As someone who studies theater, writes a blog, and keeps a bullet journal, I'm sure some would assume me to be a fountain of creativity (something that I feel like many art students are assumed to be). And, on some level, I would say that yes, I am a very creative person. However, creativity isn't like a faucet - you can't just turn it on or off and expect to sit down and write an amazing essay, fiddle around on the piano, draw a good picture, etc, etc. As much as I wish I could constantly be churning out good ideas, both on the blog and in classes, I most definitely experience times where I feel creatively spent. While it's happened a few times this year in terms of presentations in acting classes or writing an essay on a piece of artwork, the most annoying (and recent) example I have of this is actually in regards to the blog.
A few months ago, I decided that I was going to stop wishing I posted more on the blog and set a schedule for myself to follow. Not only do I enjoy writing, and wanted to write for the blog more than I had been, but I wanted to share the blog with more people, and I assumed that posting more regularly would eventually expand my outreach. I spent lots of time reading other blog posts about their "keys to success" in growing their platform, and I took their advice and ran with it. I now have set aside time each week to write a blog post, a different day of the week that I post on, leaving me a little time to edit and finalize everything. For the most part, even though I haven't been on this schedule for very long (and even though I haven't followed it strictly every week...), I feel like this system has been working! However, I have noticed that I struggle with coming up with ideas and I fall into the trap of making content that I'm not especially thrilled with - something that, honestly, has been happening since I first started.
When first coming into blogging, I did a lot of research, both on my own and from my friend Adalyn (who has her own beautiful blog, by the way - click here to check it out!). I looked at blogs that I really enjoyed, and saw what they were doing to be successful, but I knew I wasn't someone who wanted to have just a fashion blog, a picture blog, a travel blog, etc. - I like to write about myself, and I'd consider myself a writer first. I like to write posts that people can relate to. I also want my posts to show who I am, and for my audience to get to know me better by reading them. On top of that, I knew that I wouldn't have the time or resources to do all the things that other blogs do right off the bat (for example, I don't have an actual camera, nor the time or patience to create a theme on my Instagram, let alone to learn coding during the school year and get my own domain!). So I decided to follow the best, albeit cliche, advice that I read when starting my blog: write about what you want to write about.
At first, the ideas just came flowing out of me, like I was a creative faucet. I had so many ideas when I first started out that I wrote them down constantly in my phone notes and in my journal. However, only some of the many ended up being posts that I actually wanted to write (anyone who has ever been a "creator" probably knows this too well - only a fraction of all your ideas actually work). But as time went on, and I started school, I got really busy and ended up writing around one post a month. Hence, I took my sweet time really waiting until I had time or was really feeling something that I had to get out in words. First semester of college came and went and only a few posts made it out into the universe.
Flash-forward to now: when I started my attempt to post on a more regular schedule, I found that my creativity faucet was a little leaky. Some weeks, I would have really good ideas, and others, I would come to sit down at Starbucks and end up intermittently switching between scrolling through Twitter and staring at a blank screen. I had experienced creativity blocks before, and I had experienced writer's block before in classes, but for some reason I felt like I was at a real road block when it came to my own blog. After all, I had no obligations to anyone but myself to keep it up, so if I didn't have an idea, I wouldn't write - but then I wouldn't post, and then I'd be upset at myself, and frustrated that I wanted to write and didn't have any words. I began writing articles and "listicles" out of desperation, but wouldn't post them because I just couldn't finish one. This made me more frustrated, which led to more writer's block, which led to less writing - you can see how this cycle goes on.
I wrote a little bit about having writer's block in a post back in February, when I took a few months off blogging, which I realized didn't really make me very happy. So, this time, when I felt completely uninspired, I decided to try other things to help un-block the block. I realized that sometimes, taking a mental break is good, but taking a creativity "break" is even better - reading a book, seeing a show, walking through the park, going to a museum. All of these things give me lots of brain food (if you will) to think on. I also have been trying a new process where I don't edit my posts while I'm writing them, no matter how long or confusing or off-topic they get. That way, I can really let whatever is on my mind out and refine it later, instead of trying to write something great right off the bat.
Transparency is another thing that I have been working on in regards to posts. When I write about something that's on my mind, or something that has happened to me recently, or about a feeling that I'm having, I produce far better content than if I write what I think other people want to read. So when I sat down today and thought, "I have no idea what to write," I wrote exactly about that. And, judging by how long this post is, I'd think it's going okay.
Being uninspired is always going to be a roadblock in my creative endeavors, and it will be in yours too! It's completely normal, and we can't be expected to always have the next best idea. I think that everyone should take creative breaks, and try to be more transparent and honest in their work and their lives -- trust me, you will be better off from it! We have a tendency to tell white lies about how we're doing, both in real life and on the internet, and I believe that that's something holding us back from being truly happy. On one hand, it annoys me that I'm writing the same words that I've seen (and been told) all the time in different places - but at the same time, you can be told something over and over again, but it won't really stick until you learn it yourself.
Lots of love,
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