being in an icky place.

"now is the time for guts and guile." elizabeth taylor

wow! i realized that i've been absent from this blog for entirely too long.  i have my reasons though. for a while i was in a really not so good place. have you ever experienced a time when things in your life are great? better than ever? you're being a productive busy bee, accomplishing goals left and right. all the while maintaining a motivated spirit to chase those dreams. and then out of no where something happens and you get stalled. it's like driving around on a windy road, on the darkest of nighs in your old 89' hoopty and the hoopty just stops. your stuck. you can't move and you're a little apprehensive about proceeding because it's so dark and gloomy outside of that comfort zone. well that was me. i was really stuck for a few months. things just weren't going in the direction that i thought they should be. despite my most concentrated efforts i wasn't experiencing the results that i thought i should. as a result, i lost my motivation and most importantly, i lost my creativity. i lost whatever motivation i had to design and create. there wasn't a creative bone in my body. someone or something had pillaged my creative juices. and i was not happy. nothing seemed to go right. creating is my lifeline and i was lifeless.  i was definitely in an icky place. to make matter worse, it seemed as though everyone else around me was getting ahead except me.

despite my icky state of mind, i held on to my faith. without it i would've completely lost my mind. in times like those it's necessary to have something to hold on to. i thought of sailor being caught in a storm. the waves outside may be unstable and the winds raging, but a boat is was keeps the sailor safe and provides him stability in the storm. my faith was my boat. my life was unsteady, boy was it rocky, but my faith provided me with balance and security. i knew that at some point in the right time i would come out of the place and rise to the top again. for me, my faith was the only thing that got me through. soon things begin to happen. after weeks of uncertainty my situation steadily began to change.  my motivation returned along with my best friend, creativity. my juices began to flow again.

everyone experiences the peaks and valley's of life.  one minute you're on top and the next minute we enter a bumpy plain and we're stagnant.  it's so easy to get stuck there and become complacent.  but remember anything in life worth having doesn't come to you easy.  so work diligently towards getting back on the peak.  remaining faithful in all you do.  understand in your heart and soul that it won't always be that way and soon enough you'll climb to that peak again.

have you ever been in an icky place? what helped you get out of that place?

motivation

you must motivate yourself EVERYDAY. ~matthew stasior

as a creative i often find myself experiencing from a "creative block." it happens to the best of us. however, the important thing is to not stay in that state. if you're in a rut, experiencing writers/creative block or just need some spice in your life the following tips are sure to help and give you that nudge you need.

1. do at least one new creative thing a week. whether you're trying out a new tea or taking a walk in a new park. doing something different and out of the ordinary breaks up the monotony of your everyday life. it also helps to write down your experience afterwards.

2. have breakfast for dinner. i'm a huge fan of eating pancakes anytime of the day!

3. join a class or workshop. there are so many opportunities out there for you to learn something new. many  times they're free. i found a money management 101 class that i'll be starting next week and that's free! it's a way to learn something new and even a chance to meet some new people.

4. create a list or start writing things down. i recently started to keep a "tidbits" journal where i write down my thoughts and goals as they come to me. i'm often inundated with ideas at the wrong time. when i'm at work or on the metro. by writing my ideas down as they come to mind i can go back to them when i'm at a more relaxed and creative state.

5. be inspired by someone else. read some new blogs. read a new book or an article from a genre or someone that you wouldn't be typically attracted to. i get so excited and inspired when i find and read new blogs. it helps to foster new ideas and it's fun to see what other people are thinking and writing out there.

what are some things that you do to get out of a rut?