Being creative can be hard, and with the challenging times over the past few months, many people have felt their creative juices decrease, and with that comes a confidence drop.
However, it doesn’t have to be a struggle, and there are a few ways that you can help your creativity to make a return. Below, we’ve come up with a few tips on how to deal with creative doubt and inspiration fatigue.
Pen and Paper at the Ready
They say that creativity can come early in the morning or late at night, and we know many instances of people getting a sudden light bulb moment just as they drop off to sleep. Keep a pen and paper next to your bed so that you can jot these thoughts down as you most likely won’t remember them in the morning if not. Also, the Notes app on your phone is great if you have a lightbulb moment in the middle of the day but are unable to dedicate the time to it at that instant - you can instead remember it for later and give it the time it deserves.
Enjoy the Process
Often, artists can beat themselves up for not having a definitive ‘style’, and paired with comparing themselves with other artists - it never ends well. However, a sage piece of advice would be that instead of actively looking for your ‘style’, enjoy the journey of finding it. Experiment with different media, colours and drawing/painting styles. Let your brain ‘gunk’ out on to paper, and you may be surprised at what you find!
Don’t Take on Too Much
If you’re working on a big project and are not sure where to begin, it can sometimes be overwhelming. Putting too much pressure on yourself is likely to hinder your creativeness. To tackle this, break the project down into smaller tasks. Extra points if you can tick/highlight them off once complete.
Feel the Feelings
Some days you will feel like you can take on the world, and other days you will want to curl up on the sofa and not think about creating (very much like this Gemma Correll art print). But it’s important to remember that confidence can have its peaks and throughs and can fluctuate from time to time. Chances are, if you allow yourself to feel what you feel, you’ll be back on your feet in no time!
Ask Your Community
There are lots of supportive people out there who will help you in your hour of need - and Instagram Story polls and questions are a great way to do this. You’ll get answers you never even thought of, and it may also be a great way to meet other creatives to talk through ideas with. Don’t have a social media presence? No problem - just ask your friends and family!
Track Your Progress
When they say ‘you learn something new every day’, they couldn’t be more right. Continue learning and improving. It’s easy to forget how far you’ve come, especially when you’re already doubting yourself, so remember to look back on your old work and be proud of how far you've come. Even a scroll down to the very first Instagram post will probably prove to you how much you’ve grown!
It’s important to remember that lack of self-esteem and doubt are very normal, so don’t beat yourself for feeling like this. Your inspiration and creativity will come back, sometimes all it needs is a little nudge.