Lea & Lens

Sometimes, I get in a rut where I just can’t seem to come up with any inspiration. In anything. Other times, all it takes is the quiet corner of a coffee shop, hot java and a pen in my hand for the ideas to start flowing.

It can be frustrating when we sit down to write or brainstorm and the ideas don’t come. We feel the weight of pressure, sometimes placed on us by others and sometimes, ourselves. It’s easy to feel like a disappointment or a failure.

I think it’s important to recognize the things in our life that feed creativity.

Maybe it’s starting the day with a nice jog or 15-minutes of yoga. Maybe it’s sitting on your front porch watching the sunrise with a hot cup of coffee in your hands. Maybe it’s enjoying a cup of tea while you watch your favorite show. Maybe it’s visiting museums and art galleries.

If you take a moment to think about it, I’m sure you can come up with at least one thing that you know refreshes your spirit, and therefore opens the window so the breeze of inspiration can flow through.

I know for myself, quiet stillness is essential. That doesn’t mean that I need to sit alone in a silent room, but it does mean that I need to be free from interacting with others and allow myself to practice stillness within my spirit.

This can be accomplished in a variety of ways – a long walk, a hot bath, yoga, to name a few. Without it, I can only exist for so long before I begin to shut down, tense up, and lose focus. And once I reach that point, creativity becomes impossible.

I so often sabotage my own creative expression by failing to give myself what I know I need.

I allow myself to become distracted, busy and hit the pillow at night feeling exhausted and disoriented.

And so this year, I am going to practice saying no more often. I’m going to be okay with not meeting everyone else’s needs so that I don’t ignore my own. I’m going to take time to do the things that feed my soul. I’m going to try not to sabotage myself.