How to be Inspired

Fanny Tham

by Fanny Tham of CreativePeople@Work

Creativity is what distinguishes us from our competitors. This is especially true if you are a freelancer in the media/creative industry. What happens when you have been staring at your piece of work with absolutely no spark of inspiration on how to begin, or equally worse, how to complete? Let a Creative Person at Work shares with you on how you may be inspired repeatedly.

Taking Notes
Inspiration comes and goes. When you are feeling inspired, jot down all the thoughts and ideas that come through your mind. Have a little notebook titled “MY BIG IDEAS”. When you are feeling less than inspired, go through the notebook, see through all the ideas you had and inspiration will come crawling back.

Exercise
Leave your work environment and do a little exercise. It can be a long walk or a 5km run on a treadmill. Try taking your mind off work and work your body. Take this time to refresh your mind and when you return after the exercise, you may find yourself with brand new ideas or ways to tackle your work. The quietness and the increased blood flow stimulate the mind.

Be Visual
Pick up a magazine, surf the internet for design websites, or watch a beautifully shot movie. If you are a Creative, chances are, you are a visual creature who needs to be stimulated visually.

Change your Feng Shui
Rather than advocating a change in furniture, change your work feng shui simply by changing the place you work. If you have been working in your room, try working in the living room. Or visit a quiet, local café over a cup of freshly brewed coffee. The change in environment may help you in new perspectives.

Meditate
Sit in silence. The lack of inspiration may be due to multiple voices inside your head, causing confusion and anxiety. Sitting in silence calms yourself down and allow you to clear your head and recenter yourself. Silence gets you closer to your creative power.

Break Your Routine
Do you always work in the afternoon and only rest during evening? Try taking the afternoon off to recharge yourself. Get back to work after that. The trick is to break your routine so that your mind is energized and stimulated by the change in your schedule. Routines and predictability stifle creative thoughts.

Have Faith
Focus on your goals, milestones and accomplishment. Always believe that you have the ability to surprise yourself. Give yourself a little time but always believe that you will be re-inspired very soon.