Creativity can come and go. And sometimes it takes a while for it to come back. But I've learnt there are ways to spark it, to induce inspiration. The best way I've learnt is by forcing myself into a bored state. This means to be with myself and "do nothing". 

Being with myself

Being with myself means prioritising having space and time for myself. For example, this could be saying no to social plans and carving the time into my routine as something I need to have.

Setting myself alone time can also means spending the day alone hiking or going to art museums. Being by myself helps to explore myself more. It leads me to care less what people might think of my art work and writing, which makes it more original and unique. And it gives me the time and space to work more, longer, and harder. I'm more productive.

Get Bored

I've learnt that doing nothing is actually very powerful. To be creative, you need the space and time to explore yourself, to be able to express yourself. Boredom allows ideas to connect without you even realising. 

Of course I admit having fun is nice and being a social person has its benefits. But it's not productive. The more social I am, the less work I get done. It seems obvious now for me, but in my early 20's this wasn't so clear. I was an absolute hedonist. But At 29 years old, I have realised pleasure and fun can also be shallow, and I also find happiness in creativity, in express myself. And to tap into that I need to have a balance of having fun but also giving myself plenty of time to be alone. To be bored. To do nothing.

Perhaps it's age or after effects of the global pandemic, but being an introvert has grown on me. And it's been really beneficial.

I hope this inspired you to stand in front of your canvas, or whatever your material of choice is, with no distractions, and allow yourself to tap into your imagination. Or simply to spend time with yourself and get bored. You'll be surprised of how creative you might get.