Staying Creative

Creativity is kind of hard to come around when you're living in a fast-paced, busy culture. Back when I'd still go to the office, it was a bit difficult for me to squeeze time to write or do music or any of these artistic hobbies, since I would get home quite late.

I know the pandemic these days is in a pretty tough situation, since we can't do much but stay indoors. Frankly, though, it has allowed (aka forced) me to have time for myself and take a break from the outside busyness of the world. I've had time to think about how I can use this opportunity to better balance my work and personal life, and I think that it has really helped me indulge in my creative pursuits much more. I feel as happy as I was even when restrictions were still quite loose because of the personal time I give to myself to write, play my instruments and read.

I do have a few tips that allowed me to keep my creative juices running, but as always, my tips may not apply to everyone. This mainly works for me, as I prefer being creative in quite the structured way. But I think it's always fun to share what works and perhaps it could help give some inspiration for those that hit a creative block.

1. How to handle creative blocks

I've faced this plenty of times, even now, while I'm still at a creative high. Sometimes, I feel inspired and have a lot of ideas, but even then, I still don't feel like pursuing any of it.

But to me, I find it important to discipline myself to tap into that creativity, even if it's just for a few minutes a day. When I don't feel inspired to write or play any music, I do other things that require less effort. For my writing, for example, if I don't feel like writing any of my short stories or novels, I instead look at concept designs that fit the vibe of my stories. Or for my music, if I don't feel like playing any instruments, I like listening to music, that's always fun! Keep yourself open in that area of arts because one way or another, that can also help give you some ideas and re-energize without depleting your enjoyment for your projects.

2. Dealing with creative excitement and anxiety

Sometimes, when I have such a good idea I want to work on, I become so excited and work on it profusely. But there is a fine line between excitement and anxiety. Eventually, it's hard to distinguish the two, because when I feel like I'm not progressing fast enough, my excitement can become mixed with anxiety. I would think "Am I too slow? I have so many ideas, I just want to bring them to life!"

When this happens, I try to ground myself. Journalling or blogging are effective ways for me to do so. I remind myself that creative pursuits aren't something to be rushed! It's a hobby of mine that I should enjoy rather than stress over. Otherwise, what's the point of having a hobby? So it's okay to be slow. It's okay that even though some days, I am filled with inspiration, I can also be unmotivated or unproductive at the same time. Forcing yourself too much could just burn you out and slowly take away your enjoyment, and that applies to many other things in life as well.

So anyways, I'm taking my time. I guess an example to show this is that I've been working on a novel since the beginning of last year. And it's not done yet. I finished my first draft last year, and I only started working on my second draft last month. But I'm not beating myself up over it, as I've done in the past. Last year, when I tried doing my second draft, I was just uninspired and felt no motivation to do anything. Even so, I tried to force myself but just made me enjoy writing even less. So I took time off, not for just a few weeks or a few months, a whole YEAR. And looking at the story again with a fresh perspective really helped me get back at it and enjoy it again.

It's also fun if you indulge in creative projects with people. With my writing, I enjoy receiving critique from friends or from a writing group. Receiving encouragement and constructive criticism opens new opportunities for you to challenge yourself and learn, and also create a new source of inspiration for you!

Overall, creating should be a more exciting and fun journey than it is stressful (of course, it is inevitable to have stress sometimes). I like to use it as a life tip as well: Everything I do should provide a space where I get to enjoy and have a peace of mind, rather than be disrupted by stress all the time.