Have you ever felt stuck in a creative funk?
For some this looks like lack of interest in your craft, and for others there is interest without motivation to act. Intellectually you know this phase won’t last forever, but it can feel frustrating while you’re in the midst of the slump.
You know how good it feels to spend time on your hobby and advance your projects.
I have been in this place more times than I can count. Truth be told, sometimes I experience fraudy feelings as a creative business owner who struggles with this problem.
Over time, I’ve honed my ability to escape a creative funk by 1) giving myself permission to think and then 2) forcing myself to stop. This was the process that led to my album approach and a more recent transition to creating hybrid pocket pages.
Here’s how to try it for yourself:
Step-by-Step Plan for Getting Out of a Creative Funk
1. Identify and accept the situation. You can’t start making your way through and out of a slump without recognizing that it’s there. Instead of running a negative internal monologue, remind yourself that it’s normal to sometimes feel uncreative.
2. Take note of any life changes or unique obstacles. While it’s quite common to experience a downturn in creative energy for no specific reason, it’s always worth taking a look at the season of life you’re in right now. Has anything changed recently?
3. Look for possible course corrections. If crafting feels like you’re swimming upstream, it could be time to change direction. That could look like adjusting your expectations, switching up formats, or working to find your most creative time of the day.
4. Schedule a 15-minute creative date and follow through. This step is the clincher because you need to transition from thinking in your head to acting in the real world. Sometimes you can get so wrapped up in your own internal dialogue that you forget what it feels like to create.
5. Repeat #4 until your creative funk is gone. You may feel some resistance as you get started again and again, but it will get easier. The key is to maintain the 15-minute boundary to help ensure you can always find time to fit it in.
We all go through periods of low motivation. It’s a natural and normal part of the creative process. A thoughtful pause will move you in the right direction, but ultimate you must create your way out of a funk.
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