Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Finding Motivation & Creativity


Art Wood Block Print Created by Lucius Art

Lately I have been finding myself losing motivation, or creativity.  Good ol' "writer's block".  I just can't seem to get inspired to work on my jewelry or shop, the energy just doesn't seem to be there.  I have heard several others express similar troubles lately so I thought maybe there are some tips to help us all get into Spring Fever!

I think as the weather turns warmer we all have a long list of things we want to do.  All of the sudden the warmer weather means, Spring cleaning, working on the yard, getting outside to enjoy the weather and more.  This means that our energy is being depleted with all of these other tasks and we run out of energy for things indoors such as creating jewelry.

TIP #1 - Set one goal and work on ONLY that one goal.  Get focused.  When trying to multi-task on cleaning windows, to washing all the drapes, prepping the yard/garden for Spring etc.  There is a tendency to never get a single thing completed.  It is best to work on ONE goal and once that is completed move onto another goal.

TIP #2 - Find Inspiration.  So now you set a goal of working on your craft for 1 hour, but you have no inspiration and don't know where to start!  I start surfing the internet to find current trends to see if a trend is inspiring to me.  If possible creating something that is trending would be most beneficial.  I also surf through sites like Pinterest.

TIP #3 - Share your Goals and Inspiration.  By sharing your goals you are holding yourself accountable, and also by talking about things it will help get you excited.  Excitement will help energize you!  So get talkin to PFT friends about your goals!

TIP #4 - Build Anticipation.  This may sound a little odd, but set those goals, find your inspiration, start creating some excitement by talking about it but do NOT start working on it right away.  Set a time a week or two down the line, so that you have time to really build yourself up.

TIP #5 - Keep your Goal Visible.  Write it down and post on your refrigerator, think about it each day, talk about it each day, keep the goals in the front of your mind so that you won't lose site of it.

TIP #6 - Enlist the Help of Others.  Sometimes going at something alone is too overwhelming.  Invite friends over for a creating party, or go to a friends house and try to get some support on your goals.

TIP #7 -  Start Small.  Just set small goals, so you don't get overwhelmed.  For jewelry it could just be to pick out a design, not actually creating the design.  Picking out color combinations, or materials would be a nice start.

TIP #8 - STAY POSITIVE.  This one is huge.  It is so easy to get into a funk about no views, or no sales, or that you haven't created in so many days.  But that is NOT helpful.  It only brings your mood down more and will kill what little motivation, energy and creativity you have.  Stay positive.  Focus on what you can do, what the possibilities are, and dream big!  Focus on the fact that there will ALWAYS be ups and downs, and so focus on the UPS.  The downs will never last.

I hope some of this can help everyone find their creativity.  We try to do some blog challenges to get people into a creative mood, and post about current trends to help everyone find inspiration... hopefully everyone will be feeling motivated soon.

Can't wait to hear of your goals and ideas, so that we can all get excited and motivated!!

Janet
Button Jewelry, Crystal Jewelry, Pearl Jewelry
 

33 comments:

  1. Wonderful tips that I can put into practice asap!!!

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  2. Great tips. I need to make a list of goals and get to work on my spring cleaning!!! And also organizing my studio.

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  3. Such helpful tips! Though its not spring for me I can certainly benefit from the above info! Thank you Janet!

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  4. Great tips! Thank you for sharing!

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  5. some great motivational tips!!! sharing this with some friends!!

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  6. I just started a weight loss challenge w/ some co-workers and so far I'm right on with your advice but it's only been 2 days so I'll have to keep these few pointers in mind.

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    1. Good example! Doesn't just have to be for our art but for any life goals. Good luck! I think our PFT weight loss group has faded :( We need to set more goals.

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  7. Wonderful and timely suggestions. I needed the 'only one goal' reminder. I get parts of 27 activities done but never the whole of anything these days.

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  8. Great tips and suggestions. I have started to focus on only one thing at a time daily and it is helping me stay positive and motivated, once that is done I feel good about moving on to the next one :)

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    1. I totally agree with this. Once I get one thing done it motivates me to keep going and then each task after that seem to go easier and smoother. So starting on one goal usually opens the door for many others.

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  9. I like these tips. I have lots of ideas and not enough time to complete them.

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    1. Share ONE idea here and let us help you stay focused and motivated :)

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  10. Excellent advice! Point number 4 is interesting, and I will be sharing this post with others! Thanks!

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  11. SO my goals right now have to do with getting ready for my big show of the year at the end of this month.

    I want to make at least 3 button necklaces a day for the next week. New design with interesting pieces and use of materials :)

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  12. Great Tips for keeping motivated over the Summer months... I also always have a notebook to hand so I can jot down any ideas before I forget them

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    1. Forgot to say that was me... Sunny Crystals

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  13. This is such great advice and I'm glad I'm not alone with this motivation issue! I have so many ideas swimming around in my head and nothing is getting accomplished because I can't decide which one to do!! I'm going to start with tip #1 and get my focus in gear. Thanks!

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  14. I needed this for sure! I am going to start with finding inspiration. I just got my craft room put back together yesterday, after the move a month ago, so now maybe I can find things :)

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  15. Great advice! It can be really hard to stay motivated and focused sometimes. Thank you for sharing!

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  16. I am the Queen of multitasking and sometime nothing gets completed because too many things get started at once. Great blog, Janet.

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  17. very awesome and helpful i needed this so very badly

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  18. Great article! Loved how organized it was! Loved the advice!

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  19. Janet, thanks for the great article and great tips.
    I like tip #7 I already picked out the color combinations and the materials to start on 1 necklace for this week :)

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  20. Terrific article - just the boost I need!

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  21. Just what I needed. Thanks for sharing how you feel, makes me know I'm not the only one : )

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  22. What a great post! It is hard to stay motivated and inspired, and these are some awesome tips!

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  23. fantastic tips! I have so many unfinished projects. I'm going to work on completing one thing.

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  24. I went and bought a little spiral notebook, with art quality paper from hobby lobby. I use it to draw or write ideas as they come. The ideas come often, but I don't always complete them. It's like an inspiration book, to pull me out of the funk.

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    1. Good idea! I actually design things by color or ideas and put the things I need into sandwich bags and those go in a shoe box and when I am low on motivation I pull out my shoe box and grab a baggie filled with supplies for a new design.

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  25. I love this post! Thank you so much. These are great reminders and steps to take. I love the idea of having my goal visible. I always make To Do lists, but seldom list the end goal!

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  26. I like stats. So sometimes I'll look at last year's information, last month's information, and try to interpret what made them work or not work. Sometimes the numbers tell me stories which I can build upon.

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  27. Thanx for the reminders! Just last night I decided to work on a project today that's been sitting and waiting for me for over a month. I'm using the whiteboard in my kitchen to get my daily goal(s) 'in my face' first thing in the morning, and so far it's working (well, it's been one day, LOL).

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  28. Great tips and suggestions. I have started to focus on only one thing at a time daily and it is helping me stay positive and motivated, after completing the first task i feel confident that i can do my next task easily .

    Motivational Speaker

    Thanks
    Mark Duin

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