By Erin Harrison, Groov contributing writer
I’ve made a career over the past 15 years as a writer – but it might surprise you to learn that I don’t actually consider myself a super creative person.
One of the hardest parts of my job is having to ‘be on’ even when I don’t feel like it. I have deadlines to meet and sometimes I’m just not feeling in the right headspace to sit and write. The words don’t come and I get frustrated.
And, right on cue, that’s when imposter syndrome can come knocking. Am I really any good? There’s plenty of other writers who are better than me. Should I think about doing something else for a job?
There are plenty of ups and downs, with some weeks feeling like I’m producing awesome work, and other weeks – not so much.
What I’ve learned is that creativity ebbs and flows, and that’s OK. I’ve also discovered a few tools that help me get back on track when I’m in a creative rut – I’m sharing these below in the hope they might help you, too.
I can recognise when there’s just no point in sitting in front of my computer, so I’ll ‘procrastinate’ by hanging out washing, going for a walk, or doing something else mundane. And often this is exactly what my brain needed to get a few ideas kick-started. In fact, I was thinking about this piece while blow drying my hair.
Sometimes, I can ‘trick’ myself into being productive by just sitting down and starting. I’ll start small, by noting down a few ideas or coming up with some blog titles. And often this is all I need to get underway with the rest of the words.
Since having kids, I’ve become more aware of what I say about myself, especially out loud. I don’t want my girls to hear their mum say ‘I’m not very good at that, so I won’t do it’.
One way I practice self-kindness is through mindfulness. I’ve suffered depression on and off for many years, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had a really significant episode, and I definitely credit that to mindfulness.
Mindfulness helps me to stop negative ruminations that have the potential to take up more headspace than they should be allowed to have. I know how to ground myself, have a reality check, remind myself of where I am, and keep perspective of everything I’m grateful for. Sure, some days are harder than others, but I have a number of well-worn tools in my wellbeing toolkit that, most of the time, allow me to wake up to a new day.
And when all else fails, I like to return to this quote from Maya Angelou: “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”