E80 What if the spark is gone?
👉 Join the Create-Today Membership to stay inspired and connect with a creative community that supports your journey. 🎨💡

https://www.bdi-create.today/membership_coaching
===
[00:00:00]
Hello, my creative friend. Welcome to this episode of Create Today with Beth Buffington. You are listening to episode 80, woo hoo. This is a really big milestone now, if you've been taking time to listen in with me weekly for a while now. I appreciate you and I wholeheartedly thank you for being part of this creative community.
And if you're listening in for the very first time. Well, hi there. I am delighted you're here. Welcome, and I hope that you will keep listening for the next 80 episodes now today we are going to chat about one of the most common questions I hear from creatives everywhere. And after a little sleuthing on this topic.
I discovered that it's one of the most topped search questions asked online now by folks who are curious about [00:01:00] creativity,
and that question is, how do I spark my creativity when I am feeling down or when I'm feeling stuck? If you have ever felt bouts of creative doldrums, or your inspiration or your motivation has felt like it's running on empty. This episode is for you, first and foremost, my friend. Please know that you are not alone and you're not lazy, and you're not creatively broken.
You're not doing anything wrong, and this episode is gonna meet you right where you are and give you five practical, gentle ways to reconnect with your creativity. Even when your energy and your ideas feel depleted. But [00:02:00] before we talk about how to revive or flourish with our creativity, or even just create a new spark for our creativity, let's pause and talk about the why.
Why are you feeling stuck or uninspired, or why do you have low creative energy? That's a good question you see, before we jump into solutions. We need to pause to look at the cause and name what is real, so the next time this happens, you'll recognize the signs sooner.
So why do we get creatively stuck or uninspired in the first place? Because my friend, it happens to all of us, even the most seasoned artists and creatives, no matter how well adjusted they seem to be. Everyone gets to the point where they just feel tuckered [00:03:00] out with their creativity, and sometimes it feels like it's something that's hard to restart.
So why might you be feeling the creative? Blah. Let's talk about that. So, um, maybe you're tired or exhausted, you've been taking care of everyone else and maybe not yourself. Does that sound familiar or you've been doom scrolling on your phone? Comparing, comparing, comparing and overanalyzing yourself with all the pristine and beautiful people and gorgeous artwork that you see on social media.
Maybe your inner critic is running wild and has left the door open to let imposter syndrome in and run rampant through your head as well, or, it's been a slow creep, this exhaustion, and it's a quiet ache [00:04:00] of burnout from a routine that. You have in your life that seems like an endless hamster wheel.
And creativity, it doesn't happen because nothing new is happening in your life.
And then on top of all this, the world is really heavy right now. Every day you are bombarded with the complexity of a world that you cannot fix on your own. So daily you see violence and unrest in the news. We see division and politics that leave you exhausted. There's economic pressures that are causing you stress.
There's grief or worry about the people that you love that you don't know how to help or fix or meet in the middle. This is a long list of heavy [00:05:00] items that you are dragging around with you like overstuffed, suitcases that don't have wheels. So when you finally have that treasured moment to sit down and create what happens?
You sit down. There's nothing there or worse what you do. feels forced and stagnant and it is not making you feel happier. You might want to create, you might have time to create. You might have scheduled that time like we always talk, but you can't seem to start. Everything feels flat or lifeless and leaves you feeling worse than before you started your so-called creative time.
Or maybe you have ideas, but there's no motivation and energy to get them started, or worse. You don't even want to try because you're thinking what's the [00:06:00] point, right?
If you are feeling any of these emotions or a combination of these emotions, you're not imagining it, but my friend, don't panic. Don't feel like you're alone. Just look at the list we just made. It was a long list and the world. It is a hot mess right now. Life is complicated. Families can be very stressful.
Work can be overwhelming.
My dear creative friend, your nervous system is carrying a heavy load and you are feeling the weight of a long list of things that are nagging and picking and shouting for your attention.
and sometimes no matter how careful we are about organizing and dealing with the burdens we face each week, our strength, it [00:07:00] fails and we sometimes stumble. Ah, that sounds like a lot of bad news. Right? But no, no, no. Don't go away. There is good news my friend. This feeling that you might be having.
