If you're anything like me - that is, you love to create but you live a fairly busy lifestyle - then you'll likely have experienced the frustration of feeling a little uninspired from time to time. For me it tends to come in waves. I'll go through periods of feeling immensely driven; I'll buy more books, more poetry, I'll read more, write more, I'll chat about new ideas with my family and close friends, and when all of that happens a unique kind of excitement ignites in me that makes me think, yes, I can do this!
But then, I'll go through periods - days or even weeks - when life's simple routines dampen my creative senses. The unrelenting morning alarm, the calls, the meetings, the endless errands, the self-care appointments, even the social schedule... each one, in its own little way, can distract from my writing, even from my desire to write at all. Whether I'm too busy, too tired or too stressed to open up that Microsoft Word doc that's been lingering on my desktop for far too long, the idea of jumping back in and trying to find my feet again can be incredibly daunting.
Maybe you've experienced something similar. If so, you're most certainly not alone! Maybe you've gone so far as to lose sight of the reasons why you wanted to create something in the first place. Maybe you don't want to write that short story anymore. Maybe you've given up halfway through that poem you thought was great when you started out. Maybe you've been left wondering whether you're really up to the task after all. Well, I'm no expert of course, but as someone who's felt that way before and managed to come out the other side, I'd say: you are up to it. The way I see it, the simple fact you set about trying to create something in the first place means it's in your nature and you are capable of completing it. Maybe you just need a little nudge... not from me, or anyone else... but from your surroundings.
As I've been pondering my creative journey so far I've been thinking about the times I've lost inspiration along the way and the times (or, more appropriately, the places) I've found it again. For me, it resurfaces in some strange settings. Now, I don't doubt that I've been impacted by the usual things - long country walks, night-time drives and the like. But it's the more unusual ones that have stuck in my mind. So, I'd like to share with you 3 weird and wonderful places I've found inspiration, in the hopes that, if you are feeling a little lost, you might start searching for our old friend in some funny old places too!
1. The Kitchen Cupboards
This one might be the weirdest so I thought I'd get it said first. Yes, I actually found creative inspiration in my kitchen cupboard. And I'm not talking about culinary inspiration here (although I do love to cook so I've found plenty of that in there as well!). No, I'm talking about the inspiration for my first series of books, A Fairy Story (to be released in September 2021!)... believe it or not, that idea came about after a glance around my cereal cupboard!
You might be wondering how on earth I went from a cereal cupboard to a fairy story. Believe me, I'm surprised too. To be honest, I hadn't realised just how much that trip to the cereal cupboard impacted me until I was considering writing this piece. It dawned on me that I was drawn to the concept of fairies when I was trying to decide what to have for my breakfast one morning. Browsing through the cupboard, indecisive as ever, I saw one of those wide 'megapack' Weetabix boxes (being from a six-person family, virtually every food item we have is ‘family-sized’). And in that moment an old memory came back to me... I remembered that when I was a child, probably six or seven, I used to make 'fairy houses' out of cereal boxes, usually the giant Weetabix ones. I'd cut out holes for windows and doors; I'd make up a little bed; I'd fill the place with tiny objects and crumbs of food, and I'd leave it at the bottom of my back garden overnight, for the fairies to visit and make themselves comfortable. The next morning I'd wake up and dash straight outside, desperately hoping to find a miniature note or a sprinkle of fairy dust in there somewhere - a sure-fire indicator that my efforts had been appreciated - and I'm pleased to say I was never disappointed (I know who I have to thank for that!).
When that memory came back to me I think I just smiled and went along trying to figure out what I wanted to eat; I didn't give it more thought, not then anyway. There was no grand revelation (I'm not convinced that's how inspiration works, at least not for me). But over the course of the weeks that followed my mind kept coming back to that Weetabix box and how much I enjoyed making those tiny fairy houses as a kid. I started to think about the magic and the innocence of childhood and how, for me, the idea of fairies living in my back garden was a huge part of the mystery and excitement of growing up. The rest I'm sure you can predict... as time went on I thought more and more about fairies, and about writing, and eventually the idea for A Fairy Story was born.
