How to Be Open to Creative Inspiration

Illustration by Maria Katharine Ramsey

If you have creative dreams and goals, chances are you already know that you need to be making time for your art consistently. You know how important it is to sit down at your writing desk and get some words on the page, even on the days when you don’t necessarily feel the most inspired. Creating structure around our art is how we can consistently make progress towards our goals. 

But you probably also have an inkling by now that consistency alone may not be the only thing that’s required. You could be working on your art every single day and still feeling stuck or blocked creatively…in which case, it may be time to look at the type of energy you’re bringing to your creative practice. 

I believe that the quality of our energy when we’re approaching a project has a big impact on how it turns out – and, just as importantly, on how we feel about how it turns out. If you’re sitting at your easel or your pottery wheel feeling frustrated, down on yourself, or with unreasonably high expectations of how something needs to look or feel when it’s finished, that’s generally not a recipe for success. 

In contrast, when you approach your creative work with an openness to experience the process and follow your curiosity, the outcome tends to be much better. In my experience, when I approach my art in this way, the final product is often something I’m really proud of – and if it isn’t, I still had fun making it. Having fun during the creative process also makes me more willing to show up again tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that – in other words, helping me build that consistency that we know is so important.

And I believe that consistency plus openness is one of the most reliable ways to invite more creative inspiration.

So, how do we cultivate this energy of openness? Here are some of the tools and practices that have helped me: 

Journaling

We all have lots of thoughts in our brains, and writing them down can be very helpful in recognizing any patterns of repeating thoughts that might not be doing us any favors. I always find that writing down my thoughts helps me have a lot more awareness and compassion for my sweet little brain, who really just wants the best for me…even if she sometimes gets in the way. I like to journal in the form of morning pages, as described in The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. My friend Katie also wrote a book all about journaling called Let It Out, which I think is a great place to start if you’re new to journaling or if you want some more specific prompts. 

Meditation 

As humans, we go down some weird rabbit holes in our minds…and meditation, like journaling, is a helpful way to become more aware of our thoughts. This could be a quiet, sitting meditation, a walking meditation, or any other activity where you can really be present and quiet in your body.  

Movement

Often when we feel stuck, it can be helpful to actually move our physical body. This could be going for a walk, taking a dance break, doing some gentle stretches, or any other activity that works for you. In my experience, physical movement is one of the best ways to get myself out of a creative rut or an unhelpful thought spiral that’s preventing me from feeling present with my art. 

Tapping

Tapping, or EFT, has been a really helpful tool for me in shifting my emotions and my energy, especially when I’m in a really bad mood or feeling less than confident about myself or my art. It’s basically talking to yourself while gently tapping on different points on your body. When I’m in a funk or going down a weird spiral, tapping really helps me both acknowledge what’s going on and shift out of it. I think the acknowledgment is really important because that means I’m not just bypassing my emotions and pretending that a situation doesn’t exist, but I’m accepting it, and also allowing myself to shift it and move on. 

Tap into your senses

Getting in touch with your physical senses can be another way to really be present in your body in each moment. I’ve found that tuning into my senses can really heighten my experience of each moment, and open me up to all sorts of new ideas for things I could be creating. If this resonates with you, try intentionally creating a sensory experience for yourself: put on a soft and cozy sweater, drink some tea that you love, light a delicious candle, or put a piece of beautiful artwork in front of you. 

Did any of these ideas resonate with you? I would encourage you to pick one to experiment with, and pay attention to what you experience. Do you feel a little more open? A little more inspired? A little more willing to play with your creativity?