6 ways to fuel inspiration in your creative business
“You can’t force your creativity, but you can nurture it.”
The growth of your life’s work depends on your ability to show up for it.
But what growing my own creative business over the last five years has taught me is that you’re not always going to feel inspired to open your computer, get out your art supplies or sit down to start the work. Or feel like you have it in you to do the things that you need to do.
This past week I’ve been sharing on Instagram about how I find inspiration in my own business, and wanted to share a few more productivity tips here with you too. To help you generate the momentum you need to grow your own offers.
1. Establish a start signal
Having a set signal or routine that tells your body that it is now time to focus on your work is a really helpful tool. For me lately it’s having breakfast with my partner and on sunny days, walking barefoot to my office space outside. For my assistant, Tanya, it’s having a location at the library or coffee shop that she always goes to and a specific drink that she orders. Being in that spot and holding that drink is a sensory cue that it’s time for her to start her work. The more you do this, the more your specific cue becomes a habit that makes “doing the work'' feel natural.
What signals or routines help put you into the mood to work? How can you make that signal/routine an intentional part of your own work day?
2. Understand your distractions
You sit down at your desk with big plans to get things done and five minutes later you’re scrolling through social media comparing your life to others. Or you spend the day gathering information or enrolling in another course without ever applying the things you’ve already learned. You follow your “inspiration” to start a new project even though you haven’t yet finished your last one. Being distracted is one of the sneakiest forms of self-sabotage, because when we are distracting ourselves with things that feel important we think we are moving forward, when actually we aren’t. An hour scrolling Instagram is not the same as an hour sharing your message strategically with those in need of it. Taking in endless information isn’t the same as taking in the right information, applying it and analyzing what information you need to learn next. And jumping from idea to idea, project to project, isn’t the same as diversifying your business or products, or creating multiple sources of income for yourself - or shifting directions only when asked to by your highest self. True inspiration is the desire to take actions that lead to the outcome you want, not acting in ways that unintentionally keep you from the goals that you’ve set.
What “inspirations” have you been following lately, that are actually self-sabotage? How can you set boundaries with yourself to keep on track with the goals that you have?
3. Make play a priority
I once heard a quote along the lines of "if you don't have any input, you can't expect to have any output" and it makes me think about the ways we fuel our creativity. Creativity is something that needs to be replenished and we do that by taking in new things - be it new scenery, new tastes, new smells, new ways of moving our bodies, taking in new perspectives, etc. This year my play has been long-distance running. Not only does it help me keep my nervous system steady (a necessity as an entrepreneur) and bring me to beautiful and inspiring trails, but mid run is often where I get my next good idea! One I am so excited to put into action as soon as I get home. Ideas I could never have allowed in if I was trying to force them while sitting at my computer or staring at a blank page in my notebook.
Is play a priority for you? How can you put yourself in new situations or spaces to refuel your own creative flow?
4. Give yourself clarity
Though it’s not always front of mind, one of the reasons we don’t feel inspired is because of the clutter that we’ve collected and are holding onto. Be it physical, mental or emotional clutter. Being surrounded by too many things weighs us down and makes us feel tired, and because of that nothing inspires me more than having a clear desk or the mental space to think clear thoughts. This is why my work with students inside of the Empaths in Business program is to simplify their offer and sales funnel. When we take away the unnecessary to dos and the unnecessary mental and emotional work (like trying to make your offers fit everyone rather than having a specific niche that you’re excited to show up for) space clears up - and that space creates room for us to want to get things done.
What areas of your life and business can be cleared up? How is unnecessary clutter holding you down?
5. Understand your rest rhythms
On my blog + podcast I speak often about understanding your rhythms and internal cues and how they relate to productivity and workflow. Until I learned to live in alignment with my own cycles, I mistook needing rest for being unmotivated. Things like having a foggy mind, lacking concentration, and not being able to process the information I was taking in, were all clear signs from my body that I was tired. What I found was that the more I gave myself permission to take those days slower, to rest competely or do something unrelated to my business, the more excited I was to complete those same tasks a day or two later. And more importantly I realized that I don’t work a balanced number of hours or days per week, I work in intensities. I’m able to get a lot of things done in 1-2 days of concentrated work, but then take 2-3 days off to rest and play and relax my mind, and once I come back to “work” my mind is sharp again and excited to be productive.
Do you listen to your inner cues? Or push yourself through tired days because it seems like the only “right way” to do work?
6. Take care of yourself
Self care can be a bit of a buzzword, but what looking after yourself does is teach you how you like to be taken care of - and this self-honesty ripples out into every area of your life, including how you want to show up. It's very difficult trying to be someone you’re not and it’s a lot of work trying to be something else other than who you are. This is because there is a softening that happens when we allow ourselves to be ourselves, a softening that makes us receptive to more energy and inspired solutions and ideas. The most easeful seasons in my business are when I’m creating from a space of how I genuinely feel, think and want to share myself. The least fruitful seasons are when I overthink my next steps because I’m comparing myself or trying to do business like someone else does.
What does self-care look like for you? How can you soften into a more honest version of who you are? How would doing so make your life + work easier?
Find this helpful? Be sure to share this blog post with someone else you know could use it too!
Xo
Robin
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If you’re new to my work:
Hi! I'm Robin —
The diarist behind the Diary of an Empath and creator of Empaths in Business, a six week course teaching empaths how to turn their work into a business that works, with strategy, healing and support.
