How to Get Into a Creative Flow
Things I do to get into a creative flow!
I put out a question sticker the other day on Instagram asking if anyone had anything they wanted me to write about blog-wise, and this was the first question. I think it is SUCH a good question and I want to breakdown the steps I take to really get the creative juices going so I can create my best work.
+ I make sure the area around me is clean
This is so important for me. I absolutely cannot focus if the area around me is messy. Every morning, I wake up, I clean my room, I do the dishes, start the laundry, make my bed, open the blinds, plug in the lighting around my room, all before I sit down to get to work. If I know the area around me is messy or distracting there is no way I can really get in the zone and focus on creating, because I’ll focus on clutter, whether I think I am or not.
+ I spend some time outside
Getting some fresh air always really helps me with getting into the flow of things. If I ever feel like I am staring at a blank screen and don’t know what to design, I take a really long walk around downtown, listen to podcast or some music, breathe the air, disconnect from work, then sit down and see what came to me. Usually things come to us when we give ourselves enough peace and quiet to truly allow them.
+ I put on music that is upbeat and happy
Whenever I am designing a logo I listen to music that makes me want to dance- super upbeat, fun, exciting music. It is what gets me in the zone to be creative, unique, and do something different. I usually am nodding my head or dancing along with the music and it makes me feel like what I am doing and the project I am embarking on is FUN and has no rules!
+ COFFEE! (And water, but less exciting)
I love my mushroom coffee to help me focus and I cannot stress enough how important it is to stay HYDRATED. I fill up a giant water bottle every morning so getting up from being thirsty is never something I have to worry about during the day so I can really focus on my projects.
+ I free myself from all distractions
This is SO important. The smallest notification or email can totally make my attention go in a totally different direction and away from what I am creating. When I create, I have to pull from my own cup. I have to fill my own cup first. Then, after creating, if I have energy left over, is when I can respond to the notifications and emails. Disconnecting is a really vital part of my creative process. I try to check my email only 3 times during the work day (some days I’m better at this than others).
+ I optimize my mornings because that is when I am most productive
I realized that I need to do my most creative tasks first thing in the morning and the more busy tasks in the evening. When I have a site to do or a big project to work on that day, I prioritize it to be the first thing I do, even before responding to emails. Once I get that done, a lot of times a lot of my energy is drained from creating, but I can still do the smaller things with ease (reply to inquiries via email, engage on social media, etc.) I found a huge dip in enjoyment in my work and creativity when I tried to flip the script and do the easy stuff first, and the harder things in the evening.
+ I reward myself for finishing bigger tasks
I always have a crazy to-do list, but what’s important to me is that I get my top three tasks for the day done. I plan these strategically and prioritize what I know is important for that day, and once I get them done, I reward myself. It may be rewarding myself with an episode of Brooklyn Nine Nine, or a long walk outside, or a new plant from the farmers market. I just continue to reward myself so my brain is constantly associating hard work with rewards so my productivity is increased.
+ I spend about 20 minutes before each project finding inspiration
Inspiration comes from different places for everyone. Usually, for me, I either go sit outside in nature for 20 minutes before a project or I read a motivational book for 20 minutes.
+ I go through my “happy folder” on my desktop
I have always been someone who responds well to positive feedback, ever since I was a child at soccer practice. I understand how my brain reacts to a positive loop cycle now and so before I create something, I go through my “happy folder.” My “happy folder” is a folder that sits on my desktop that is a beautiful compilation of all the sweet emails, testimonials, cards, and everything in between I’ve gotten over the last year from happy clients. Seeing the change I’ve made for them and the impact my work has had gets me so fired up and ready to create more.
I am so happy that this question was asked to me through Instagram
because it was SUCH a good topic to write about.
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