Are you a highly skilled task master who excels at meeting deadlines and defying expectations? Do you pour your mind, heart, and soul into your work, laser focusing on projects and always striving to find new, innovative solutions? Does your creative energy yo-yo up and down at warp speed?
If this sounds like you, then congrats on being a part of the growing group of “creative problem-solving ninjas who thrive in a fast-paced environment and have the ability to wear multiple hats.” Just kidding, lol. I can’t stand it when they throw all those words together like that.
But anyway, back to you and your creativity. Creativity is the ability to imagine the world through a new lens. Creative work is to find some way of translating those visions into a tangible output that can be valued and consumed by others. From design and performing arts, to the spoken word, grassroots organizing, and all the way to breakthrough advancements in science and technology, creative work is all encompassing.
Let’s face it: this is such stuff as deep feeling and thinking and tinkering is made of. Though the work you do is helping to shape a new world, it’s not always sunshine and cloud-free skies. If you’re not careful, you’ll be all burnt out before you’ve even gotten anywhere at all. Here are five sneaky pitfalls that keep you from doing your creative work:
1. Having No Routine
Some creatives are just here for the vibes man. When it comes to energies, they give back exactly what they get. They wake up on a beautiful sun-filled day and they’re ready to give it their all. They thrive in warm, welcoming and highly-supportive environments, where they know that they are a valued member of a team. One wrong variable, however, can quickly throw a wrench in all of their plans. Keep in mind that most creative types are artists, and they’re sensitive about their $#!T.
Some people who enjoy this kind of work keep themselves motivated through the heartfelt connections they share with their mission and the people and communities they serve. Still, all the love and all the care and all the hope in the world is no match for an off-day…or month…or year. At some point you’ll find that putting out consistent work requires you to be…well… consistent. Within yourself.
So many times in the workplace, and in life, we are told to think about others. What about the customers? What about the team? What about all the people who are counting on you? I’m not saying it’s not a useful way to be, but the reality is, external validation can only get you so far.
If you’re the kind of person who cannot just settle for the status quo, then you should already know that sometimes thinking outside of the box, having differing beliefs, and trying new methods usually won’t win you much favor. The problem with making other people your “why” is that you’ll have to somehow find the motivation to get out of bed and keep working–even when those other people think you’re being too much or don’t see any value in the work you want to do.
As a creative person, inspiration can hit you at any time. You’ll try on lots of new projects as a result of that creative spark, and many of them will be complete and utter failures. It’s not passion or ideas that you lack. It’s slow, consistent, imperfect progress over time.
That’s why it pays to have at least a rough work routine. So that the humdrum daily life and “housekeeping” demands don’t encroach (or completely eclipse) the creative work you set out to do.
If you know you tend to give to others before you give to yourself, then set aside one hour, first thing in the morning to do something completely alone. Pour into yourself in whatever way is helpful. Go for a walk or run. Make a fruit smoothie. Write in your journal. Write a list of things you hope to accomplish for the day.
Or let’s say you have a habit of mindlessly scrolling social media during your 45 minute lunch break. Turn the mindless internet time into mindful internet time, using it to thank your supporters or send follow up emails with your contacts.
It seems like productivity is all the rage these days. Everyone from beauty bloggers to mental health practitioners to neuroscientists and spiritual gurus are all touting the benefits of hacking your brain so that you can stay on task and organized. But all the productivity tools and apps in the world won’t mean a thing if you don’t cultivate within yourself the inner knowing that the fledgling creative work that you’re doing is valuable and worthy of being replicated. On a consistent basis. Even while there’s no tangible or monetary proof.
For some of us, the path towards this kind of discipline may be arduous and non-linear. Keep on keeping on though. And one day soon it’ll be an absolute win for team Progress Over Perfection.
2. Lack of Sleep
Dear creatives, have you ever had a bohemian high or an eclectic hangover? It’s like the temporary creative high you get at night where all your best ideas seem to come alive beneath the brilliance of the moonlight. All of your best, most potent ideas rush forth as you’re fueled, not by drugs and alcohol, but by the wild and untamed burning of the midnight oil.
It can manifest in a myriad of ways. Maybe you’re called to your kitchen to cook up some delicious new concoction and you find yourself hunched over the stove, feverishly sifting and pouring and mixing things into a giant cauldron like a mad scientist. Or you could sit down at your writing desk and have the most beautiful words flow through you from God’s lips to your ears, and straight through to your fingertips and every fiber of your being.
Or perhaps you suddenly get that notion to rearrange all the furniture, plants, and décor in your house, creating the kind of vibe that can usher in a new age of prosperity for you and your family.
Whatever it is, once the inspiration hits, you have the passion and the will to carry it through for hours on end. The only problem is, your creative time isn’t of this world. In fact, it seems to run counter to just about every conventional marker of time.
You could have a traditional 9 to 5. Or school drop offs for your kids in the morning. Or other external demands, like quotas and performance metrics that you agreed to meet.
It’s not your first rodeo. If there’s one thing that’s sure to be waiting for you on the other side of that crazed night of spontaneous, creative combustion, it’s the zombie-like trance that envelops you as you go about the day trying to fulfill your worldly commitments, keeping your eyes peeled for the faintest whiff of carbs and caffeine. Once that familiar fog is lifted, you owe it to yourself to make a better plan for the next day.
We all know this by now: deep, consistent sleep is one of the most important indicators of physical and mental health. Maintaining a consistent sleeping and waking schedule throughout the week helps your body to not only regulate your internal clock, but also helps to lower stress, improve mood, and reduce the change of developing a major illness.
