Creative motivations and coming back to what matters [A reflective exercise]

Listen to the audio version of this blog post and exercise, grab a notebook, pen, get cozy and press play…or if you prefer keep reading below.

Something that I really wanted to do on my birthday was to get a big canvas, the biggest I’ve ever painted on and spend time painting & dancing.

I didn’t plan what I was going to paint, what techniques I’d use, or even what the colour palette would be.

I wasn’t thinking about what I’d do with the painting when it was done - where I’d hang it or if I’d sell it.

None of those things mattered to me because they weren’t the M O T I V A T I O N.
They weren’t the desire.

I wanted to play, to get lost in painting and to soak up all the satisfaction and joy I knew it would bring me.

Leaning into your desires means you can channel your energy towards creating in ways that matter to you.Freeing yourself of all the stuff that doesn’t - so you can be fascinated by what you’re creating.

Trusting what you want makes it easier to discern between what your creative instincts are telling you and what is just a distraction or unnecessary pressure.

Knowing your motivations means you have a place to come back to when life feels too full or too serious and the space for play and creative expression has shrunk.

Now for a reflective exercise to help you feel motivated to be creative (in a way that matters to you):

1. Get curious & Brain Dump: Get out two pieces of paper. Write down everything you think you need to do, learn, accomplish, figure out, etc. before you do a creative activity/project that you’ve been wanting to make time for.

   
   Dump it all out on the paper. It’s okay if you’re thinking this sounds silly or I shouldn’t be thinking about this. 

   
   Write it down. This isn’t about judging ourselves, it’s being curious about what conditions or expectations we may be placing on our creative expression.
   

2. What matters to you: On a separate piece of paper, write a sentence or two (or more) on:
   
   What you get to FEEL when you’re creating AND why this form of creative expression matters to YOU.
   
   AND
   
   Write about what made you want to start creating in this way and what makes you want to continue.
   

3. Read what you wrote. Sit with it for a bit.
   
   Now knowing what matters to you, what is motivating you to create AND more importantly how it feels to tap into that motivation……look back at that original brain dump…what do you notice?

When I reflected on what matters to me about a creative project I’m working on, these words really hit me: “It gives me hope”

That’s what I needed to remind myself of.
That’s why it’s worth making time for.
All that other stuff can be sorted out later…or through the process of working on this project.

Build on what you’ve discovered here + apply it:

I invite you to reflect on these questions and consider how you’ll apply what you’ve learned about yourself and your creative motivations, so you can make time to create in a way that excites and satisfies you:

How can you create in a way that prioritizes what matters to you?

How can you stay connected to your motivation?

I’m so curious to hear your take on this and what came up for you when you tried the exercise yourself. If you feel like sharing, I’m here to listen and hear about your experience. Message me, email me or join my newsletter to stay in touch.

If you’d like to chat about how you can prioritize and make time for your creativity AND do it in a way that allows you to have fun and feel proud and excited about what you’re creating, book a complimentary discovery call or learn more about my 1:1 creativity coaching services here.