25 Creative Tips to Boost Your Inspiration

Welcome to 25 Creative Tips to Boost Your Inspiration: Part 2 of a 5-part series.

Creativity is a gift and a wonderful skill that you can improve and enhance with some practice.  Once you know what your motivators are, you know how to trigger your creative inspiration when you need an extra push.   I have compiled a list of Creative Tips to Boost Your Inspiration that have worked wonders for me.  Divided into five related groups, you can focus on one area at a time, while progressively increasing your inspiration.  Click the link below to access to my free e-course that delivers more helpful information as you progress through all the tips.

Inspire Your Personal Creativity with This Free e-Course

While part 1 focused on Energizing Your Creativity, this post is about Strengthening Your Resolve.  It’s important to know what your motivators are and to understand  how to trigger your creative inspiration.  You must stay strong and not feel vulnerable revealing your creativity.  Take pride in your ability to see and do what others can’t.  You are unique and unlike anyone else, therefore what you create is representative of you alone.  Don’t hesitate or falter because you’re unsure about what you are doing.  Take the next step and learn what works for you.  You are the only obstacle to achieving your creative success.

How a Hurricane Revived My Creativity 

Six years ago, my creative flow had stalled.  My quilting had become more about producing to sell, rather than satisfying my creative spirit!  Instead of creating new designs, I was simply repeating the same old thing.  I was bored and had totally lost interest.  During that time, I made the following journal entry.

A storm was coming.  Emotions were running high.  It wasn’t my first.  I’ve been fortunate to make it through previous wild weather occurrences relatively unscathed.  I’ve seen the eye of a hurricane while living on an island, seen a tornado while living on the plains, and survived the now infamous ‘Perfect Storm’ while on a road trip in its path.  In 2012, Hurricane Isaac passed us with minimal physical impact.  Yet my emotions were spinning in circles, as if the storm had my heart and mind in its grip.  It began to build with a couple stressful days of hurricane preparation both at work and home, heightened by highly charged emotions, and topped off with two days of being homebound as we watched and felt the storm pass.

Time To Get Serious

Closing the door to the storm, knowing that you’ll to be inside for the next couple days brings about many emotions and concerns.  You worry how severe it will be.  What if my world blows away?  The solution is to keep busy, stay occupied, have plenty to do and most importantly be prepared.  Lucky for me I am fortunate to have that covered.  I am married to an ex-boy scout who is the epitome of ‘being prepared’.  It’s what he lives for.  With that comfortably resolved, I needed to be able to stay busy for a few days.  Another blessing, I have a room full of fabric and quilting supplies to keep me creating for at least a year or more!   There it is.  No more excuses.  It’s time to get serious.  I’ll have hours of uninterrupted time to create.

Imagine having 36-48 hours ahead of you to play and just enjoy doing what you love.  Unless of course you’ve created a stigma that stops you in your tracks, like I had done.  No longer did my creative space call to me, but instead I felt compelled to stay away.   I want to get serious about my quilting and take it further.  I don’t know where, but I need it to be more fulfilling, to create a sense of accomplishment.  I’ve created for years.  Recently, I have worked primarily with fibers and fabrics which I love and have collected diligently.  So I dabble.  I try this and that and enjoy where it leads.  Yet there is an inner call to do more, to create more, to put myself out there and expose that inner fiber artist that has wanted to surface for years.

‘Do Something!’ 

My fears of inadequacy, inexperience, and perceived insufficient knowledge kept me from going forward.  Why do we do that to ourselves?  Is the act of sabotaging our own progress more important to us?  Why do we feel compelled to be so supportive of others but cast a dark shadow over our own efforts?  I’d been fighting this for a couple months and knew I needed to get past this wall blocking me from what I desired so much.

While I’m not a trained artist, I am blessed with creative gifts that continually shine through all aspects of my life.  I realized that my journey begins from where I am today, therefore I must accept who I am now.  Only then will I be able to seek what is important to me to grow and flourish.  All that stands in the way of my success is me.  I knew if I just took small steps I could move forward.  That’s when I had to act.  I hung a sign on my sewing room door that said, ‘Do Something!’

Learning Expands Possibilities

Exploring new ideas expanded my creative sphere.  Whether it’s with new colors, techniques, or classes, learning will always expand your possibilities.  Remember to listen to your creative spirit and act.  Stay strong and don’t feel vulnerable revealing your creativity.  You are unique and have so much to offer.  Realizing you have what others are looking for instills self-confidence.  Confidence conveys competency.  Remain determined to deliver.  Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, they are simply shortcuts to learning the next step.  Be fearless and accept to first overcome and then conquer your next challenge.  Above all remain confident and continue forward.

Read more

5 Creative Action Tips to Energize Your Creativity, Part 1

5 Creative Action tips to Revive Your Creativity, Part 3

5 Creative Action tips to Learn More Every Day, Part 4

5 Creative Action tips to Discover New Possibilities, Part 5