Would you like to feel more productive, more excited, and less like you're pulling teeth while creating your artwork? It could be as simple as turning your desk to face a window.
Does it ever seem like you're just not "on your game" and you can't figure out why? Perhaps you haven't yet found your Creative Groove. I had a realization recently that changed my whole sense of myself as an artist and creator. I was feeling discouraged about writing comedy, and not getting that "funny" feeling I get when I something makes me laugh for a while.
One day, while talking about it with a friend, we started joking and laughing, and I suddenly remembered that I'm funny when I'm with other people! Things strike me as funny, and I get to share them around people I have fun with--particularly people who I don't feel competitive with or judged by. That's when I open up, laugh at things, and start to feel the creative juices flowing. That's also when I pull out my notebook and joke that I'm going to write down what just happened. My friends laugh, but I really write it all down. If we "wrote" it together, I ask their permission to talk about it on stage.
I also know about myself that once I've written notes, I need time on my own to edit, sort things out, and use the other side of my brain to see what else I can fill in. I also use the time on my own to reflect if what I'm writing about really feels like it's in my "voice" and it's aligned with what I want to say to the world, or if it's really been influenced by that particular group of friends. Then, I go back to people again--this time an audience--to work on my material next.
I actually knew how to get into my Creative Groove, but I'd forgotten. Do you know where to tap into your Creative Groove? Take some time to answer these questions to help you consider when you feel most creative. What does your body or heart want to tell you about when it's happiest and most free? Is it:
Night time? Morning? Afternoon?
Every day, same time?
Big chunks some days? Little bits every day?
Doing it when you don't feel like it and then getting in the groove?
Only when you feel like it?
Do you groove better around people or alone?
Which part of the house? Or maybe a cafe? Loud cafe or quiet one?
Maybe at a co-working facility?
What foods help you create better?
Are you more creative standing? Walking? Dancing? How about showering?
Do you need to meditate, exercise, eat, sleep, or vent before you're ready to create?
"Would you eat them in a box? Would you eat them with a fox?"
-Dr. Suess
If feels like Green Eggs and Ham, you're on the right track. Invest some time getting to know just how you like to work! You'll be happy you did.
