It’s hard to feel inspired during this pandemic. If motivation, creativity and excitement have felt like a far reach during this last year, you've come to the right place (and you're not alone). Here are some tips I have to help find inspiration.
Finding inspiration is always a funny balance because it requires a specific alchemy of effort and ease. Now it requires more effort than ever to create that space for inspiration to come in. Since life isn’t as dynamic right now, we have to make it so. No one is going to tell us when to take our breaks and switch up the scene. That’s on us.
Take midday walks, try a handstand, shake your body to some new music, call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while, do some breathwork or sign up for a virtual class. It takes pushing yourself into something to then surrender to the downloads.
Where are some [unusual] places people can find inspiration?
People can find inspiration while catching up with someone over the phone, flipping their perspective in a yoga inversion, or in one of the many different ecosystems of nature. If your surroundings are feeling stagnant, take a mini road trip. Get out of the desert and venture to the coast or vice versa. Spend a day in the suburbs if you live in a city or the city if you live in the suburbs. If being out and about feels stressful to you right now, a wildly simply, yet inspiring solution is to add a new plant to your space. Spice up the energy and have something to care for.
What about using spontaneity to get inspired?
Spontaneity is one of my personal favorite ways to get into an inspiration-flow. When an urge comes through and I follow it, it feels like true exhilaration. It feels like living. Oftentimes jumping into something spontaneously is like answering the universe’s call: there’s usually something on the other end. Just go and watch it all flow.
You know the exciting feeling you have when you come up with a fun idea? Maybe it’s the desire to cook something creative, go somewhere new, reach out to someone or start crafting. Whatever it is, we frequently get in our own way before we even explore it further. My advice is to let yourself explore those glimmers of excitement. Those wild hairs can lead you down a more aligned path than you ever expected.
What does teaming up with others have to do with inspiration?
Teaming up with others can definitely lead to inspiration. People have different backgrounds, opinions and desires that can bring you to a new place mentally, physically, emotionally and even spiritually. Letting people in can allow for a creativity you didn’t know you had in you.
Does taking a mental break help with inspiration?
Mental breaks are vital for inspiration. When we are running on the hamster wheel of life, there’s no way to even notice when something profound happens. Breaks are the ease side of the inspiration recipe. Breaks create the space for everything to land.
What about when I just don't feel inspired?
It is more than okay to realize there are times in life when you won’t feel inspired - it’s vital. This is acceptance. This is truth. This is peace. Every artist, musician and creative genius goes through dry spells. They’re necessary for recharge. We can’t always be in a place of creation. Everything in its divine timing, but know that you can always create a little more space.
