Tag: Creativity

What To Do When You Have Zero Inspiration to Write

We’ve all been there. Cracked some knuckles, poised yourself for the shot and hit the ball rolling. And then the ball skidded to a full stop. Stuck and unable to move.

Inspiration to write? Zero.

Quite an erratic thing, inspiration. It comes and goes as it pleases. Which is why heavily depending on it is a big no-no. Especially if you’re like me and you want to build consistency in your blog or writing project. You need routine and a failsafe system.

And when inspiration suddenly slips away from underneath you, you need a backup plan.

Have no inspiration to write? Read on for 5 things to try when you have zero inspiration. #content #writing

1) Change Your Environment

If you’ve been holed up in your room for more than two hours trying to finish that first draft on your laptop, that’s basically your brain telling you, “I’m tired. I need a change of scenery.”

We can only take so much inspiration to write from one place. And I’m not just saying this for show. Our brains need constant stimulation to work – particularly when it’s doing creative work. The more we stay in one place, the less the stimulation our brain gets from it. For the brain, it’s been sensing the same things for hours. This is why we need go to someplace new. The new surroundings will surely recharge your brain in minutes.

2) Read, read, read

As a fully-fledged bookworm, I am all for reading. Leisure reading, academic reading, reading blogs, reading the back labels of products… I love all of it. If I could, I’d read like twelve stuff all at once.

But anyway. Reading is also great for reviving inspiration, yo!

And you don’t have to read a whole book too! There have been plenty of times when I become inspired just from scrolling through Twitter, or reading on someone else’s comment section.

One of the many awesome things your brain could do is take in information – any information – and process it and create lots of data just from that one piece of information. Our brains are literally biological supercomputers!

3) Bore yourself out

Did you know that boredom is deeply connected with creativity?

Yes, you with your eyebrow skeptically raised. It’s true. Plenty of studies have shown that boredom is a key ingredient to creativity. I actually listed down some of these said studies in this post about boredom and creativity.

But the gist of it is this: When we’re bored, our brain goes into Incubation Mode. This also happens when we’re in a shower or sitting in a car in the middle of a heavy traffic. It’s when our mind wanders, sifting through one thought after another. That’s when inspiration to write — or any kind of inspiration, for that matter — is born.

Also, if you’re still skeptical with this whole boredom and creativity connection, Chris of McAdventure blog also has a blog post all about how boredom relates to creativity.

Do you have zero inspiration to write? Yeah, we've all been there. Click on the pin for 5 things you can try when this happens. #blogging

4) Take a break

I feel like in this Hustle Generation, pausing for a while just isn’t an option. Think about it. Do you know any person who hustles so hard, they forget time to take a break? I bet you do. And I bet you know more than one person.

In my household alone, I know three and I’m one of them.

The problem is, we’re brain-abusers. We try to squeeze out every ounce and make use of every neuron of the three-pound lump inside our skull. We try to cram in our day with as much tasks as we can manage to accomplish.

But see, here’s the thing:

Even our brains need downtime. It needs to rest and recover before tackling on another task. This is why adding in white space into your life is important. Even a thirty-minute break in between tasks goes a long way!

Becoming inspired is important in finishing that first draft, be it a first draft of a blog post or a novel. And your brain is right there at the dead center of it all. Take care of your brain, and you’ll surely slay that first draft!

5) Brainstorm with a friend

If you’re really stuck at a creative dead end, then you can always ask a friend to help you brainstorm. I highly recommend asking for a friend who gets it.

Like, if you’re stuck in writing a blog post, seek help from your blogger buddy. If you need help with worldbuilding, call your writer friend. These friends are much more empathetic with your creative woes than, say, your mom. (Though it doesn’t hurt to ask your mom for help too!)

Remember, it is definitely okay to ask for help, especially when you desperately need it.

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

What do YOU do when you have zero inspiration to write? Share your sage wisdom in the comments below!

XX Kate

Photo from Wonderlass

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What can you do when you have zero inspiration to write? Read on for five things you can try.

You Can’t Do What You Want to Do Unless You Start Doing It

Back in 2016, when I was new to Instagram, I was scrolling through all these gorgeous illustrations of freeform watercolor flowers. Videos and images of a slender hand with a paintbrush swirling it like a wand and colors seeping out at the edge of the bristles.

In my eyes, these amazing people were magicians. They were performing purely enchanting magic. I couldn’t take my eyes off them.

For hours, I’d dive deep into different watercolor hashtags, witnessing the magic over and over again. At one point, one thought sparked in me.

Almost immediately, it bled into my mind like watercolor paint spreading onto a wet paper:
I want to paint with watercolor too.

Immediately, I shoved the thought away. I grabbed a metaphorical tissue paper and lifted that bleeding watercolor paint off my canvas mind. Because… I couldn’t. I was never good at watercolor, that’s what I kept telling myself. And so I went on with my life, inspired and captivated and completely jealous of the artists I see in my mobile screen.