So perhaps there are memories hidden away in your cupboards somewhere? Perhaps those memories will set you off on your biggest creative journey yet? Maybe there are memories tucked away in your kitchen cupboards, like me. Hints of an old recipe you used to eat as a child? Maybe you ate that meal with someone in particular, a family member or a friend... maybe they are the key to unlocking fresh ideas? Maybe, for you, key memories lie in other cupboards, drawers or boxes... maybe you have a stack of old family photo albums stored up somewhere? Maybe your inspiration will come from seeing those and remembering that trip you took when you were six, eight, ten? Do you have a collection of toys, stuffed away, gathering dust, waiting to be siphoned through and used as a starting point for something special? Don't underestimate the power of a childhood memory. Our childhood is when our mind is at its most creative and free, so it'd be silly to let those thoughts sit locked away forever. Maybe you'll be lucky enough to stumble upon one, the way I did, or maybe you'll go looking... I'd recommend you do. You never know where you'll uncover your next great idea!
2. The Shower
I apologise - there's no cute story behind this one. In fact I'm not entirely sure what it is about being in the shower that gets me feeling inspired, but somehow it works! I'd like to say it has something to do with drenching myself in water and feeling 'at one' with the elements (and maybe it is a bit of that) but the more I've thought about it the more I think it's the alone time that I really like. The shower is a place where I can truly be alone, truly think, truly create.
Now, that might make me sound closed off and unsociable. But hear me out... is there anything better, after a hard day's work, than jumping into a nice hot shower, pulling that curtain closed and enjoying a quiet half hour (or more!) to yourself? If you're like me and the answer to that question is 'no, there is nothing better' then you might just find some inspiration in the shower too! Giving yourself the gift of a long hot shower at just the right time - and taking that time to delve into any new, unusual or interesting thoughts you've been having over the recent days, weeks, months - can really be the difference between an idea that festers and one that thrives. I'm currently working on an idea for a fantasy fiction novel. The basic premise has been floating about my mind for, to be completely honest, years now, so I've been pressing myself as of late to get a move on and develop it further. The long hot shower method is one I've been trying and, I can tell you, it's working pretty well so far!
The best part about the shower as a source of inspiration is that you don't have to carve any time out of your day for it. Sure, if you want to be overindulgent like me you might do your best to set aside a good chunk of your morning or evening to max out on your thinking time. But if that's too much for your schedule then you don't have to change anything at all... the only thing to change is where your mind goes when you're taking the quick shower you would have taken anyway (I hope!). Or, if you're more of a bath person, perhaps that will work for you instead? Could you turn that relaxation into inspiration?
One final thought on this. When do most people shower? Well for many it's in the mornings, before work. The best thing about that is, not only is your mind refreshed after what has hopefully been a decent night's sleep, but you may also have had some wonderfully obscure dreams just beforehand - a classic source of inspiration! Maybe you can use your morning shower to pluck some ideas out of those dreams before they slip away into wherever all the forgotten dreams go...
3. The Dentist
Yes, I brought up the dreaded place. I should probably be more specific though - it's really the waiting room I'm talking about here (although, if you can find creative inspiration while sitting in the chair, good for you... and please do get in touch to let me know how you do it!). But the thing about a waiting room is that it's filled with different characters, literally, so why not make the most of that? Think about who those people are, what they do for a living, where they've come from, whether they have an interesting background and what it might be... before you know it, you'll be creating stories out of plain old reality (and, hopefully, distracting yourself from the appointment that's about to come!). This can actually be done in any public setting, but a waiting room is unique in that you rarely get the chance to just sit, for a five/ten minute period, in a quiet room with a bunch of strangers. That's prime thinking time! It doesn't have to be the dentist, of course. Your chosen venue could be the doctor's waiting room, the optician, or a hair/beauty salon of some kind. The important part is, whenever you get a moment to pull of some productive (but polite!) people watching, give it a try!
And, if you prefer, you don't have to stay silent. It sounds obvious, perhaps even a little silly, but if I'm honest I've had to be reminded before to try just talking to people. It goes without saying that the events of the past year have stunted our social interactions. We've all been more than a little cooped up and once it's safe to do so again I'm sure many of us can't wait to get back out there and mingle as normal with friends and family. Until then though, don't ignore the people you come across in other settings. You might be masked up and keeping your distance, but you can still say hello, strike up a conversation... not only could it help you feel a bit more 'normal' again, it could also lead to an unexpected creative discovery... you never know who you'll chat to and where that conversation could be headed!
To sum up...
Don't stop creating. Don't be too disheartened if the stress and strain of life has made you hit the pause button on something you've been working on for a while... you can jump back in at any time! It might be a cliché thing to say, but I'll say it anyway: never give up. I'm saying that to myself as well, because, believe me, I've come close. Keep feeding your own little fantasy, whatever that may be. Feed it when (and where!) feels right for you.
And if you find some even more obscure sources of inspiration than me, please let me know. I'd love to hear your stories... maybe I'll get to give some new, quirky tactics a try!
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