Q: I’m in a creative industry, and have recently felt completely uninspired. Do you have any tips for how I can renew my love for creating, or to renew my love for making art in general?
A: For this question, I enlisted the help of Newsette HQ member and author, Alex Aster. Find her response below.
Let’s face it, being in a creative industry can be difficult. Not only are you constantly doubting your talent, you are also expected to ignore said doubt and continue frenetically creating–which can sometimes make you feel like a train plowing full speed ahead, with chunks of the track missing.
Everyone feels uninspired, from time to time. Of course we do! We’re only human, and constantly creating new things, whatever they may be, can sometimes leave our brains feeling like the equivalent of an eye twitch. As normal is it might be, however, this gets tricky when your creative endeavor is also your income…because it’s not like you can take a month-long break to reinvigorate yourself in the nourishing, ice-blue waters of Iceland’s Blue Lagoon (if only). Just because we’re artists, doesn’t mean we have to be tortured. Here’s my guide to being a full-time creative (without losing your passion–or mind).

  1. Write down five reasons why you love what you do. With any creative industry, there will be bad days (or even bad weeks–yikes), so it’s nice to keep note of why you are pursuing this passion in the first place. This list is a reminder that even when you’re in the eye of a rejection hailstorm, you’re doing this job not because you necessarily have to (there are almost always other options), but because it’s knitted into your DNA, right next to your eye color and habit of sneezing in threes.
  2. Now that you have your motivation for creating, lets awaken the infamous and mercurial inner muse, an annoying, emotional creature that seems to play dead every time you need her to do you a favor–kind of like that friend that “never gets your texts” when you need them the most. Think of at least three places that inspire you. For example, whenever I’m struggling with plot or world-building, I take a trip to the Met. It’s filled with impressive, history-changing works of art that took years to make, sometimes even decades. I always leave feeling lucky that I have the privilege of creating–because not everyone does. Not to mention the fact that we live in a world where it’s easier than ever to be a creative. I thank the heavens every day that I get to write books on a computer, and not on a typewriter (or by hand…).
  3. If you need a final fairy-dusting of inspiration, I recommend studying art made by a peer in your industry. Whenever I have writer’s block, I make it a point to read multiple books from authors writing in the same genre. Oftentimes, I’m wowed by their abilities, and–like gulping down a steaming hot shot of espresso–I jump off of the couch, then skip to my computer in a trance you would think was arranged by the muses themselves. After all, when everyone else in your field is amazing, you shouldn’t take it as a deterrent, but instead as a challenge to begin again, better than ever.