Breaking Moulds for Creativity

Mornings have become a sort of solace. Before, my mornings were usually spent trying to sleep in and gather all the sleepiness in my bones and hold it close until wakefulness arrived.

Now, I find myself not being able to sleep in past 9:00am sometimes 8:00am. In the beginning, I despised it. I fought for sleep and would only end up with a headache to begin the morning I'd wanted to dread.

As my relationship with mornings has become a rather loving one, I see this sort of inspiration that rises with the sun, high and filled with light, and I like it... a lot.

My mornings are now filled with me trying to wake as early as possible, because I do feel more productive, more alert, and ready to tackle the day. I feel ready for the quiet, still moments that morning brings and it makes me want to create. This isn't to say I'm a pro at waking up at 5:00am or anything. I'm still developing a habit of waking up early and when I do, my days feel longer and I have more time to do the things I want to do.

As a writer and growing creative in other areas, I've been finding ways to better build a  culture for me to create in ways that benefit and not hinder my process.

I'm learning that its okay to change things up and figure out what best fits my life. The same goes for anyone else, figure out what best fits your life, your family, and your time management abilities so that you can create to the fullest extent you want to.

So, below I listed FIVE ways one can break the moulds of creativity to build a better culture for yourself and your own creativity.

• Figure out the time in which you feel most creative. Are you a morning or night person?  Find out which one and figure out why it motivates you. I am can be both a morning and night person, but being a morning person fits better, seeing as I have to get up early for work.
• Try something different. For instance, if you write poetry and you've been feeling like you're in a rut, switch it up and try writing different kinds of poems for a challenge. When I'm struggling for words for a free verse poem, I will do a Haiku challenge and write Haikus for a day or so.
• Watch a movie. One you've been wanting to see for a long time or rewatch your favorite movie and just enjoy it. Rest comes in many ways, y'all. Netflix can count.
• Go for a walk or a run.  I went for a run today for the first time in my 23 years and although it may have only been for 11 minutes and almost one mile, I enjoyed it. As my shoes felt the crunch of leaves and asphalt beneath my feet I could hear birds chirping and other sounds of nature I don't hear too often when I'm sitting writing in front of my computer.
• Bake or cook something and eat it. Eating is one of my favorite things and so is trying new recipes. I'm typically a muffin, brownie, or cake kind of girl, but last night I made no-bake granola bars and I was quite happy with the result.

These are some of the things I've found myself doing lately in my life that aid to my creative process. There is an aspect of rest and self-care mingled with creative ways to spice things up.  I hope this encourages you, dear reader, in one way or another.

Keep creating, lovelies! <3

with warmth, 

~ A 

*Featured Photo by Collins Lesuli on Unsplash.com