It's not a sign of failure, and it's not a sign of laziness. It's not lack of talent, and it's not something that is just gone, and maybe your best days are behind you. No, no, no. This is your spirit asking for a little care. This is your brain and your body saying, Ugh, I think I need a different kind of nourishment.
You see creativity, it isn't just a switch that can be flipped on like a television. When you sit down to create, creativity doesn't just come from your hands or your head. It comes from your heart. And when your heart is tired, your [00:08:00] creative spark can flicker. So you might start to wonder, have I lost it?
Am I still creative? Lamont once said, almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you So please do not feel alone, rest in the knowledge that others have and others are feeling this same way. Creative slumps are part of the cycle. They aren't proof that something is wrong with you.
In fact, they're often your invitation to slow down and back up and return to joy and not focus on results. Even the most experienced, passionate creatives go through seasons where inspiration feels [00:09:00] far away. where the world feels a little noisy or too broken, or too sad to make space for beauty.
And here's what I want to tell you clearly and gently today, you haven't lost anything. Your creativity is still inside you. And here's the gentle truth. Creativity doesn't ignore the heaviness. It will help you look at where you are now, and creativity will help you move through the hard times, and it can help you celebrate the good when you reach it, when the world is overwhelming and your energy is low.
It's important to know how to take some of that pressure off from what you normally expect from your creative output. Does that make sense? So [00:10:00] instead of waiting for inspiration to strike, let's look at how to invite Creative energy back in little by little through Gentle Reconnections. That do not have expectations.
So today we're going to explore five ways that you can reignite your creativity without force and without needing to feel inspired first.
So number one, change your medium. Try something completely different from your usual go-to. So do something you don't normally do and focus on the fun. Look for something completely different. So here's an example. If you're a writer, paint if you're a painter, doodle with words. Draw with your [00:11:00] non-dominant hand.
Play with stickers. Make a collage color in a coloring book, or make something really weird and make it messy and just play. These kinds of experiences are going to tap into that play and not focus on the performance that you sometimes feel you must do when you're creative and play is often the bridge that will take you back to creative joy.
The key here is do not work on a project. Do not have an end result. That must be met. Just have fun in the doing perfection success a masterpiece. The words finished. These are all things that should never enter into this activity. instead. Concentrate on fun experiment.
Be in the [00:12:00] moment and play, play, play. So here's something you can try. Find your fun. set a seven minute timer and make something bad on purpose. No rules, no perfection. Just motion. Set yourself in motion and when the seven minutes are up, take stock in what you created. Think for a moment on how you felt while you were creating this mess.
Did it lift your spirits? Did it make you giggle a little bit? If not, give yourself a rest and then investigate a different, a completely different medium to play with for tomorrow or for the following day. But if you loved your experiment, keep coming back to it with that same lighthearted curiosity.
Add additional time to your timer. Maybe make it for 15 minutes or half an hour, but continue the play. Let this be an outlet to release [00:13:00] some of that sluggish energy that you're harboring in your heart. Number two, return to a childhood creative habit. So this could be something that you might have to spend a little time thinking about, but what did you love to do before the world told you, be serious?
What did you love to do as a kid? Did you keep a sticker collection? Did you dance in your bedroom? Did you sing with your hairbrush? Did you build forts? Did you color in coloring books? Did you create entire cities with wooden blocks? What did you do, my friend? There is wisdom in those early joys.
Revisiting a childhood creative outlet can bypass judgment and your imposter syndrome, and it can reconnect you with why you create in the first place.
I remember [00:14:00] when I was little, my mom was changing the curtainsin our living room and for a time. She had these curtain shears. I don't know if you remember, um, back in the day, used to have these really heavy curtains that you'd pull back with ties, and then you'd have these shears that let a little bit of light in,
Well, she was changing up the curtains and she was getting rid of those shears. So for a while, the shears were just in our house while she was figuring out what to do with them. And at the end of dinner, my mom and dad would always go down to the garden to look over everything and see what was growing, what needed to get picked, and I was supposed to be cleaning up the kitchen and I loved to put on tapes of musicals.
