How to jump out of a creative rut
Jan 06, 2021
Oh, thank heavens it’s 2021.
I don’t care what anyone says about it being “just another day”.
I believe that whatever you give meaning to, has meaning.
A new year FEELS good to me because I LOVE a clean slate.
Here's to this clean slate!
Now!
Let's get to today's topic: CREATIVITY.
One of the things I’ve noticed over the past year is that I attract creatives.
Helloooooo fellow creatives!
I attract creatives because they’re either 1. massively stuck and unsure of what to do next 2. in need of some reassurance that they CAN do their art.
Spiritual coaching is SO helpful in both of these areas. HUGELY helpful. It works.
But after the session is over, the thing that REALLY gets someone moving is action.
I know what you’re thinking:
“Ugh… action is so like, active.”
*y’all crack me up*
And yes it’s true.
Action does require activity.
But remember, lovies.
We’re here to create and not just to consume.
So I want to offer you a free opportunity to do something that helped me uncover some of my creativity last year.
It’s called the 100 Day Project.
It starts on January 31st (and yes, it goes for one hundred days).
The gist of it is that you create something (anything) for about 5-10 minutes a day for 100 days and document your process on Instagram.
WHY is this such a creative game-changer?
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You start making something every day for 100 days. Repetition works.
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You have a community to share your progress with.
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It’s low pressure. (Your work doesn’t have to be good. Psh. Who cares!)
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You can learn something brand new. (So if you’re a writer, you can try drawing.)
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You can revisit something you haven't done in years.
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You improve SO much SO quickly!
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You have a portfolio of work at the end. <<<< really great if you’re having trouble getting all your work in one place.
I did the 100 Day Project last year and decided I wanted to learn how to make stop motion films.
And y’all.
I MADE 100 SHORT STOP MOTION FILMS.
I learned a few things in the process:
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I’m crazy. That was a crazy idea. 100 days of filmmaking is C R A Z Y. Bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S.
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Stop motion is FUN! (And takes a very long time.) But I really love it.
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I can do hard things! For many hours! For many days!
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I can be in the messy process of learning an entirely new skill AND share it with people *and* they will be delighted by it! (People still tell me how much they loved my shorts.)
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I like the container of doing something every day for a limited stretch of time.
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I hated the project a lot of days.
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I loved the project a lot of days.
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I had zero ideas on many days.
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I always came up with something.
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I never missed a day, and I didn’t quit! (Whoo! I’m resilient!)
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I’m a different kind of an artist than I was before I started—ie. the process changed me.
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There is magic in the doing.
So!
If you’re a writer and you’re stuck...
If you’re a painter and you’re stuck...
If you’re a filmmaker and you’re stuck…
If you’re a baker and you’re stuck...
Or if you’re just burned out.
Or uninspired.
Or bored.
Or ready to see what other artistic potential you have…
I encourage you to join me for the 100 Day Project starting this January 31st.
Here’s what I recommend if you decide to DO the project:
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If you decide to do the project, then really DO THE PROJECT. Commit to it and do it every day for 100 days. Make the promise to yourself and keep it.
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Pick something that really sparks your interest. Spend some time thinking about it.
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Pick something you can do in 5 to 10 minutes a day. (Mine took 2 to 5 hours a day… that was okay for sheltering in place, but I also nearly broke down in tears MANY days because of the length of time required to do each day’s piece. Learn from my mistake.)
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Pick something you’ve never done before!
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OR - pick something you’ve always wanted to learn!
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OR - pick something you want to finish. You can knit one square of a quilt every day for 100 days, for example. Or you can write 5 to 10 minutes on your novel every day.
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LET YOURSELF BE MESSY WITH THE PROCESS. I posted my films on Facebook and had strict boundaries about criticism. (ie. I didn’t allow any.)
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Allow yourself to do a work in progress and document that.
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Venture outside the fine arts world. There are so many ways to be creative!
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Keep costs low.
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In fact, do whatever you can to eliminate obstacles to do the project every day.
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Set up a system to track your art in addition to Instagram. Youtube. A special folder on your desktop. A website that you add to daily! SOMEthing. Get this set up ahead of time.
Now!
Ideas of what you can do!
Of course you can draw, paint, sculpt, dance, write poems, crochet, play music.
Do the classics!
Absolutely!
And if you go look up #100dayproject on Instagram you’ll see a lot of fine art projects on there.
But you don’t have to do all that.
I’m doing the project again this year and here are some of the ideas I’m considering:
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Popsicle stick art
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Stop motion gifs (much shorter than whole films)
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Learning CGI (computer-generated imaging: I will watch a youtube video and then post my creative progress as part of the #100DayProject)
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Pressed flower art
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Shrinky dink art
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Making buttons (You know, like the kinds that say “LOVE WINS,” for example.)
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Creating envelopes out of old calendars
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Writing an actual letter to someone every day and mailing it
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Tiny flipbooks
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Artistic doodling
And that’s just what I’ve thought of so far.
See? It can be WHATEVER YOU WANT!
So what about you?
Care to join me?
You can check out all the info here: 100 Day Project.
I hope you’ll join me.
If you're not ready yet, that's 100% OKAY!
Seriously!
It took me a year (and one global pandemic) to get me to finally do the thing.
(not kidding)
If you want to follow along with whatever the heck I decide to do, you can follow my personal Instagram page. Connect with me here.
Alright loves... until next week,
Rebecca*
PS: Are you feeling like you really need some help getting creatively spiritually reconnected? My Divine Path series is just the ticket. Find out more info here. My clients swear by it. <3
