LTieu-staycreative

Are you feeling drained or stuck in your creative endeavors?

If creativity is part of your job – as it is for me – it’s supremely important to keep the fire burning. The key is to figure out what drives your motivation and thus productivity on a day-to-day basis. It’s a lifestyle, right?

I believe it all boils down to body, mind and spirit. If you take care of yourself in those aspects, you’ll be feeding your creative soul properly to function every single day. It’s pretty simple and straightforward actually, but you need to make sure you put that knowledge to use.

My Creative Health Checklist
I’ve decided to use a creative health checklist that goes through the important body, mind and spirit checkpoints. When you feel a bit drained or stuck, run through this list and see if there isn’t something you need to address to get your mojo back. It’s as simple as that.

For the body:

  1. Get enough sleep and rest – let’s face it, you can’t function at your creative best if you are just too tired.
  2. Hydrate and eat well – have you had your ration of H2O for the day? Are you eating healthy and nourishing your body?
  3. Exercise – get your body moving, weather it’s long walks with your fur baby (my favorite option) or a solo dance party in your studio. Endorphins give you energy and suddenly you start feeling like doing more. Seriously, it works!

For the mind:

  1. Feed your brain – your creative juices need stimulating, so don’t neglect your creative tastebuds! Often we get a bit stagnant, just toiling away in front of the computer or going through our normal routines. Try a new activity or a new experience to spark up the fire within. You must intake stimuli to give your mind something to churn on.
  2. Stay positive – remember to be kind to yourself and no matter what happens, find that silver lining. The world is really a better place if you focus on the part of the glass that is half-full. Sometimes you’ll have to give yourself a cupcake treat after a bad day. Sometimes you’ll have to take deep breaths and chant some affirmations to get through a difficult experience. Even if nothing dramatic is going on, thinking positive and staying upbeat naturally transform into motivation. You might have a positive affirmation journaling practice, for example. Ultimately, positivity is just a more joyful way to live and create.

For the spirit:

  • Stay away from the negative – this sort of crosses from mind to spirit, but the idea is to protect yourself from leeches and naysayers. Negativity, party-poopers, people who steal your energy because they can’t stop complaining or creating drama – limit your contact. Sometimes you have to be there for your friends and family, but not to the extent that it brings you down as well. That won’t do anyone any good at all.
  • Nurture your soul – this is a definitely a personal ritual that you would develop for yourself. The idea is to ground yourself and connect with that bigger something out there. Maybe you practice a particular religion, maybe not. Maybe you simply like to take long walks in the woods and connect with nature. Maybe it’s your morning meditation or simply the morning coffee/tea time you spend in tranquility. Whatever it is, don’t forget to give yourself that kind of time.

If you make sure to run through this creative health checklist, I’m sure you’ll find yourself more balanced and creatively motivated on an ongoing basis. With energy and ideas, you’ll naturally be more productive. Ultimately, it’s a lifestyle!

What keeps your mojo flowing day-to-day?