Taking Time

If you’re like me, you’re probably a thriving millenial on the precipice of your latest creative venture, delving into the deep throes of entrepreneurial endeavors galore. Read: overworked, underpaid, and tired, yet passionate from working overtime to make your dreams of Being Your Own Boss come true. Amirite? I know. And since you’re like me, I know you’ve heard many people say “You can sleep when you’re dead”. A hundred times. Make that a thousand times. But it makes sense, right? I mean no one will just GIVE you anything, right? So you MUST work, and work hard, for it. You really can sleep when you’re dead. Au contraire mon frère. Let me fill you in on why that’s the first line of the syllabus for the intro course to Flawed Logic 101.

OVERWORKING IS A SIN!!! Well, not really, but it should be. Modern day society has it ingrained in our heads that we MUST work all day and night in order to obtain this false sense of productivity. However, I can recall plenty of times where I worked all day and night for myself, mostly others, just so I could finish a project. At the end, I felt horrible. Overworked, unappreciated, grouchy and many times physically depleted. BUT I forged ahead because I had “things to do”. (←What does that even mean? What are these things? And who created them?) By the time I approached my next project, my creativity was shot. And I sat in front of the computer looking like a dope. Couldn’t come up with ONE idea. I wasted so many hours sitting in front of the computer, because I felt I had to. It would be so wrong of me to take a nap and replenish and nourish my body and spirit. Nope. I HAD to sit there and basically force the creativity out of me like it was my slave to will it as I wanted to. I abused it, yet still forced it to work for me. I mean, sounds like slavery to me. I’ve even worked until my body was like “Okay, since YOU’RE not taking care of me, I’m gonna have to shut this operation down myself.” Literally. Horrible, I know. What’s even worse, I’m not alone. We all do this to ourselves. Especially solopreneurs.

Lemme tell ya…creativity is a dynamic thing. One minute you have control over it, the next minute you’re begging it to come out and play. Ask me how I know? If there is ONE thing I’ve learned, it’s that my ability to create is a reflection of how I treat myself. Creativity could be this really beautifully fluid thing that the highs and lows of life gently coax out. But for some of us it’s not. And that’s because we don’t always take the best care of ourselves. Creativity is essential in business. Most of us offer a product or service similar to many other businesses. So, that means your creativity needs to be in tip top shape to present your offer in the most interesting way and summon forth your most unique ideas. Makes enough sense, right? This, your unique selling point, affects what your branding looks like. However, many people approach branding as an afterthought, without planning and putting any type of parameters in place. This adds even MORE pressure and blocks up your creativity. So, what do you do if this is you? Luckily, I’ve been through, and at times still go through this (but I’ve gotten better and am continuing to progress). But I’ve come up with a few ways to combat creative blocks and at the same time take care of my creativity’s vessel, me.

Here is a list of things you can do to relax, relate and RELEASE your creativity!

Start each day by meditating. For me that means praying and connecting to God and allowing him to invade the innermost regions of my brain. You know, the ones that are overly susceptible to media influence. Studies show that there since 1990, [we] have become less able to produce unique and unusual ideas because of the overwhelming influence of media at the start of the day (source: https://www.livescience.com/15535-children-creative.html). Take the time to meditate and align your thoughts. I guarantee you that you will be more focused which will allow you to get more things done and your ideas to flow throughout the day.

Make a list. Ok. This is one of my favorite things to do. Contrary to belief, lists aren’t just great ways to keep yourself accountable for your ever growing responsibilities. A list is also just a plain old good way to clear your thoughts. If you’re like me, hundreds of creative thoughts and tasks loom in your head simultaneously, rendering it impossible to ever complete any of them. Quickly jotting them down helps you to relax, mainly because you don’t have multiple baseless random thoughts floating around in your head, sending you into a frenzy.

