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The struggle to constantly create new things, is very real.<\/p>\n
Do you ever\u00a0find that you\u2019re so much more inspired when you get out of your normal daily routine? I do. When I went to that conference in Berlin last year, my neurons were firing around in my brain like it was the fourth of July. I was inspired. I want to do more. I want to be <\/i>better.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all very subjective of course, how listening, talking and interacting with other people can have an impact on us. For me personally, it\u2019s validating to talk to and discuss about an artist\u2019s personal projects, and to see how it all comes together in their work. That\u2019s what drives me. Learning about instructional design and how I can make learning better for my students \u2013 both online and offline \u2013 compels me to push myself out of my comfort zone.<\/p>\n
When people struggle to write or draw, but never do, it’s because they don\u2019t have enough input. They might not have read\u00a0or seen anything new that day. Or they may not talked to anyone or seen the way others do things.\u00a0They didn’t encounter people or situations\u00a0that would help them form and connect ideas into something new. They might not have someone to discuss their ideas with, or to play around with.<\/p>\n
So what happens then? Your brain and mind\u00a0remains in a constant dormant state. There’s no doubt that it\u2019s alive and well, doing all the things a brain is supposed to do; but it\u2019s just going through the motions \u2013\u00a0until you can\u00a0inject something new in\u00a0it a little (whether by accident or on purpose). So how do you spur it into action? Or at the very least, make it tingle with excitement \u2013\u00a0even if just a little?<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t live in a vacuum.<\/p>\n
We respond to things, to stimuli. Whether it\u2019s touch, news, emotions, etc \u2013\u00a0all of it is stimuli. When you\u2019re used to the things that you encounter daily, it becomes a part of your life, and your brain accepts it as a normal state of being. Imagine if every stimuli that you encounter daily is a novelty instead \u2013\u00a0you\u2019d be exhausted from being in a state of peak awareness! And so our brain adapts to the everyday, and becomes comfortable. It expects routine, because routine is good.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s nothing wrong with being comfortable, of course. But in order for us to break out of our shell, to think out of the box, or, in my case \u2013\u00a0to finally get off my arse and get over my internal fears \u2013 one has to spark a reaction. Because I would be willing to wager with you, is that you’re not reacting<\/em> to anything right now.\u00a0If you\u2019ve been stuck in some kind of creative limbo\/rut, where you can\u2019t think of anything or are frustrated with whatever you\u2019re doing, and yet you’re not sure why; it\u2019s because you\u2019ve become a little too comfortable. At least your\u00a0brain is.<\/p>\n So how do you spark something? Anything?<\/p>\n Get out of your usual routine. Read things\u00a0that has nothing to do with what you\u2019re used to, but something that you’d like to try. Go to a conference. Go for a class. Dance (especially if you\u2019ve never done it before). Talk to a friend, a mentor, or just a stranger. Disagree with things, or agree with something. There\u2019s no right way or wrong way of doing it. All you need to do is to shake things up a little.<\/p>\n It explains why we often come away from a conference with hope and a renewed fervour for tackling that assignment that you’ve spent weeks procrastinating. You\u2019ll find that you\u2019re also a lot more focused after attending a short class; where you learn new skills and new ways of seeing. Your brain is abuzz with ideas and excitement, because you\u2019ve just given it a jolt of new spark.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the one thing you can do today?<\/b>\u00a0Doing things like what I mentioned above, can be a bit difficult. Meeting people, talking to them and engaging with them can be even harder \u2013 especially if you’re not used to it. The easiest and fastest route, is to bury yourself in other people’s words. Read a book, flip through the newspaper, or even find articles online. Find one topic that you\u2019re interested in. What if you\u2019re not sure that it interests you? Here\u2019s how\u00a0to tell: you\u2019ll have a strong reaction to it \u2013\u00a0whether you agree or disagree with what\u2019s being presented. You\u2019ll find that you\u2019re spurred on by what you love and<\/em> hate.<\/strong> And if you don\u2019t feel anything (if\u00a0it it\u2019s more of a meh<\/i> than a yay!)<\/i>, move on and find another topic. Come back and let me know \u2013 did you find one? What is it?<\/p>\n =========<\/p>\n If you\u2019re also ready to challenge yourself, then you might want to consider joining the Portfolio with Personality online workshop<\/strong><\/a> that I\u2019ll be teaching from 30th<\/sup><\/span> March 2020 for 5 weeks.<\/strong> Registration opens on March 2nd<\/sup><\/span><\/strong><\/span>, and is limited to a maximum of 16 students, so that I can dedicate my time and attention to each individual student. You\u2019ll benefit from a structured curriculum that will challenge and stretch you creatively from the inside out! I\u2019ll be there to guide you at every step of the way, to find and express what you want to say, as well as how you can say it through your personal project, so that you can stay true to yourself as an artist.<\/em><\/p>\n You can read more about the class by clicking this link<\/a> (where you can sign up to be notified when registration begins), and I hope to see you there!<\/em><\/p>\n[Illustration by Rebecca Green<\/a>, source<\/a>]<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"