Do you find yourself drained, uninspired, or unable to think? If you said yes, you’re not the only one.  I’ve been in Strugglesville in terms of my creativity for some time now.   I feel burned out, like the spark just isn’t there to create anything.  This is very strange for the girl who used to sketch all through class, scrapbook and craft for fun, and spend hours writing.  In light of my recent creativity crisis, I identified what I feel like has been blocking my creative flow.  Things I took for granted that seemed to have slipped away quietly through the years.  So here’s 12 ways to get back that creative spark.

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1 . Walk away.  Get away from your desk right now (okay, well after you’re done reading this 🙂 ).   Creative types are always thinking, so even taking 5-10 minutes to yourself will refresh your mind and help prevent a burnout.

2. Go out into the wild.  Experience nature. Do something spontaneous.  Live in the moment.

3.  Watch a funny movie.  You probably are not laughing nearly enough.  Smiling and laughing release feel-good endorphins into our system.  These free us, and allow thoughts to free flow too. I heard some crazy stat the other day – how an average kid smiles over 400 times a day, but adults only smile about 20 times a day! I think we can learn something from the kiddos.

4. Sketch.  You don’t have to be an artist. But getting those pretty pictures in your head on paper will help you to visualize your goals and bring those ideas to life.

5. Get lots of sleep.  How do you expect your brain to come up with amazing things if it is overworked and tired?  Try getting at least 7 hours of shut-eye every night.

6. Surround yourself with people who inspire you. There’s a study out that says you are a mixture of the 5 people you spend the most time with.  Spending time with great people will bring out the best in you. If you can’t spend time with someone who motivates you, create a list of what inspires you about them, and try incorporate those traits and values in your life.

7. Reflect and remember.  Devote some time just to stop and think.  Take the pressure off yourself and clear your head.  This will allow thoughts to just come to you.  Analyze what worked for you and what didn’t.  Remember times when you succeeded and failed, and learn from both.

8. Try something new.  New experiences bring on unique reactions.  Stimulate your emotions.

9. Do something you absolutely love.  Whether its listening to music, reading a book, playing on Pinterest, or going to your favorite restaurant.  You must treat yourself every once in a while to keep your spirits up.  If you are neglecting yourself, you will become miserable.  And an unhappy mind is a sure-fire way to kill creativity.

10.  Travel.  A flight halfway around the world would be perfect, but if that’s not possible, even hitting the road to explore a neighboring town could provide you with new insight and inspiration.

11.  Keep track of your ideas and thoughts. Keep a journal.  It could just be a simple notebook. Log your dreams, ideas, goals, and feelings.

12. Believe.  In yourself. In your work.  In where you’re headed.  Attitude is everything.  You must believe you can create if you truly want to be creative.

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I want to know – what do you do to help spark your creativity when you’re caught in a creative rut??