Socialize. All work and no play makes a bad business person. You just might go crazy if you don’t release some of that pent up energy. Any business person worth their salt would know that some of the most important relationships are formed during leisure time. Maybe a networking event. You begin gabbing and you happen to come across someone who needs your services. I couldn’t possibly tell you how many times this has happened to me! Many of my repeat clients are people I’ve met when I didn’t even plan on it. The Plus: You’re technically not working. You’re socializing. Double benefits! You’re welcome.

Take a walk. Sometimes, especially in this day of computer-run EVERYTHING, it’s nice to get back to nature. Some fresh sunshine, grass or even a little rain will get you back to the basics. ASAP! Don’t worry. Unless you’re pure sugar like me, you won’t melt in the rain. :) Whether it’s in your pumps during lunch or in some running sneakers during a workout, it works like pure gold.

• STOP. Just. Stop. Whatever you’re doing. Getting yourself all in a “tizzy” because things are going exactly as you’d like is the worst! Creativity is like a bratty kid. It does what it wants to. And you can try to bribe it...good luck with that. Sometimes you just have to stop and take a few breaths. Stop thinking. Trust me, it helps.

Listen to music. Music is a universal language and one of the top methods creative people use to…well…create. The lyrics, the melody, the vibe. Whatever it is, music just takes us there and inspires our mind to do whatever it pleases. I personally create music videos for my playlist in my head. Yes, I’m Beyoncé in my head. I just haven’t released my single yet. #nojudgement

• Find someone who can assist you. Sometimes we feel the need to carry it all on our own. No need. That’s a tremendous weight. Thing is, you’re not an island. We were all placed here at the same point in time with different talents and abilities. That must mean we’re supposed to depend on each other, way more than we do. Stop trying to be a superhero. None of us were born with non-detachable capes.

Be silly. Adulting is hard and takes lots of energy. And sometimes all of our experience on this earth jades us and causes us to overthink, which blocks true creativity. Just be a kid. They have SO MUCH innate creativity, it’s not even funny. Be Tom Cruise and stand on a chair or two. Unleash that inner kid!

Read a good book. Get lost in adventure. Nothing like a good ole book to relax you and jumpstart your own creativity!

Color! Yes. You read correctly. Color. Coloring is fun and seemingly mindless, but it’s one of the first stabs we all took at creativity. Remind yourself that coloring inside the lines is unnecessary and that your creativity should be reflective of that. Sometimes we get so stuck in the pattern of doing things like others that we forget exactly how unique our outlook is. A quick coloring session will relax you by reminding you that you don’t have to try so hard. Just let it flow. This is similar to being a kid again, however, there are now adult coloring books. #issawin

Take a vacation. I know, I know. You can’t afford one, right? Wrong. You can’t afford NOT to take one. A vacation doesn’t mean an extravagant first class flight to Fiji and the bill to go with it. A vacation could be as simple as a week at home doing nothing. Or renting a cheap room someplace close to your current city (For instance, if you live in Atlanta, Chattanooga is less than 2 hours away). Open up that Groupon app and find yourself a deal. STAT! Change your atmosphere and shake things up. Alone or with a friend, group or love interest.

Actually REST! This is something we all forget to do. We’re so indebted to achieving the “American Dream” that we forget to enjoy the real life we’ve worked so hard to achieve. Don’t get so caught up in work that you never rest. If you don’t rest, your body will rest for you. And it will cost more. Tons more.

Of course, there are plenty of other things you can do. All in all, remember to step outside of your business goals and understand that in order to achieve them, you have to be around a bit longer….and in good health. Take a little time for you. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Cliché, but true….and you know it. You can give and give and deplete yourself JUST to fulfill a mission of giving your last just to say you did, but what’s the condition of what you’re giving? Don’t do it in vain and cost yourself your creativity. Branding is important, but how can you effectively understand HOW to brand yourself when you’re burnt out before you even step up to the plate. In a world that boasts a ton of commodities, you are the most unique thing you bring to your business. You and your creativity. No one can do what you do the way you do it. I can’t stress how important this concept is and will be in the future of an oversaturated marketplace. The branding of your business can only be as strong as the foundation you build for it.

Your business NEEDS and DESERVES ALL the creativity you have to bring. So…BRING IT!