Staying Creative This Spring

March 30th 2018

“Only to youth will Spring be Spring”

Spring is approaching and color is returning to the outside world. The days of feeling trapped indoors, huddled under a pile of blankets, are thought to be soon over.With new life blossoming with the new season, there is inspiration to be found everywhere, but finding where to look first can be quite a task.
I find spring to be a time of rebirth, both creatively and spiritually. As spring steps into full bloom, I begin to feel more in touch with the universe and with myself and I find that it really shows in my writing. Here are just a few tips I have for finding your creativity this Spring:

GET OUTSIDE- This is my number one tip and it should honestly be a no-brainer. Some of the best inspiration comes from looking to the outdoors and the world around you. Famous transcendentalists like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, and more, found some of their best inspiration by turning their attention towards nature and their relationship with the outside world. Getting outside could be as simple as sitting in your backyard and reading while enjoying some sun and fresh air, or as intricate as planning a weekend of camping and hiking to get the creative juices flowing! There is so much to be seen and learn from as nature is reborn!
Give yourself a break- I find that during the winter, people have a tendency to work themselves into the ground because they feel that there is simply nothing else to do. I am guilty of this in the sense that whenever I was just sitting around as a result of bad weather, I would force myself to work and be productive because the cold and snow left me feeling as though there were very few other options. Now that the weather is getting warmer and kinder, take a walk, ride a bike, eat outside at a coffee shop or restaurant, give yourself time away from you work, even your creative works!
Go exploring- At the start of the year, I began a list of places I wanted to go when the weather got nicer. These places range from museums to zoos and aquariums to coffee shops to preserves to hiking trails and so much more. My friend and I made this list to not only keep us going through the rest of the harsh winter months, but also as a means of giving us plans to get inspired when the weather permitted. As I want to get back into videography and photography this year, having this list of new places to explore makes me very excited to find new inspiration in unexpected places.
Stop trying so hard to be inspired- I have caused myself burnout quite a few times and my biggest piece of advice coming out of that experience is to stop TRYING to be creative. Creativity is not something that can be forced. I will admit that there have been times where I have sat down and banged out a blog post for the sake of posting something and I can also say that those times were not my proudest as a writer. Even if what I wrote turned out okay, I can’t say it had my normal authenticity and creativity behind it. The best thing you can do to be creative is not try to “catch” creativity, but instead, let it come to you. But be sure to be prepared because inspiration can strike at the most unexpected times.

Overall, no matter what your creative medium is, spring is a beautiful time to get out and find your muse. How will you be creating this spring?

Jess~