Where You Can Find Creative Inspiration to Achieve Your Goals

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If you’re the type of person who works in a creative field, you know that at times it’s struggle to find creative inspiration. I’m a mom of twins, I work full-time and I blog on the side. My life can get hectic and sometimes it’s hard to find inspiration to be creative to achieve my goals.

So to motivate myself and remind myself of ways to break out of a run and find inspiration, I’ve put together the following ways to find creative inspiration to achieve your goals!

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(FYI: Rose Gold Sequin backpack is from Disney)

Take a walk to find inspiration.

Sometimes all it takes to restart your creative juices is getting out of your surroundings and disconnecting for a few minutes. I work as a writer in my full-time job and that often requires being creative, so sometimes when I’m stuck I’ll step away from my desk and just walk outside for a few minutes. Staring at your computer screen all day can be draining on your energy and on your creativity.

So if you’re feeling like you’re in a rut, take five or ten minutes to walk around. While you’re walking, clear your mind. When you stop focusing so much on trying to find inspiration, that’s when you’ll find it. I know that sounds cheesy and cliché, like saying when you stop trying to find love that’s when you find it. But clichés are clichés for a reason. They’re true!

Remove self-imposed pressure.

As creatives and as women especially, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to constantly deliver. There’s enough pressure from the outside world. We need to find inspiration by releasing some of that internal pressure now and then. Obviously this doesn’t apply if you have a deadline to meet or something like that. I’m talking about when you really want to have a new Instagram post every day and you’re struggling to find content one day. Guess what? It’s ok to miss one day. Consistency is important, but so is your sanity.

If you’re struggling and struggling and struggling to find inspiration, take a step back. Go back to my earlier suggestion and take a walk. Do anything to release some of those harsh expectations and demands we place on ourselves. Again, you’ll find that you can find that creative inspiration when you aren’t forcing it.

Block out time to brainstorm.

Once you’ve tried taking a walk and removing your self-imposed pressure, you can also find inspiration by blocking out time to brainstorm ideas. When I brainstorm, I like to make it a fun and free-thinking type of experience. Again, no pressure. I try to find inspiration for creative projects by writing down every idea that comes to my head. No filter, no restrictions. It’s the same process I try to use when I’m writing. Just get all the ideas and thoughts out of your brain and go back to edit them later. It can slow you down to self-edit as you go.

So try to free up your brain for new ideas by getting all the existing ones out. You don’t have to block out large chunks of time, but make sure you’re carving out some amount of time each week to jot down ideas and thoughts. Even if you only have 30 minutes each week. Take whatever time you can and work with it. I promise, even if there are some really bad ideas that come from your brainstorming session, there will be some great ones too!

Invest in an ideas notebook.

Some people might disagree with me on this, but for me there’s nothing like writing with a pen and paper. This relates to my earlier suggestion to make time for free brainstorming. Part of the brainstorming and writing down every idea is that you need to have somewhere to put those ideas. If you’re not like me and you hate writing in a notebook, use your phone or computer and have a file that’s dedicated to ideas.

I actually have both. I have a dedicated ideas notebook that I can write in when I find inspiration. But I also have a notes file on my phone for ideas. That way I can jot down ideas that come to me when I’m out walking and I don’t have my notebook nearby. If you also have a MacBook, you can use the notes app on your phone and it’ll sync to the notes app on your MacBook, which is awesome.

The point is, whether you have a physical notebook or just a computer file for ideas, make sure you know where you’re putting your ideas. It would suck to find inspiration for a great idea only to lose it because you didn’t write it down. I’ve had that happen, and it’s terrible.

Remember why you started and why you want to keep going.

This is my most important piece of advice. When you’re in a rut and you’re struggling to find inspiration, think about why you started and why you want to keep going. For me, I sometimes struggle to find inspiration to write a blog post or to take a photo for Instagram. One of the ways I break out of that rut is to take a few minutes to remember why I’m doing this in the first place.

I remember that I started my blog because I love writing and because I wanted a creative outlet to share with the Internet and to connect with fellow women and moms who are interested in the things I’m interested in. I wanted to offer style inspiration for other women and mom tips for young moms and moms of multiples. That’s my why. That’s what keeps me going when I’m stuck.

And once you remember why you started, that thought should give you the motivation to try some new things to get your creative juices up and running again. Knowing why you’re doing what you’re doing will help you stay focused. It’ll also make sure that you’re able to get through the ruts without quitting.

How do you guys find inspiration for your creative projects? I’m always looking for new ways to find inspiration to be creative so leave your suggestions in the comments section!

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(FYI: Rose Gold Sequin backpack is from Disney)