How to keep yourself in the creative flow? A short list of simple tips.

Creation is all about the perfect balance between extreme forces, look at the universe, we are no different. Starting to create is already a big challenge but to keep yourself into that flow is even harder. To keep that infinity machine running we need to balance our inner alchemy perfectly, this takes a lot of focus and our minds tend to drift away very easy. Over my life I experimented a lot with different techniques but in fact it are the simple things that struck me as having the most result.

    

Create a ritual for yourself.  

Every day I try to make some time for my creative work, it is the repetition that is the key.  An athlete that wants to be at the top of his game has to train almost every day and so should we so make sure that we are passionate about what we do and make sure it becomes a habit.  I like to go for a walk first before I sit at my computer or I like to go sit in nature for brainstorming, because I always repeat that before a process these things become triggers to get me in a certain mood. 

Focus on the process instead of the results. 

If I create certain practices for myself, little exercises that I keep repeating and focus on those instead my results I get more productive instantly. A lot of the time bigger projects flow from these little experiments. Limit yourself! If I don’t restrain myself I keep coming up with new idea’s so I have to set clear boundaries for myself. Time, space, action, subject, materials used, …. It can be any kind of limitation but any rule I put myself under is keeping me focused on what the current task is and forcing me to be more creative.  

Terminate every distraction without mercy!

This is a no-brainer but it is not always obvious what the distractions are and it also depends much what the task at hand is. Some tasks I do better when there is lots of noise and distractions while other tasks are impossible to complete in that way and I need chill music or total silence. 

When in block try a different medium. 

I like to switch a lot from medium when I get bored, It comes naturally and is always related with what I was doing before. Sometimes It reveals things that could not be expressed and it can be an bring new idea ‘s and perspectives for the previous work.  

    

Keep things wild and stay excited!

I need to keep being amazed so I surround myself with a great diversity of people, I always try and put some spice in my work, i like to try out crazy things just for the fun. If it gets dull I am doing something completely wrong and I should not continue. If I don’t put my heart into it my work then nobody else will care. My work needs my full attention or it is impossible to create my best work. 

Take a well deserved break! 

If I am losing my inspiration and none of the tricks above work maybe it’s better to stop working.  I go for a walk in nature, moving our body physically will also reactivate our brain. We could go dancing or just  relax on the beach. If we get some inspiration while exploring the world, our creative work will have a big benefit of it afterwards.  

Everyone of us needs that free space with the freedom to be crazy and to fail but we also need to be responsible and create a balance between the input, the process and the output.