5 Foundational Practices To Feel Inspired Again
Your well of inspiration has dried up.
You have moments in your life where it feels like the passion and energy to create flows and feels ignited, but other times, it escapes you, and I'm sure you're left wondering, like me, what has happened?
I've often asked myself, is inspiration something that randomly happens to me, or is it something I call forth into my existence?
I have explored this topic and made it a quest to find deeper meaning around this experience. Here is what I have learnt over many years of leaning into what naturally lights me up.
Because there are no coincidences when it comes to your spark within. Trust what lights you up. They are the guiding breadcrumbs of your life mission.
What does it mean to be inspired?
A spark of energy within that propels you in a purposeful direction.
The rush of excitement from a creative idea that lights you up.
When your mojo is in high gear and you feel ready to take action.
The possibility of something new that shifts your perspective.
A high vibration emotion that thrusts ideas forward on a ride of opportunity.
Inspiration acts as a rudder to align your unique passions & purpose. - Jen Traxel
What is happening within ourselves that relinquishes inspiration?
Being busy to the point of burnout.
Your inner saboteur.
Trying to do too many things at a time, leaving little room for presence.
Traumatic events.
Lack of self-care - moving the body, proper sleep, nutrition and rest.
Through intentional practice in everyday moments, you can learn the subtle ways to become an open vessel for inspiration to move through you. It can be accessed through simple shifts in focus and awareness.
Here Are The Five Foundational Practices For Accessing This Abundant Energy:
Capture Inspiration
This is my top tip for keeping the ideas flowing. Find a way to quickly capture incoming ideas, whether paper or digital. I use a hybrid approach with a paper journal, the DayOne app & Evernote to ensure I always have something available to record information. I have added shortcuts to my locked phone screen to ensure that I can add a photo, word, link or audio as soon as it appears. The key is to get into the habit of capturing as soon as it happens so you can come back and reflect on it later.
I use my paper journal & DayOne for reflections that involve deep thought and Evernote for ideas I would like to share and utilize for creative projects in the future.
As you get into the habit of "quick-capturing" incoming information, you will naturally begin to notice just how much is showing up in your awareness to draw on.
See The Unseen
Humans are creatures of habit and tend to stop noticing subtle things in predictable, everyday environments. The idea here is to train your eye to see something you may not have before.
Try sitting in a room in your home, pointing out details you have not looked at before. You could take this one step further and take photos of these details, noticing textures, colours, angles and subtle imperfections. Like this new leaf from my fiddle in the kitchen.
Try noticing this on your work commute or walk outdoors; point out something you have yet to see.
Use A Creative Prompt
Find something that inspired you from the past, and see if you can remember what about it invoked those feelings. Utilize the prompt in a new way, or find something similar that may help you bring about that feeling again.
I love using Pinterest as a tool to spark inspiration, as it is filled with old & new ideas you can connect with any time you need.
Take A Timeout
If you feel like no matter what you're doing right now, you can't access that spark within, it may be your cue to reset. You might need an afternoon or several days without pressure to get anything done.
Carve out time to fully rest and restore your batteries - veg on the couch, take extra naps, schedule 'lazy time' and embrace the lack of motivation. Give yourself an allotted amount of time to do this before trying again.
Change Your Environment
Shake up the stagnant energy by doing something different. Take a course on a topic you enjoy, read a new book or listen to a podcast.
Join a meetup of like-minded people, attend an event or surround yourself with other creatives.
Visit a coffee shop, explore new scenery, try a new restaurant, move around your furniture or make a piece of art. It may be what you need to see things from a different perspective.
The more present you can be in your everyday life, the more you see, hear and create the opportunity to see signs, symbols and whispers that bring you back to the creative source within yourself.
The well of inspiration never actually dries up. It is your current perspective that is preventing it from coming through.
Finding inspiration is supposed to be a natural life experience. Knowing it is an innate part of your being to create, to continually find yourself again and again through revelations and to take action from the insights as they show up.
You just need to sharpen the inner portal to enhance your ability to access it.
Share in the comments below if you’re feeling uninspired right now, I would be honoured to help you!