That is… Until I was standing on the school and office supplies store. In front of a shelf of student quality watercolors.

You know that part when Moana sang about the line where the sky meets the sea, “It calls me”?

That was me in the student grade art supplies aisle that day.

It was one of those few times in my life when I let neither fear nor self-doubt stop me. I didn’t think about anything. I didn’t have an impromptu performance with my chicken and sang about how I’ve been staring at the edge of the water(color) the way Moana did.

Before I knew it, I was at the cashier with a set of watercolor tubes and brushes clutched at each hand.

fear, starting, quotes

That fear that you’re going to suck and it’ll be awful.

On New Things and the Fear of Starting

Listen:

You will suck. That’s probably the most likely scenario.

I’m not saying this to be a Jenny Raincloud, by the way. I’m saying this because it’s true. You’re new to this. Of course you’re not going to master it overnight. Give yourself some slack, my sweet exhausted potato. Embrace the suck.

And if it gives you any comfort, no one started out being a master.

Picasso spent his early days as a painter being ridiculed for his art. He was told his art was not good. PICASSO. (I know this because National Geographic told me.) I’m quite certain that Mozart didn’t come out of his mother’s womb with a piano and composing iconic music after iconic music. And Colonel Sanders! Grandpa KFC, of all people, started out his fried chicken empire far later into his life. These people have achieved success in one way or another. And th good news? They all achieved it in various ways and at various points in their lives.

You can too, if you stop listening to fear.

Why the Fear is There

The first time I attempted to paint galaxy, it ended up looking like a hot pot of guts and brains. You know, the kind that not even the hungriest of zombies would go near.

And I stayed that way for months.

Imagine if you tried inserting the USB plug on your laptop for a hundred times. And miserably failed on all those times? I was that frustrated. Probably 75% of that time I contemplated on throwing everything I bought and never lay my hands on watercolor ever again. The fear was constantly whispering to my ear that I sucked and that we should just stop this. Gosh, it was right there with me at the art supplies aisle. And it was there again when I was about to put my first watercolor stroke on paper. And the next. And the next. Fear is always with us.

But see, friend, here’s what I learned: The fear is there for a reason.

It needs you to be grounded. It needs you to be realistic. To not get your hopes too high up in the clouds. But if you allow that fear to take control, to take full control?

You’ll be so grounded in your place that you wouldn’t be able to move.

And this is where you’ll come in. You have to have your own volition to move. To take the first step. To grab that watercolor from the shelf. To make your first stroke on paper. To write that first sentence. To stand up and speak out. To let fear be with you every step of the way, but to never let it take hold of the wheel.

You can’t do what you want to do unless you do it. You have to turn that wanting into being.

Make “I want to paint” become “I am painting.”

Make “I want to speak out” become “I am speaking out.”

Make “I want to tell this story” become “I am telling this story.”

You can never magically be what you want to be. You have, first of all, to take action.

And once you’ve taken that first step, don’t stop. Because, believe me, I know how harder the next steps will be. And it will be Super Tempting to just shrug off and say, “Eh. I tried.” But the next step is going to be your new first step. So you have to keep at it. You have to keep going.

Until you are what you want.

Is there something you’ve been wanting to do for a really long time? Have you taken the first step to do it? If you have, share some tips on how to conquer that fear of starting! We welcome all the wisdom you have 🙂

xx Kate

Photos from Death to Stock and Ivory Mix

9 Really Awesome Podcast Episodes that Motivated or Inspired Me

9 Podcasts that Motivated and Inspired Me | Motivation, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Lifestyle, Creative living, Creativity

One thing I rarely talked about on here that I may, from this point on, be talking about more is how much I love listening to podcasts. Like a lot. I’d listen to it every day if I could. I especially love listening to them when I’m either painting or angry-cleaning the room I share with my sister.

(Angry-cleaning because I’m a 12% clean freak but we’re both totally unorganized college dorm dudes in our past lives—and probably still are, just in female bodies. But anyway.)

A flatlay with a white notebook, keyboard, headphones and mouse on a pink surface

I’m really happy that I found out about podcasts back in 2016. They kinda bring me back to those airy afternoons I had during summer breaks when I was a kid and I’d doodle or color on my coloring books while my grandpa listened to sappy radio drama and I’d listen along. Except, you know, podcasts are far better than sappy, cheesy radio drama. (Sorry, grandpa.)

Podcasts have been a source of inspiration for me. They’re often packed with stuff I didn’t know before or ideas I haven’t learned or both or something else entirely. You can listen to them anywhere AND they could be really entertaining! 🙂

So today, I’m sharing to you 9 super motivating and inspiring podcast episodes from different podcast shows I’ve listened to so far. Take out your pen and paper, I might have just given you your next favorite thing to listen to! 😉 (I am super confident in my impeccable taste, obviously)

9 Podcasts that Motivated and Inspired Me | Motivation, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Lifestyle, Creative living, Creativity
(Note: Click on the pink words to check out the episodes!)

