Guest Post: Miz.November

Dudes, I am in pooncing around Vietnam. Jo from Miz.November has written an awesome post about creativity. Read it. Then go to her blog and read more.

Hello, fellow Crayon fans. Jo, from Miz. November, reporting for duty while Annelise is off exploring Vietnam. Today I want to talk about creative inspiration ... or the ever frustrating lack thereof.

It doesn't matter if you are a writer, painter, dancer, musician or circus performer; we all go through the same creative ups and downs. But the real problem is when you have tons of energy and excitement and are sitting around clapping your hands together, just waiting to get started on something great ... and the inspiration doesn't come. All of a sudden, there is nothing. Where are all those ideas that came to you while talking a shower? Or the ones that seem so brilliant when you are drifting off to sleep? How on earth do you go about getting the inspiration back?!?

Inspiration can be so elusive sometimes that the possibility of running across a magic unicorn with rainbow colored hair seems more likely. But I can tell you a few things that I have learned to at least try over the years. Here goes.

Miz. Jo's (Not So) Fail-Proof Tips For Finding Inspiration:

1. Turn off the damn computer. Seriously. How many hours have you spent looking at Etsy and Pinterest and blogs of all kinds? You have Information Overload. Your brain needs some down time so it can sort out all those new things you have taken in and rework them into brilliant new ideas.

2. Go outside. There is nothing like fresh air and the sound of nature to clear out the cobwebs. I can't explain why ... it just works.

3. Try meditation. Oh, lord. Did I just say that? Yeah, well, I guess I did. Meditation helps us slow our spazzo brains down so that thoughts become clearer and solutions present themselves.

4. Clean like a madman. No joke. I have talked to plenty of artists of all types to know that this works. It can be hard to concentrate on your creative endeavors when there are piles of clutter everywhere. Sometimes you just have to get things in order so your brain can worry about one thing at a time.

5. And this is my favorite tactic of all, boys and girls ... Just walk away. Quit trying. Forget about it. Go do something totally unrelated to your craft. Have dinner with friends. Get wild. Go jump in a lake. Swing from monkey bars. Jump on a trampoline. But keep a tiny notebook handy, for it is inevitable that creative inspiration will strike when you least expect it. So, stop trying to find it and let it find you.

Now, go do something amazing and report back to us tomorrow.

*photo from Pinterest, of course.

Thanks, Jo! You are awesome. As for you, have you checked out her lovely blog yet?