This goes for everyone, but creative types in particular, since you, with your unique circadian clock, have a natural proclivity towards nocturnal work and daytime restlessness. You want to be a dependable person, someone with integrity, who keeps their word. Then you’ll have to find a way to stay grounded. Getting adequate rest can help with that.
3. Not Flexing Your Left Brain
It should go without saying that no one is perfect. But the lesson shouldn’t just stop there. To do more creative work you’ll need to discover your weaknesses and then try your hand at developing them. So maybe as a creative worker, you’re at your happiest when riding the wave of your flow state: writing descriptive prose, doodling, dancing, and daydreaming the day away.
While these are all important parts of the creative process, that’s not all that goes into the work that you do. In fact, most, if not all forms of work will require some kind of administrative housekeeping no matter what kind of company you keep. From budgeting and event-planning, to effective decision-making and developing winning strategies for growth, your left brain can help with that!
In the human brain the left hemisphere is responsible for logical reasoning, planning, sequencing, and processing facts—all useful and necessary components of successful work within any creative community.
Keep in mind that no one person is an island onto themselves. Where appropriate, consider when and how to outsource your left-brained labor. Maybe you have a friend, colleague, or other connection who sees the value of your work and has the requisite skillset and the compassion to assist. Lean on them!
Even without a robust network, in modern times, easy access to information is abundant—sometimes at the click of a finger.
Let’s say your issue is money management. Some banks and major financial lending institutions now offer free courses designed to teach you how to budget, save, and even effectively grow your wealth. These courses may include both casual in-person meetups and virtual webinars for the digital age.
When all else fails, there’s probably an app for that! Project management software allows you to take a high-level look at tasks that need to be completed so that you can stay on target for all your work-related goals. With social media content management systems, you can schedule eye-catching posts across multiple platforms at once.
All this talk of facts and figures and law and order. It can be a bit of a sore spot for some creative types who prefer to play things by ear. Especially if your whole life you’ve been told you’re just a little too something. Maybe too sensitive. Or too emotional. Or too scatterbrained.
All the same, however you’ve come to be, if you’ve been blessed to find a creative gift worth sharing with others. That’s half the battle. Tapping into that left-brained brilliance can only serve to help you further up the hill. Being mindful of your limitations and finding positive new ways of responding will help you to put creative plans into action.
4. Not Resting Your Right Brain
This one goes hand in hand with the above-mentioned points. Colloquially, those who prefer a more holistic, creative approach to work have been called right-brained or right-brained dominant. It’s a bit of an urban legend at this point. One that, if you’re not careful, might keep you from recognizing your own inherent capacity for growth and development.
While researchers are still learning about the brain and all its idiosyncrasies, there seems to be a growing body of evidence to suggest that people are not actually relying on one side of the brain more heavily than the other. But for the layperson, describing someone as right-brained seems to be an effective shorthand that helps others to draw conclusions about their personality and work style preferences.
The right hemisphere is the part of the brain that governs imagination, creative arts, intuition, and nonverbal communication. Many creative types can attest to having some of their best work ideas present themselves in quiet moments of deep reflection, such as while walking, meditating, or even daydreaming. We know it all too well. That it’s precisely that moment when the mind is blank that you suddenly encounter a wild stroke of creative ingenuity.
One cautionary warning though: don’t let this manufactured creativity cause you to meander for too long. You could end up losing precious time if you lollygag, or otherwise lean too heavily, on the magical realm of your right-brained tendencies. Worse yet, you could end up forsaking an important truth: sustained, meaningful work cannot be rooted in spontaneity alone.
5. Partying Too Soon
So you’re excited about a new project. Congratulations you working wizard you. You’ve finally done the damn thing. You’ve gone through this life, and set out on your own hero’s journey, and stumbled upon something absolutely wonderful to share with the world. And now that you’ve found your work, you want to celebrate by telling everyone you know.
Oh look! You see those beautiful horses running wild across a fields of sprawling green meadows? Yeah those horses. You might wanna hold them!
We tend to think that by telling people all about our goals and future plans, we are increasing our own accountability to see them through to the end. What happens in reality may be just the opposite, however. One need only recall the growing graveyard of New Year’s resolutions that get laid to rest every February to know it’s true.
A series of often-cited studies from NYU sought to examine the relationship between our stated intentions and our real-world behaviors. Researchers found that when it came to both self-imposed goals and external targets of performance, subjects were less likely to achieve their stated outcomes after sharing their intentions with others. This is because, according to the paper, increased social awareness creates a “premature sense of completeness.”
This means that just the act of telling someone, anyone, your good news can release the feel good hormones to put you on cloud nine. You’ll feel so giddy at all the congratulations that you might start behaving as though you have already mastered whatever it is you originally set out to achieve.
This could jeopardize your workflow if you give in to that inner voice telling you that you’ve already done enough. Practice delayed gratification and you’ll see how it can make a world of difference. Moral of the story is, sometimes it’s okay to just keep quiet and let other people be tardy to your party.
Creative work can be challenging, especially when you are fighting to prove to yourself and others that it’s worthy of consideration at all. When work gets you down, you’ll soon find that a good balance between inspiration, and the red tape you know you must adhere to, will usually produce a favorable result. It doesn’t always feel that way, but the creative work you’re doing can and will add value to your community. Remove these five blockages to keep doing more of it.
The Color Cubicle 