Straight and Curly – Should You Ever Work for Free?

An advice given by successful people – in the creative industries, particularly – to newbies is to never do your work for free. Something both Carly and Kelly think is neither a useful nor a realistic advice. So they’ve discussed here when should you work for free and when are you being exploited. It is a great episode and I’ve taken away some really sound tips that are better alternative than the “don’t ever work for free” one.

Straight and Curly is a self-improvement podcast show hosted by Carly Jacobs and Kelly Exeter. So if you’re a self-improvement junkie like yours truly, give this a listen. They’re both really fun!

TED Radio Hour – The Source of Creativity

This is, like, podcast classic right here yo.

TED Radio Hour, for me, is a great TED talk summary-maker of some sort. Aaand also I really like the host’s voice. But then again, all the folks over at NPR have great voices.

This episode is one of my all-time favorites because 1) it’s about creativity, ‘nuff said, 2) it talks about where to find creative inspiration which is, you know, a really dire everyday problem for your girl here, and 3) it has two of my favorite TED speakers ever. What more could a girl ask for???

Heavyweight – Isabel

I discovered Heavyweight just this year and I cannot believe that I only learned about this show recently. It’s about looking back to when things took a huge turn in someone’s life. And you know how looking back at the past is one of the many things I do on my free time.

Isabel is the name of the writer of literally a suitcase full of letters addressed to a guy named Brad. I don’t really want to give out too many details but it gave me an entirely different perspective on making peace with your past and all the items from it, and how it will ultimately become a part of who you are and will be.

Pink rows of mailboxes in front of pink cement architecture in Ocean City

Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert – The Pure Pleasure of Making Stuff

I love listening to Liz Gilbert’s podcast because of her voice as well as how it seems like she speaks forth wisdom every ten seconds. I’ve gotten plenty of inspiration from her podcast and even some blog post ideas!

Here, I particularly loved what Rayya Elias said about how amazing it is to be inspired from other people and also with your own self. Because, yes! I think that finding inspiration from within you is awesome too! 😀

Invisibilia – The Personality Myth

My gateway to podcasts, Invisibilia certainly has a special place in my wee potato heart. I found out about it by reading one of Maria Popova’s thought-provoking articles over on Brain Pickings, but I forgot which one.

I absolutely loved this episode which is about how we perceived ourselves to be and Alix Spiegel and Hanna Roseman asks the question, “Does a person’s personality stay the same?”

The Mindful Kind – Cultivating Self-Worth

Rachael Kable is one of my Favorite Bloggers Ever and she is one of the BEST on the topics of mindfulness and meditation out there. Her podcast episodes are short but sweet and ohmigosh I am SOOO in love with her voice. I absolutely recommend listening to her podcast while lying on your bed in a lazy afternoon. It’s super relaxing.

In this episode, Rachael talks about how lack of self-worth impacts more than your appearance and that “outsourcing” your self-worth isn’t the best and most effective way of cultivating it.

Ctrl Alt Delete – Rae Earl: “Snowflake” is a Bullsh*t Word

Emma Gannon’s podcast is one of my most favorite podcasts to listen to when I’m painting. In each episode, she would have a laidback conversation with her guests about a certain topic and I just love how casual it is. It’s perfect for doing art.

And I loooved this episode so much! Rae Earl is a brilliant and hilarious woman! That part when she ranted, I laughed so hard!

The Lavendaire Lifestyle – How Confidence is Built

I like how Aileen makes sure that the listeners will get something from each episode. She or her guest bring with them stories about personal growth and challenges they’ve faced in their lives and share some advice for others who may be going through them too.

I especially love this particular episode because it made me realized just how much what happened in our childhood can affect us for the rest of our lives.

Reply All – The Skip Tracer Part 1 and Part 2

Kinda like how Ctrl Alt Delete focuses on the growing online world and how it has and will continue to affect our lives, Reply All is all about advancing technologies and the humanity surrounding and ever-accompanying it. It’s hosted by Alex Goldberg and PJ Vogt but in this episode, Shruti Pinnamaneni comes in to share a story about skip tracing, which is like online bounty hunting.

I think what I found interesting with this episode is the skip tracer’s understanding on what her client stands on and her empathy with the person she’s looking for and will probably help put to jail. It goes to show that morality isn’t so black and white. That you can understand what one people stands on and still empathize with someone who thinks the opposite.

Do you listen to podcasts? I’m always on the hunt for new podcasts to listen to so, if you do, share what you love below! 🙂

kate

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PS: 6 Places I Go Online to be Inspired

Photos from LUM3N, Ivory Mix and Jerry Keisewetter