My Fair Lady, Camelot, um, all, all kinds of musicals. So I would put on one of these musicals and then I would take those shears and I would dance in the living room. I can still remember doing that and I felt really fancy and like a professional dancer [00:15:00] when I was using those shears to dance. There was just something really performative about those shares.
So I know that I can do that same thing here in the house quite often. I work alone a lot, so sometimes I do turn on some good music. I don't have any shearers right now, but I can dance in my studio and I can dance in my kitchen and my dog raspberry. Yeah, she kind of likes to dance with me. I dare you to dance.
My friend, there's wisdom in those early joys. And spoiler alert, as a kid, you created, you danced, you sang, you created art. Whatever you created for the pure love of doing the thing that inspired you to create, even if that was a mud pie, sometimes it's fun to include your kids or your grandkids in these activities because it helps you see the activity from the actual eyes of a child.
and you [00:16:00] can see literally in their eyes the joy of whatever activity that you're doing. I see it in my grand buddy's eyes Every time we get together and we do anything creative, just remember to refrain from being perfect. Or from trying to make your children or your grandchildren's creativity.
Perfect. Just let everyone play and if the process at the end is just a muddy mess. That's okay. Again, this activity is just making you loose. It is just having fun. It's enjoying the play. When you discover the roots of what used to make you creatively happy, you connect with that joy.
So let loose and create with just sheer a bandit. Now, here's a fun doodling and or journaling prompt for you. I want you to [00:17:00] write down this thought. When I was younger, I loved to create by. Then let your mind wander. Your younger self is still in there, my friend.
So when you were younger, you love to create by coloring and coloring books, making mud pies, painting on rocks. Um, cooking with your mom, what was that thing that you loved to do and you couldn't wait to do? Number three, take a wonder Walk.[00:18:00]
Three, take a wonder walk, so step outside, not to exercise. But to notice this is about shifting your attention from the inward heaviness that you feel that all the stuff in your head, you know all the negative thoughts that are swirling madly inside your brain. Your goal when on a Wonder Walk is to make it fun just to inspect things and to do a deep focus on something that you might otherwise overlook.
So you're not only step outside physically, but metaphorically. You step outside of your inward heaviness and all the stuff that's going on in your head. You draw back the shades and the shadows that have been causing the clouds in your mind, in your thinking and in your happiness. And with these heavy shades full on, [00:19:00] wide open, you are free to, again, metaphorically.
Put on some rose colored creative glasses that make it possible to stop hearing inwardly at your worries and move your gaze to the whimsy of outward curiosity. So give yourself permission to get out of autopilot or doom scrolling or that perpetual loop of worry. How will I fix that? How will I fix that?
Step outside with this creative mission. Notice stuff that you usually pass by. Look for something oddly shaped, unexpectedly beautiful or quietly poetic. You are training your brain to see again, and that is where creativity lives. So a couple things I can think about with this just in the last couple weeks.
my family. We went to go visit my mom and dad and they live in, um, out in the country and they have a [00:20:00] lot of forests that my dad has made trails in. So I was walking with, one of my granddaughters and she found, oh, so many things. We found little rolly polly bugs and we found caterpillars and we found beautiful flowers.
There was one leaf that she found that was
a heart shaped leaf, and one side of it was bright yellow and the other side of it was green. It was perfectly divided in the center. I would've never seen it if I wasn't out inspecting and looking and scavenging scavengering
looking for just unusual things. But my granddaughter, Fiona found it and she was like, grandma, look at this. So we carried it all the way back home. We took a picture of it and we plan on drawing it again together. Coming up. [00:21:00] And
I was up in Michigan last week with, my grandsons and one day we were at the beach. We were collecting rocks and my grandsons collected every giant rock they could find and put it all in their buckets. And we had probably 70 pounds of rocks that they wanted to take back home with them.
So the next day we went, we decided we cannot take. Another 70 pounds of rocks with us. So we came up with this idea of doing a scavenger hunt for rocks. So I drew up this map that was different shapes of rocks and different colors of rocks, and then we were going to look for small rocks that matched those shapes and colors.
