Finally being ready to commit to the renewal of creativity doesn’t necessarily mean that your creativity is ready to flex alongside your desire to move forward. But it’s important to get going either way. Just going through the motions of creativity itself, whether or not the spark is there, can be inspirational. That’s why creative routines are so important. Need proof? Mason Currey outlines the routines of nearly 200 creatives in his book, Daily Rituals: How Artists Work.The first step is the easiest—just show up:
- go to the office or studio
- pick up the paintbrush, even if only to stare at the canvas
- schedule your next project
Know, however, that showing up will not alway be fruitful. Julie Zhuo, product design director at Facebook, describes trying to paint while struggling creatively, “The darkness does not clear for miles. Your ego will take a bruising on those jagged walls. You may get lost for weeks or months or even years. And everything you produce while on this path will be garbage.”
Garbage output is normal when you’ve lost your creative mojo, as if there is a prerequisite amount of bad work before you get to the better side of the creative rut. Yet, the more you dig into your creative process, the quicker you’ll feel back to your old self.