Today, for our last post in this last month’s Home Office mini-series, I wanted to talk about inspiration and where to find it. One of the most common conversations I have when someone finds out I’m a blogger is about inspiration. A lot of people find it hard to imagine having something to say every single day! On the other hand, in the blogging world, a topic that pops up every few months is bloggers block – what to do when you’re just not feeling creatively inspired?
I’m not immune to creative droughts, and now that I’ve been blogging for a few years, I have a few tricks I employ when my brain goes blank. Here’s what’s worked for me in the past.
Writing
Since college, I’ve had this theory that if you just start writing, that’s half the battle. When I used to get stuck writing papers, I’d just start writing everything I thought might be useful, then rearrange or delete or add. Just that act of writing usually gets me back on track and before I know it, whatever I was struggling with is finished.
Listing
We’ve already learned how attached I am to my lists, so it’s probably no surprise that I keep a few running lists. If I have an idea when I’m on the train or out at a meeting, I’ve learned to just add it to the list. Sometimes the idea turns out to be terrible, and sits there on the list for months, but other times the idea can end up being really useful when I’m looking for inspiration.
Creating
Walking away from the computer, and the iPhone, and the notebooks is sometimes the best way to find inspiration. Sometimes I try laundry, some dishes, going through the stacks of papers on my table that seem to grow every day. But what really works is a little crafty project that has me using my hands and lets my brain wander – sketching, cutting paper, painting teacups. Something small without a lot of supplies or pressure, but just enough to reset my brain.
Running
I’m not sure I can believe I’m really recommending running as a tactic for finding inspiration, but it’s worked so many times for me that I don’t think I can call it a coincidence. When I have a big project that needs brainstorming, or a pitch that needs structure, I save it for a run. I like to choose a project and just roll it around in my head, thinking of all the angles and possibilities, almost like meditating on the topic. The only trick with this one is I have to find my notebook as soon as I get in the door so I can write down my ideas, otherwise I forget how great they were!
So there you have it, four tried and tested ways to find inspiration, whether you’re a blogger, writer or just a creative soul. What do you do when you’re panicking at the sight of a blank page? Any tricks you’d like to share?
5 Comments
I seem to have a total imbalance where I have loads of ideas while I’m supposed to be concentrating on something else, but when I sit down to do something, I draw a blank. So I’m trying out the ‘idea garden’ concept so that I have somewhere to look for a spark when I’m sitting there at a loss. It’s just like your list concept, but slightly geekier 😉 I also find that I do lots of good thinking when I’m on the back of the motorbike but I’m not sure that one’s going to work for everyone!
This is a great post Emily. I’ve read lots about bloggers block but your simple suggestions are great. We all have slightly different ways of coming up with and storing ideas. I agree with all of your sugestions… but haven’t been running in a while! I also checked out the ‘Idea Garden’ that Julie mentioned. Sounds great. I combine a paper notebook with evernote and Google docs to save links to inspiring content or idea triggers! Sharing this info with other bloggers is so helpful – thanks.
Thanks for writing this! As a writer and (wannabe) up-and-coming blogger, I always need help continuing with great ideas and writing. I struggle to be consistent. I can write well for a few weeks and then I slack. It’s also hard when you have a full time job to put full-time job effort into something else.
I find that reading the news (particularly opinion pieces) helps get the creative juices going. Most recently, these two articles have sparked a lot of ideas and discussion for me: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324000704578390340064578654.html?mod=WSJ_article_comments#articleTabs%3Dcomments and http://gawker.com/5993140/attention-students-just-being-yourself-isnt-a-skill-that-should-earn-you-admission-to-college
Sometimes I write in list form. It helps me get unstuck because I’m not focusing on structure or introduction, but on the meat of what I want to write about.
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