We had so much fun finding those rocks and then figuring out where on my map we could tick off those rocks. I was actually gonna take a picture of that map for you, but it was in the pocket of one of my skirts and oops, I washed it so I don't have it to show you. But it was so much fun to have that map and it [00:22:00] helped with our Wonder Walk as we were looking for certain kinds of treasures in Lake Michigan.
So this is what you want to do when the world feels chaotic. A Wonder Walk is going to help you find beauty in small things that you might have overlooked. One of the rock shapes that we looked for were triangles. Do you know? We found probably a half a dozen triangle shaped rocks. Who knew? Right? So find something beautiful, something odd, something that you find calming, a shadow, a crack in the sidewalk, a leaf curled, just so sticks that fell together to create a smile.
Maybe it's something that you can even save, and when you bring back, every time you look at it, it will remind you of that Wonder Walk and it will calm you down. My friend. Creativity evolves, not with genius, [00:23:00] but with noticing. Number four, I want you to talk to a creative friend. I'm not sure why, but it's common to think of creativity as something that is a solitary practice.
You know, the writer who holds up in a cabin far away to write that great American novel. The Tortured artist that is slaving alone to create the next masterpiece.
I am here to tell you today, community brings connection and connection sparks creativity.
No one has said that a responsible, creative is supposed to find a healthy balance with life and creativity alone in solitude. So call or text someone you trust, especially someone who is creating like you do, and share what's heavy in your heart or ask them what they're making and start a [00:24:00] conversation.
You don't have to figure all of this in your head. You don't have to figure this out alone. Text someone who gets you Talk to someone who understands what you're going through. Get together with them physically or on a video call and ask them what they're working on or share about your stuckness, right?
Find a group that meets regularly and then. Attend that group, come with an open heart that is ready to absorb the creative goodness that oozes from conversations and discussions and challenges and speakers that are part of that group. You'll become a more resilient creative because you're in a community where you receive and you give this push, pull cycle.
Lets you be both vulnerable [00:25:00] and strong so you can take advice and you can give advice, and that makes you strong.
Now let's take a moment to hear a word from our sponsor. And this episode is brought to you by the Create Today membership. a supportive place, and space for creatives who are ready to reignite their spark. Inside the Create Today community, you're going to find monthly workshops, inspiring guest speakers, creative challenges, and a community that understands creative struggle.
And is there to help you celebrate your creative wins So whether you're stuck, whether you're starting over, or simply craving more joy in your creative life, you belong here. So join us at the Create Today membership and start creating again. Start feeling creative again [00:26:00] your way.
So go to www dot bdi, create, do today, and in the menu at the top right of the page. Choose membership and coaching and come and try out the membership. Come just try it out. Play and then stay. You'll enjoy basking in the creative atmosphere that is waiting for you. I cannot wait to create today with you Together.
Now let us explore our fifth way to spark your creativity, and that is lower the bar and then lower it again. If you are a high jumper in track, your goal is always to jump higher. Jump higher. Raise that bar, raise that bar. But my friend, when you're feeling stuck and [00:27:00] exhausted, pushing is not what you want to do.
You want to make whatever you need to do easier. So take that bar down, make whatever it is you're gonna do easier. Then make it even easier again, so that whatever it is you are allowing yourself to do, it's not hard because in hard times the creative goal, it's not brilliance, it's not a masterpiece.
It's not a great finished product. It's not finishing anything. It's just presence. You wanna just be present. Don't aim for your best work. Don't even aim. Take time to just do creative play that isn't work. So again, coloring books, a sketching app on your phone, learning to crochet with a fun kit, taking photos and playing with quirky filters, painting on rocks, and then leaving your [00:28:00] mini paintings where people will be inspired when they find them.
Sing in the car, dance in the kitchen, wear pretty earrings, and choose a different fun pair every day. Make a playlist of your favorite summer songs. Write a haiku about your breakfast. Draw a squiggle, and um, name it, Steve. See, you don't need to create something amazing.
