring in the playful and curious energy. Often it’s through asking myself questions, through visualizing and using my imagination, or physical movement or turning the activity into a game somehow.
There are endless ways we can tap into and channel these energies. Learning and practicing how to do this is a core part of the coaching I offer.
Tonight I chose to ask myself questions and continued to write. That initial 3 minutes turned into 42 more minutes. Most of it felt like a plod, but something shifted near the end.
From those teeny commitments and bouts of creating...sometimes momentum builds, you may find yourself in the flow.
It begins to feel more natural, more easeful maybe.
Or maybe not. Maybe it still feels like a plod.
That’s okay…because either way you're being creative…making one more teeny commitment to yourself after another.
After 20 minutes or an hour …..you just might find yourself appreciating what you’ve created…maybe even having a bit of fun or feeling a bit energized or inspired. Maybe even delighting in your own ability to be resilient.
You just may surprise yourself by what you end up creating and how something that you were so “not in the mood” to do ended up lifting you up, satisfying you in some way.