How Creatives Can Spark Inspiration Again: My Go-To Process

Hey there, friends!

As creatives, we understand the value of working with inspiration or feeling inspired to create something. It's like when there's no inspiration there's no work to be done, or it's much harder to accomplish it.

The trick with inspiration is that it ebbs and flows. It's not always constant and, for some of us, it also relies on our feelings and emotions rather than logic. However, we need to normalize feeling stuck or overwhelmed because that's a part of the process. I would actually argue that's when we feel the most creative because we're able to solve problems.

As someone who's passionate about helping athletes and helping creatives navigate the digital world with authenticity, I know that inspiration can be hard to come around when you're trying to balance so many things.

Here's the process I rely on every time I feel creatively empty (and some extra tools I didn't include in my Instagram carousel)!

Step 1: Pause & Be Honest

When you realize that you may be struggling with your creative juices, the first step is to pause and recognize what you're feeling. Take some time to reflect instead of trying to force it or judge yourself for things not going the way you planned it.

Slowing down is important because it helps with fostering clarity. Take some time to reflect with some of the prompts below.

• What's draining my energy right now?

• What do I wish I had time to create?

• What have I been avoiding creatively?

Step 2: Do a "Creative Reset" Through Journaling

You guys know I may be a little biased, but I genuinely enjoy journaling. There are so many benefits to it and I would encourage you to start with prompts. By journaling, you're basically slowing things down and trying to connect with your mind, purpose, and energy. In a world that is constantly so busy, it's key to have some time to breathe.

If you'd like to do a journaling, I've just uploaded 10 Journaling Prompts for Creative Clarity to the resources folder. Let us know what you think - click on the image above!

Step 3: Refresh Your Creative Inputs

Now it's time to look at the things you consume, because this actually helps in your creative process. Here are some examples of places that you can do a creative reset:

• Mood boards

• Pinterest

• Look books

• Content you create

• Design inspiration

• Podcasts

• Music playlists

• Videos

If any of these are confusing to you, I'd encourage you to check out my Pinterest boards where I keep inspiration posts about sports creativity and other areas of my life.

Step 4: Move Your Body, Reset Your Mind

Now, it's time to get up.

Move your body. Whether you go on a walk, workout at the gym, practice stretching, do a dance routine, or even yoga. Whatever you decide to do, there's evidence that shows a strong mind-body connection can lead to creative clarity or just clarity in general.

Similarly with journaling, when we're exercising, try to focus on the moment and not on the things you're worried or stressed out about. Use the opportunity to release, not the other way around.

Step 5: Revisit Your Purpose

The greatest reminder you can have for your brand is your purpose and the reasoning behind you started in the first place. When you lose track of your why, it's easy to feel unmotivated and discouraged from creating your content because - quite literally - why would you do it in the first place? The truth is that purpose fuels your creativity more sustainably than motivation or inspiration ever could.

If you already have an established brand, refer to your brand guidelines and to the mission (what you want to accomplish right now) and vision (who you want to be) statements you have written down.

Journal Prompt: Write one sentence describing the impact you want your content to have.

Step 6: Create Something Tiny

Creating something small can help you build momentum to any bigger projects you may have. Here are some examples of 'micro-content' that you can create:

• 1 slide of a carousel

• Capture a 3-second clip

• Create a color palette

• Write down a journal spread

• Caption a draft content project

If you're interested, I can create a new blog post just talking about micro-content ideas and how that can benefit you in your creative progress. Let me know in the comments below if that's something that would interest you!

What to not do when you feel uninspired:

• Don't scroll endlessly and without purpose

• Don't compare yourself to other people or brands

• Don't create out of panic

• Don't abandon your routine

Favorite tools for Creative Inspiration:

Here are some of my favorite websites and tools that I use to get inspired. In all of them you can do some research or simply find the accounts that inspire you the most.

• Pinterest

• YouTube

• Instagram

• TikTok

• Behance

What are some of your favorite websites or resources? Share it with us in the comments.

Inspiration Comes Back When You Do.

I want to finish today's post by encouraging you. Inspiration will come back when you do. When you go back to being who you are and connecting to your art in a deeper and more personal level. This is why those tools are so helpful!

Another reminder is that slow seasons are also a part of the creative process, so don't be so hard on yourself.

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