Working from home can get lonely and sometimes being creative can be hard for me with the lack of changing environment and engagement from people. I am at a point in my business where creativity is important so when I get that feeling of being stuck and uninspired I need to find ways to move me to a different place.
I was sitting at home feeling a little sorry for myself, getting stuck and sucked into scrolling wastefully on social media. I was getting stagnant and it was difficult for the new ideas and thoughts to flow. I then began to feel guilty for not having completed all I planned for the day and with the guilt came a negative spiral of feeling I am not good enough to push my business forward. It was not a productive path to take so getting out the house and going for a walk, and moving sounded like a good idea to take me to that different place.
Moving and walking often brings me a new lease of life. I am an ultra-runner and have been running for years. Running has been my way of escaping, clearing my mind after arguments, creating space for me and letting off steam and frustration. When I am running my thoughts come and go and I always feel better after a run. I notice that when I slow down, my thoughts flow slower and problems get resolved and ideas are born.
I got out of the house and went for a walk. It was a beautiful day, the autumn sun felt warm on my skin and highlighted the changing colour of the leaves as I walked through the forest up my local hill. As I strolled my thoughts started to flow, bouncing off one another. Each thought feed into another in a way that was not happening sitting in my office at home. As I got to the top of the hill I had some great ideas of where to take my business so I decided to stop and sit on the grass and feel the ideas. I was filled with a new energy. I had taken a little notepad with me so I wrote down my thoughts. As I sat enjoying the grass under my bare feet, the slight breeze in my hair and rustling of the fallen leaves, I felt like nature was filling me with more ideas. I wrote them down as they came up with no judgement and complete trust that each idea could be something to work with.
Sitting on the grass, watching the world go by, brought a sense of relaxation and ease to flow within me. I don’t spend enough time just doing nothing, sitting and being with myself. I am often running 100 miles an hour achieving this or that, however I am learning to slow down and appreciate what a slower pace can give me. I have placed more focus over the last year on slowing down and BEING. I went part time, I take more baths just for relaxation, I began to mediate more and more, I would go for walks or just sit on the balcony and enjoy the birds and the beauty of the sky.
Slowing down has freed up space in my life for creativity. I could not be creative when moving so fast, I didn’t have time to breath. It is like when you have a full glass you cannot put more liquid into it, you first have to empty some of the contents so that you can add more. This is what I have done by slowing down I have created space for other things, like being creative.
So I love when I get a chance to BE, like sitting in top the hill watching life go by, watching families play together enjoying life and using those moments to inspire my creativity. I saw a kite flying it was about being free and letting go, and when I applied this line of thought to my business, it created some surprising ideas., I use the objects around me to inspire and be creative.
If you are looking to be creative, feeling a little stuck and need inspiration try one of these 3 suggestions you may be surprised as to what will shift for you:
Moving - go for a walk, dance in your living room, do some yoga. Try different ways to move and find one that will create your inspiration. Instead of having a meeting in the conference room, why not have a walking meeting or take the meeting outside and sit on the grass.
Slowing down – We are in a world where everything is moving fast and we are always doing something. Slow down, breath and creating space in your life for some new creativity. This can be hard to introduce into your life if you have not done this before, so perhaps start by having your morning coffee in silence in a quiet spot where you will not be interrupted and there are no distraction.
Changing location – Always working in the same spot can stop creativity. Go somewhere new to be inspire eg a beach, a library, a coffee shop. Watch people, I recently watched my daughter jumping at a trampoline park and go so many ideas.