You just need to start something small. Having moments of just sheer playfulness. That is not hard to do. That is not something you have to stretch for, is not a goal that you need to reach. This sheer playfulness will calm your inner critic. It will help shush your imposter syndrome. It's going to help you exhale and realize every day can have moments that glisten with possibilities of hope and [00:29:00] laughter.
Creativity isn't doing work. Creativity is self-care. It is therapy, and it should allow you to focus on this moment right now and focusing on the moment. Well, that's going to pull you away from fixations of worry or the constant blare of the news that is sharing more horrible and sad stories, and when you are in the moment of just being creative, it's going to keep you away from doom Scrolling on your phone.
But like I always say, you gotta give yourself permission to play and then tomorrow you have to give yourself permission to play. And then the next day, you got it. Give yourself permission. Creative [00:30:00] momentum happens when you stay in motion, and it doesn't come from brilliance. It comes. From beginning and it comes and it stays because you are giving yourself the chance to begin again each day.
So my friend, if you're listening today, here's what I hope you take with you. Your creativity isn't gone. It's just waiting for a softer way back. So pick one small idea from today's list and try it not to impress anyone, not to make something amazing. Not to even finish something, not to prove anything, just to feel something shift.
And your only goal is to reconnect with the part of you [00:31:00] that wants to create. You, you want to search for that space quietly, slowly, and most importantly, with absolute imperfection. Because even the tiniest or the messiest act of creation, a scribble, a silly song, a sentence, a doodle, it can help lift the weight that burden, maybe not entirely.
A little bit or for a little while, a scribble certainly won't fix the world, but it can start. And for today, it might lift your spirit. It might make you smile. And that, my friend, that's a beginning. So if today's episode resonated with you, please share it [00:32:00] with a friend who needs a creative lift or leave a review to help others find create today.
And if you're looking for a safe, encouraging space to nurture your creativity, especially during hard seasons. Join our Create Today Community, or come to the Create Today website and find a fun workshop to do, or a procreate tutorial that will just be fun experimental thing that you can do. We've got workshops, prompts, and a circle of support waiting for you at www dot bdi.
create.today so you don't have to wait for the world to be okay. To make something beautiful, you don't even have to feel okay yourself. You just have to begin. So until next time, exhale. play, get messy, do [00:33:00] stuff that intrigues you. Have fun. And no matter how big or small your creative spark is today, remember, hang on and no matter what, stay creative my friend.
E80 - What if the world has snuffed out your creative spark?
👉 Join the Create-Today Membership to stay inspired and connect with a creative community that supports your journey. 🎨💡
https://www.bdi-create.today/membership_coaching
Join host Beth Buffington on episode 80 of 'Create Today' as she dives into one of the most common questions creatives face: How to spark creativity when feeling down or stuck.
We’ll discuss why you sometimes hit creative blocks and in the episode you’ll discover five practical, gentle ways to reconnect with your creative self.
From changing your medium and revisiting childhood habits, to taking wonder walks and talking with creative friends, this episode is packed with tips and treasures to help you reignite your creative spark.
Perfect for anyone feeling the creative doldrums, or who is overwhelmed by the weight of current events in our world.
Tune in for inspiration, community, and fun ways to get back to feeling joy while you create.
00:00Â Welcome and Introduction
00:34Â Understanding Creative Block
01:59Â Identifying the Causes of Creative Block
10:31Â Practical Ways to Reignite Creativity
13:06Â Returning to Childhood Creative Habits
17:33Â Taking a Wonder Walk
23:09Â Connecting with Creative Friends
26:35Â Lowering the Bar for Creativity
30:23Â Conclusion and Encouragement
Offerings at BDI Create.Today

Visit www.bdi-create.today for workshops, online courses, the Create-Today Membership, and personalized coaching!
👉 Join the Create-Today Membership to stay inspired and connect with a creative community that supports your journey. 🎨💡

https://www.bdi-create.today/membership_coaching
Register to the Create-Today Workshops!

https://www.bdi-create.today/workshop-events-calendar
Register for “Learn the Art of Procreate”

https://www.bdi-create.today/courses
