5 Rituals to Unlock Your Creativity
Image from @pinterest
Some say that creativity is an endless well. In some ways it is, but you have to feed that well too. We sometimes have to go out in search of inspiration or try and jump-start our creative juices. There are so many ways in which we can find inspiration and unlock our creativity that helps fuel us. We all have a list of rituals that we find ourselves referring back to whenever we feel blocked or stuck. For me, I try to step away from the project at hand and do something like listening to music, going for a bike ride or a run or watch a film. I find that any of these activities help me to return to a project re-energized and ready to finish.
Journaling
The most important ritual that I have established this year has been to journal every morning. I wake up every morning before the sun rises and spend time with my journal. I write about what I may be feeling, the events of the previous day and intentions for the new day. I have started to write down ideas for essays and short stories that come to mind. I’ve found that by writing in my journal—regardless of what I actually wrote, it allows me to just be free with my words and not really work within a structure. I can write about absolute nonsense or about something that is really deep. I always come away from my journaling session with so much inspiration and itching to create.
Listening to Music
Another ritual that I perform when I am feeling stuck is to listen to music. Music has so much power to inspire the listener and release any creative blocks they may be experiencing. There are a few songs that I will refer back to because of their lyrics, lyrics that I find moving and/or are composed in a poetic way. ‘Staring At the Sun’ by TV on the Radio, ‘Say Yes’ by Elliot Smith, ‘Kissing Families’ by Silversun Pickups, ‘Where Is My Mind?’ by Pixies and ‘Little House of Savages’ by The Walkmen always help me find my way back to creating. Their words bring to mind images of projects pass that I thoroughly enjoyed creating or was particularly happy with the finished product. They help me get back on the right path.
Movement
A ritual that is new to me this year is going for bike rides. I didn’t realize just how much biking would inspire my creativity. When I go for a ride, being outside in the sun listening to music allows me to disconnect from whatever blockage I am experiencing and just focus on the road and my surroundings. It reminded me how important it is to get out in nature and look around you. There are so many magnificent things to look at if you just take the time. I found it was so easy to just jump in my car and get from point a to point b and definitely much quicker, but I didn't realize just how much I was missing and letting speed past me. Whether I am working on writing or visual arts, I find that a ride to work or around town gets my creativity flowing once again.
Watching Films
An activity that has always been successful in unlocking my creativity is watching films. I tend to lean more towards films that are visually aesthetic to me and stories that tend to move me, i.e. make me cry. As a teenager, those films were always ‘Thirteen,’ ‘Lords of Dogtown,’ ‘Kids,’ and ‘The Virgin Suicides.’ I found that after I watched any of these films I was itching to get to create. I would find myself drawing, painting or writing almost immediately after the film ended, sometimes while I was still watching. I pay a lot of attention to the coloring in a film and the sets in scenes so for me these films—‘Thirteen’ and ‘Lords of Dogtown’ with their cool blue filters and ‘The Virgin Suicides’ with its saturated pink film was like visual overload. They always without fail unlocked my creativity and years later still do. I’ve now added more titles to this repertoire of visualizing stimulating films including ‘The Florida Project’ and ‘Mid90s.’
Creating With Other Mediums
I find myself wanting to draw or paint after watching any of my favorite films, but not necessarily wanting to share any of these drawings. I think it’s important to create just for yourself from time to time, with no intention of sharing or presenting your work. We get so caught up in wanting to make sure everything we create is perfect and we are so precious with our work that we forget to just create for the sole purpose of creating. This is an important ritual for me to practice as I am prone to overthinking things and perfectionism. I constantly have to remind myself to take a step back in time to when I was a kid and just doodled for fun inside my notebook or on a scrap of paper. Just let loose and put down whatever comes to mind.
I believe we as creatives need to make time for things that fuel and unlock our creativity, whatever that may be. We should all have rituals that inspire us to create and remind us of why we do so.
Struggling to keep up a consistent writing routine? Check out our latest course! With self-guided and accountability partnership options, now is the perfect time to invest in your writing journey, heal from limiting beliefs about your work, connect with other writers and achieve your writing goals.
About Karla Mendez
Karla Mendez is a writer and artist based in Florida. She is obsessed with buying books at a faster pace than she can read. An avid journal keeper, her favorite part of the day is watching the sun rise as she writes. She is always happy to discuss books and films - find her on Instagram at @kmmendez
