Winter Blues

Jordan Napper
Aug 25, 2017 · 6 min read

It has been a long cold winter here in Canberra, Australia. This is the first winter that I can remember that has actually really knocked me around. It has sapped my energy, made me sleepy, taken all my motivation and my appetite.

I’ve still managed to get things done but not to the scale that I would have liked. It is only now that Winter is almost at an end that I am starting to get back into the swing of things.

So in today’s blog post I am going to talk about how I am dealing with the winter blues and things I have done to help get me through it. Yes this article is about winter and how it sucks, but really it is about falling into a creative funk and how you can pull yourself out of it.

How to get over it

The title for this little section sounds a bit gruff, “how to get over it”. It makes it sounds like you have the sniffles and you have to do it is take a few cold and flu tablets and you’ll be alright.

That’s not the case at all; there is no magic tablet that can pull you out of this hole. Once you realise that you are in a rut, you can start taking the required steps to get yourself back on the right path again.

So instead of saying, “you must do these things and you’ll be just fine”, what I have listed below are just a few things that helped me over the passed few weeks and maybe they can help you too.

Keep showing up

No matter how much you don’t want to, no matter how badly you can’t be bothered and no matter if all you want to just sit on the couch and keep watching Netflix, you need to keep showing up.

It doesn’t need to be for 8 hours a day and it doesn’t mean that you have to make the next Mona Lisa, it just means that each day you do show up and get something done.

The day before set yourself a small task, nothing to big or overwhelming, just something small and achievable. If you are working on a bigger project set yourself small jobs that added up to a larger picture. Don’t go trying to get all that work done today, you’ll feel overwhelmed and that’s probably the number 1 feeling that makes me want to give up at times.

After stringing a few of these days together of starting and finishing small jobs, you’ll be able to see progress. You’ll be able to see the finish line and all that motivation will come flooding back. Motivation is not a source of energy, you get motivation from doing. The more you do, the more motivation you have to keep on doing.

Set yourself small achievable tasks each day and actually finish them, even if it does take you all day when it should have only taken an hour — at least it got finished.

Create for you

Stop creating for people on the Internet or trying to impress someone. Just create for you, create stuff that you enjoy making and find fulfilment in actually doing it.

If you are making stuff because it might score you a few extra likes on Facebook or Instagram then your shit is broken and you need to take a good long look into why you are doing what you are doing.

Making stuff for other people is a sure-fire way to burn out and stay in this creative funk for even longer. Take a step back and figure out why you make stuff to begin with.

For me, I started lettering cause it looked cool and once I started and I found that I actually really enjoyed the process of putting pencil to paper and making something — even if it sucked.

Get back to the roots of why you make stuff and make more stuff in that mindset. Find the fulfilment in the doing not in the Internet likes.

Take each day as it comes

This point will slightly contradict what I have said above but after a while you kind of figure out how you work and what you need each day.

Some days you do just need to take step back and not work on anything, other days you need to sit your butt down and work.

The trouble with this though is that if you do string too many days where you don’t get anything done you risk the chance of slipping further into the creative funk hole, which can be dangerous.

You need to figure this out for you. Listen to your body and mind and learn when it is telling you to rest or hang with friends or go for a walk or when it needs to focus on a single task.

I can’t tell you when you need to rest or when you need to work, unfortunately you need to figure this out on your own.

Talk to someone

It’s always easy to fall into the trap of thinking that feeling uninspired and unmotivated is a ‘sign’ that something is wrong with your process or the direction of your work. When you decide to make something so personal such a big part of your life, it’s easy to over analyse any little flaws and try to talk yourself into a safer (and way more boring) life choice.

Don’t listen to this voice, ever.

When you start feeling like you’re in a funk, find someone to talk to. They don’t have to necessarily understand your creative block, or the goal you’re trying to achieve.

The main thing you’re looking for in someone to talk to is a decent set of ears and half a brain. Anyone from your idols to the person next-door will have been through a similar time, probably over and over again. They say that misery loves company and sometimes talking out the rough times with people that understand, and have gone through it themselves can give you renewed motivation to shrug it off and get back to what matters.

Try talking it out with a friend, family member, colleague or even me!

Getting some rest and take a step back

One of the big reasons I find myself in creative funks is burnout. It comes as a result of string a few big weeks together and not looking after myself properly. Eating lots of fatty/sugary foods, not exercising, not getting out of the office enough, not spending enough quaintly time with my partner and not seeing my friends and family.

During a funk there will be days where you just won’t get anything done and that’s okay.For the hardest part is accepting that I am not 100% and that I do need to rest. I need to rest more then just my body but also my mind and that’s tough.

I like doing stuff, I like working and I find fulfilment in the ‘doing’. But sometimes you just need rest. Without proper rest, diet and exercise the chances of burning out are high.

Now I’m not taking about sleeping 16 hours a day, not eating any fun foods and running 20 kilometers every single day.

I am just saying that what sleep you do get, make sure it is high quality sleep (there is heaps of information on the internet about how you can do that), eat a balanced diet and if you aren’t big on exercising then just go for a short walk and get some fresh air.

These little things all help with your long-term mental and physical health. By looking after your now you are looking after your future self and everything that you which to achieve becomes that little bit easier.

How to stay creative during this time

Staying creative during a funk can be nearly impossible. All your creative mojo has left you and you can’t seem to find any of inspiration.

The trick is to just keep making stuff even if it sucks. Just sit down, pick your pen up and make something. The more you make the more that mojo will come back and the more mojo you have to inspired you will feel.

Another helpful tip is to get outside of your comfort zone. I know when I am in a funk I feel bored with my current set up and tools, so I try something new. I new tool, a new medium or even just a different location can help you find that spark you need to get back in the swing of it.

So, pick up your weapon of choice and make something you enjoy making

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Jordan Napper

Written by

A lettering artist starting out on his journey, trying to inspire others and grow as a person. Jordannapper.com

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