Staying creative in the New Year

Some people are gifted with the innate ability to come up with brilliant ideas and innovative solutions effortlessly. The rest of us, however, are forced to work with the complexly (and sometimes clunky) mechanical minds we’ve been given. They grind along well enough if we oil them frequently, but it’s easy to get behind on mental maintenance. Creativity requires vigilance and lots of self-care. It’s almost like taking care of your car but deserves a little more thought. 

Here are our tips for keeping your creative mechanics sharp and running well:

1. Preventative maintenance

Keeping cognitive creation at it’s prime requires preventative maintenance like a cars oil change. Instead of chugging the nearest 5W-30 caffeine, make sure you’re paying attention to how well your engines running, and be sure to take measures accordingly. If you’re feeling drained, don’t push yourself more than necessary.

2. Refuel often

A good day’s work of creative output comes from a lifetime of creative input. Your creativity is based on your lifetime of experiences that have led up to this moment. So keep living your life and feeding your creative side. Make sure you are participating in something you are passionate at least once a day.

3. Rotate your tires regularly

If you’re constantly wearing on the same old tricks you’ve always used, you’ll get worn down. You need a new perspective from time to time, and that requires some time and effort. Whether that’s throwing a new

4. Just get in the car, damnit.

Half the battle is showing up, getting your pen on the page. Chuck Close put it best by saying “Inspiration Is for Amateurs—The Rest of Us Just Show Up and Get to Work.” Most of the time while we’re simply waiting for something to spark our creativity, we could instead be putting effort into creating using what we already have in front of us. Sure, you’ll have some days where you’re fired up and roaring to create, but other days you’ll have to make do with what you can get.

5. Drive with confidence

When you’re out on the road, there are a bazillion other things you could focus on, but it takes a bit of focus and self-confidence to really hone in on driving your creativity to the finish line.

You can do it, now get out there and drive!