From Stuck to Inspired

How a Change of Scenery Can Reignite Your Creative Spark

Every creative person has experienced moments, even weeks or months, of a creative lethargy. Writers call it writer's block, but this applies to any artistic endeavor based on inspiration and imagination.

I was working with a friend whose creativity had been stifled for weeks. I asked her where she was when she was writing. She said she works from her office. "What else do you do in your office?” I asked. "I meet with clients, I complete my administrative stuff, I have Zoom calls, and I work on my business," she answered.

"So, it's not really a place that sets the conditions for your creativity, is it?” I suggested.

I asked her where she might find a place that didn't scream business. Instead, I invited her to look for a location that felt open and inspired her.

It turned out to be her garden. She began to spend time in her garden, sometimes simply sitting quietly with a pen and paper nearby (not a laptop) and sometimes digging in the dirt or caring for her plants. After a week, she was writing again. A flood of ideas, thoughts, and insights emerged from that open space where she didn't feel pressure or obligation. Once she captured her reflections, she could sit in her office and edit and hone her writing.

This place in the photos below is my creative place. Here, I see the magnificence of the cliffs and the vast expanse of the sea. Everything in me opens up, including my creativity.

So much of what I write begins here in this place of natural beauty where I can listen to my internal world as much as my external environment. Here I'm moving, and I'm still at the exact same moment. I then use my voice memo app to record my thoughts, the beginning of a poem, or an insight that might serve a client.

This is my tip for today.

Don't sit in your office if you're experiencing a block in your creativity. Go somewhere where you are inspired and begin creating there. It's the best way to break through and give your creative spirit a place to emerge and blossom.

Where is your creative place? What spaces inspire you? Do you have other tips to break through creative blocks? Let me know in the comments.

My Daily Walks Inspire Me!