The 4 Things That Got Me Out of My Creative Block




Photo by rawpixel.com

Admittedly, for the past months (and the past I don't know how long), I've been out of it. Quite ironic because I've established this blog precisely for that -- to inspire others to keep on keeping on despite thriving in the real world, despite having an 8-hour job, but here I am, withering away after spending more than a month 6 feet under the pile of work I needed done. The transition to another specialization and hopping from one province to another weren't so kind for my creative juices.




Anyway, enough with that ridiculously long blabber. For the past week or so, I've been trying to bounce back up. I started the year with sooooo many things I wanted to do. At one point, I wanted to venture into watercoloring, but eventually, it didn't prove to be right for me and I shifted priorities as the first quarter of the year came to an end. I guess, right now, all I want to focus on is this blog and my fiction writing. The world of storytelling is calling me back and it's just about time I return that call. Here are the things I've been doing to bring me back on track.

4. Setting aside time for the things I love.

Pau Pursues Passion: Passion Planner
(Photo from website)

I've recently gotten a Passion Planner and I initially wanted it to be my overall planner. I started out with this this August but after tainting it a bit with a few bullet points for work, I decided to scrap out the idea of having it as my planner for everything.

"Passion Planner" is coincidentally somewhat in line with my blog, Pau Pursues Passion, which is why this planner now holds everything about my digital abode. Prior to purchasing this gem, I didn't really have a planner for the blog. Well, I tried to, but it was just some notebook I found in a local department store. It took away the joy of looking at dates, penning down what you have to do, and crossing them out as you go along. On my undated Passion Planner, I pen down a few attainable blog goals or creative goals for the day and I make sure I meet them. I also take note of the small successes I had for the week; successes that were all about the things I love to do. On the first week of August, I got the blog revamped (hopefully the last one in a long time. Thanks, 11th March Designs!) and got hooked up with two podcasts and two books. How's that for a creative boost! 

So go ahead, dear creative. Commit to your crafts, your passions, or anything that stimulates the colorful side of your brain even for just an hour or two a day. 

3. Finding creative stimulants. 

Rabbits Podcast


The past week or so had been crazy because my brain had been on ultra-hyper creative mode thanks to a few stimulants! What started it all is Rabbits Podcast which was made by the team behind my ultimate favorite, The Black Tapes Podcast. It cascaded pretty quickly afterwards, and the next thing I know, I've finished it and hopped to Limetown Podcast. Simultaneously, I was also reading a book, Too Like The Lightning, recommended by a good friend. I then discovered another book, one which I'd likely read and write about, called Requirem For the Devil. These creative stimulants made me want to strive and make time for my writing again. It drew me back to those nights when I let my imagination wander free, take notes of what it has picked up in its little journey, and start writing about them. After all, I did tell myself  I will no longer let the writer in me die down again.

Is the world weighing you down? Is reality eating you up? Let your love for whatever it is that keeps you up at night and keeps your imagination running free consume you again. Pick up the book, listen to the music, watch that movie, take those photos, etc. Go back to what you love to do -- the things you don't do for a living, the things that fuel up something so much more inside you. Give yourself that overdose of creative stimulants and push yourself to pursue passions, too!

2. Browsing for Resources.

Pau Pursues Passion is on Pinterest, too!

I don't really use Pinterest as a typical social media platform for followers and likes, not even for the blog. I have a board for Pau Pursues Passion (and a neglected account, too) but mostly, I use it to search for resources and references for blogging and fiction-writing, not to mention future home and fashion ideas. Sometimes, browsing social media sites can become exhausting and a total waste of precious hours. If you have some spare time to kill, why not just browse up on resources? There's always something new to learn and it's a good way to keep you going. I know it does, for me. Though I may not be able to implement the things I've learned immediately, it's still a productive way to give me a mental boost while passing some spare time as well. 

My Pinterest account is very much scattered. Here, you can find a bunch random references from blogging and writing, to SEO, journaling, wedding themes, mood boards, and heck, even fitness. On free days, I love browsing the stuff I've pinned and taking down notes about it. I'll admit, my blogging board has helped me a lot in establishing Pau Pursues Passion.

1. Reading more / exploring more.  

Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer

As mentioned somewhere up there, I've been reading this book called  Too Like the Lightning. With the paranormal writer and reader that I am, this type of book wouldn't be a priority on my reading list. Still, there was something about it that was enthralling; something about its first few chapters that instantly captured my attention and made me want to read more, despite it being out of my genre. 

Sometimes, it's okay to get out of the usual and expand our horizons a little bit more. Explore new tastes, new worlds, new sounds beyond what you're used to. There's something about wandering a little bit more in the unknown that keeps our brain more alert than usual -- we get new ideas, spark up new interests, and even give us the push we need to continue the things we have started. Go ahead and venture through undiscovered paths. Try to pick something up along the way. :)

(PS: for short reads and great articles, I use Bloglovin and Medium. It's nice to know what fuels others, too.)

----

Whew! Okay, this post was a mouthful. See what having a dose of creativity can do? I hope, somehow, if you've lost your way through the journey of fueling what keeps your creativity flowing, this post will be of help in any way. The dreamers, the artists, the writers, the creative minds, we make this world extra colorful. Let's stick together and continue making great things happen. :)

How do you get out of your creative block?

Keep making things happen

  

0 comments

Let me know what you think about this!