NOURISH YOUR CREATIVITY

Most often, I wake up rearing to go and ready to attack my creative goals for the day. I love what I do, and it hardly ever feels like work. For that, I am so grateful! But for the days or hours that feel just BLAH, I have a list of things I can to do in order to nourish my creativity. I believe that it’s incredibly important to take care of your creativity and nourish it every day.

10 WAYS TO NOURISH YOUR CREATIVITY

01

Keep style files. When I’m feeling low on ideas and totally NOT creative – I refer to my style files. Sometimes this is a folder on my hard drive, or an actual paper folder of things that inspire , or sometimes a ‘secret’ board on Pinterest. However you prefer, tuck things away that you love to refer back to when you need help getting your creative juices flowing. Think magazine articles, photographs, color palettes and more!

02

Brighten your space. Working in natural daylight is an absolute MUST for me and my sanity. I’ve worked in dark places before, and they leave me feeling tired, burnt out and depressed. This is such a concern of mine, that the amount of natural day light was the number one thing I considered when designing our home. If it’s dark where you work, consider taking your work outside or moving it closer to a window, and seeing if it makes you feel any differently.

03

Step away from the computer. 70% o all my creative work has to be done while sitting in front of a computer. Sometimes, I just need to take a break! This is when I take a walk, get outside, or do something hands-on and creative in my home. Whatever revives you, do it!

04

Keep something pretty in sight. This is simple and maybe a little silly, but it WORKS. A pretty plant or simple vase of flowers does the trick for me. It could be a photograph, piece of artwork or notebook, as well.

05

Keep a clean work space. What’s that saying, tidy desk = a tidy mind? Keep your work space organized and your brain will be soon to follow!

06

Personal hygiene. Haha, but seriously! I remember when I first started showering first thing in the morning and it made the biggest difference. If you work from home, it can be incredibly easy to catch yourself in the afternoon with your pajamas still on. Start getting fully ready in the morning and you’ll feel empowered, professional and motivated to work. (Just to be clear: I’m not saying dress up, just be appropriate if your neighbor stops by!)

07

Stay energized. Some do it with coffee, others do it with green smoothies and plenty of sleep. Whatever it is, just remember that energy = creativity.

08

Keep something pretty in sight. This is simple and maybe a little silly, but it WORKS. A pretty plant or simple vase of flowers does the trick for me. It could be a photograph, piece of artwork or notebook, as well.

09

Take time off. Sometimes, I just need a day. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and zapped, don’t push it. Do some mundane tasks that don’t require your creativity like answering emails or organizing your work station. If you can afford it, give yourself an entire day off and spend it doing something you love.

10

Work when you’re motivated. Because a creative entrepreneur means I can work whenever I like (woop!). Creatives don’t always feel motivated to work from 9 to 5, so work when you feel most motivated. For some, it will be late into the night, for others it may be very early in the morning. Tune in to your energy and put your most motivated time to good use.

PRACTICE ON REPEAT

These practices have worked for me - truthfully, at the beginning of my creative career, this list was SO much shorter. It's genuinely through trail and error, frustration & failures that's caused this list to grow

More than 10 - makes something simple more complicated than needed. I hope this list encourages you that order, care, being surrounded by beauty and things that inspire, and rest are part of this beautiful journey as a creative entrepreneur. Find some time, maybe heart-storm which of these 10 feel right and intuitive to you - what could you add or edit to fit this creative life you're creating?