Creative Jolt! Running and Dreaming
What inspires me and helps me continue on my adventure.
Creativity and inspiration are two strange partners. They don't come when we want them to and when they come we have to drop everything we are doing or they'll wander off again.
For eight weeks now I've been leaving you some inspirational photos, videos and words and I never told you how inspiration comes to me or what I do to ensure that these two visit me. Here is a list of things that help me be creative and inspired:
- A well rested brain works better. If you know that tomorrow you have a full day and have to get up early, go to sleep early. There is no use of going through the day like a zombie, dragging yourself around and mumbling "coffeeeee..." =P You'll get to the end of the day with the felling that you didn't accomplished anything. Another benefit for going to bed early, at least for me, is that I feel myself falling asleep and that's when I get most of my ideas, I just let go of my thoughts and images start to fill my head, these images are always changing and sometimes I see something that I find really cool and that I'm compelled to make, so I turn the lights on (or not, depending if my hubby is already in bed or not) and start to draw what I saw on a notebook that I keep in my nightstand and make some notes about materials and colours I want to use. Through the years I've come up with tricks to understand my writing when I write in the dark =)
- Negative energy out, batteries recharged. Find the activity that does this for you and do it regularly. For me it is exercise, specially running. I like to exercise in the morning, I give my all and never stop until reaching the goal I had set in the beginning. As soon as I finish exercising I feel alive and full of energy and after a good bath I am ready to take on the world! =D
- The internet won't die if you shut down the computer. The computer is a wonderful tool, I love mine, but it is also a huge source of distraction. Sometimes we spend hours in front of it just checking for new email and going back and forth some tabs on our browser without really doing anything. Of course I check my email and go to facebook and all that, but I try not to drag it out, I see the new stuff, reply, like, share and I'm out of there! =) So if I'm not doing something useful with my computer I shut it down. My eyes thank me and my brain too.
- Say hi to the sun! Get out of the house. Go for a hike, go shopping, go to the beach, go visit friends or family, just get out of the house! The change of scenery is always a good source of inspiration, maybe you will see something beautiful that inspires you, or someone says something that plants an idea in your head.
- Listen to music that you love! - Listening to music makes the wheels in my brain turn, I can think clearly, I have new ideas and work much faster! It's perfect! It just has to be music that you really love, you know, those that you can't hear without singing along to! =D
- Craft - While working on a project, many times I come up with answers to another project I had put on hold. While I craft I'm not thinking of anything in particular and when you least expect it you see the solution! It's no use insisting on one thing that is not working. It's better to stop for a while and come back to it latter with a clear head.
What are your tricks to invite inspiration and creativity?
Be Happy and Creative!