THE JOURNAL

Inspiration is crucial when your business is all about being creative

But what exactly does this look like? How to stay inspired in your work? As a creative entrepreneur, your attention is always divided. Answering emails, sending invoices, networking…That all has to do with the “entrepreneur” part. But what about the “creative” part? Sadly, we don’t always think of creativity as a top priority. It gets pushed to the back burner in the shuffle of entrepreneurial life.

So here are our little secrets to stay inspired, and hopefully, this will help you to stay inspired too.

How to stay inspired

build it into your schedule

If you’re anything like Carrie…if it’s not on the calendar—it doesn’t happen. This applies to creativity too! Block out a few hours on a Tuesday to create, learn, and explore. Save Monday for returning emails and all the boring office stuff! It can be anything you want, as long as it’s not business-related (no client work, no marketing graphics, no editing clients photos, and no plans for monetary gain). It will help you get into the groove for the workweek, so you can start on client work feeling refreshed and creatively inspired. Use it as a time that you give yourself, to be creative outside of what you normally create! For example, Allie loves watercolor and candle making.

seek inspiration….or you won’t find it

Creativity is more likely to flow when you actually seek it. Keep a pocket journal (or start a new note on your phone!) to list inspirations you find in your daily life.

Go outside! Pay attention to the world around you.

Read Books, and yes, not work-related books! What about an architecture coffee table book? Pick up a literary classic or a light fiction read. Spend the day at your library flipping through renaissance art or European gardens. Grab a few fashion magazines in line at the grocery store. Soak up all the visual inspiration you can find (and keep your journal or phone handy to take note of it).

Pinterest…We know that we don’t actually need to tell you about this one. Pinterest is by far the easiest platform on how to stay inspired. Enough said…

Podcasts…Finding that one podcast that inspires and gives you all the good vibes is a great way to find inspiration. Sometimes hearing another person’s perspective can give you chills and ignite those ah-ha moments.

Beauty Sleep

Super easy right? Not for creative people like us with a 24/7-constantly-never-stop-working-brain! Make sure to step away from your phone and all other distractions at least 30 minutes before bedtime. Focus on your nightly routine which can help clear the mind of busy daily thoughts. Even try guided meditations for sleep or sounds of the ocean, this has been crucial for us busy brains to get to sleep each night.

Music on

This is a must – Allie and I must have our music on when we are working. Especially when we are designing our client’s first concepts. Listening to music can put you in that creative bubble (headspace) so our ideas get flowing. Choose the music according to the vibe of the project.

Travel

Seeing and visiting new places is a great way to get inspiration for creative work. Even if you can’t travel far, sometimes visiting another town in your state can be so invigorating. Make sure to pay attention to the details, sights, smells, and sounds of your travel experience.

Sounds pretty do-able right?

So that’s it: Start small and start today.

Build it into your schedule

SEEK inspiration

Sleep when you are tired, let yourself rest.

Turn up the music

Go on an adventure