I have a little confession. I love making music, but I hate performing live. In fact, I'm terrible at it. So I use music making as a way to release tension, decompress after a day, or just plain get my creative juices flowing. I know that if I put myself out there, I will most likely fail. But if I practice a lot of different things I like about music making before I actually perform live, I might find some success. That's how I approach writing too. I practice my craft by writing on paper first, and then moving it onto the page. But the process itself can be so rewarding that I often don't want to wait to perform live until I'm done writing!
In this article I'm going to share tips for getting into the right headspace, and then tips for unlocking your creative flow.
Getting Into The Right Head Space
To find your creative flow you need to be in the right headspace. To do this, start by slowing down and relaxing. You'll want to spend some time in a space that is completely quiet. Quiet doesn't necessarily mean isolated from others. It can simply mean being alone with your thoughts and surroundings. For instance, you can go on a nature walk by yourself or spend some time meditating.
While this sounds very peaceful, we often think that in order to really focus, we need to remove ourselves from our usual environment. It's true that distractions will get in the way. However, we don't need to give them power over us. You can still find the quiet without isolating yourself, and by doing so you may discover what's blocking you from accessing that creative space.
Try This: Go for a short walk by yourself. Maybe you'll even consider going for a hike and taking a picture of the surroundings. Don't worry about how it sounds to others, and try not to judge whether you're doing the activity correctly. Just focus on the moment and take a step back from what's going on around you.
Once you're feeling calm and ready to begin, start thinking about the different things you do that inspire creativity in you. I'm going to list five ideas here to get you started, but I encourage you to come up with your own list.
Write
Make Music
Play Games
Watch Movies
Draw
After coming up with a list, you can start looking for ways that you can apply these activities to your life. How many of them are you already using to relax? Use them to get into the right head space when you need to find your flow.
Unlocking Your Creative Flow
Now that you've found ways that can help you access the quiet space that you need to become creative, how do you get there? Here are some ways to find your creative flow and start tapping into your inner artist:
- Start Where You Are
Don't force yourself to go where you know you can't. You can always start from