Happy Friday everyone! How are you? It is FINALLY the last weekend of January! I don't know about you, but this may have been the longest month of my life! I guess that 'New Year Gumption' never really kicked in, and while I've actually had an amazingly productive, busy and happy month, I'm definitely feeling a little drained.
The part of me that has felt particularly drained lately, has been my creativity tank. You know that tank that everyone has that fuels new ideas and gives you the energy to make those ideas happen? And I truly believe everyone has a creativity tank. Sure some peoples tank is a little bigger than others, some peoples tank is a little rusty and in need of repair, and other people have that tank but have never really known what to do with it. Whatever the state of it, everyone has one.
Mine is normally a pretty well oiled machine. One that dare I say, runs on renewable energy. The more energy I use out of my creative tank, the more creative energy it creates (forgive me if the science of this metaphor is a little off). But lately my tank seems to be a little slower to refill than usual.
It works perfectly fine 9 to 5 when I'm at my job, but then when I get home and feel the spark of the ignition of a creative idea, the tank cuts out. Spark, cough, splutter, silence. There was enough fuel to start the idea but not to get it off the driveway. It's been more than a little frustrating.
I've a whole page of ideas for blog posts but no energy to actually write them. I'll walk home with the intention of putting pen to paper, only to open my notebook write the date and nothing more. I can't even be bothered to instagram. I know, that bad.
I know I shouldn't feel too bad, I am still a creative person, and I am lucky enough that I get to be creative at least five days a week and be paid for it. But I never want my creativity to become just a job. Just something I do because a job description and a to do list command it. I'm creative in so many ways at work but somehow it just doesn't feel enough.
IT doesn't feel enough to come home and spend my night in front of netflix. It doesn't feel enough to have an idea and not do anything about it.
At the moment I don't feel enough myself.
But I also know that forcing it isn't going to do my creativity tank any good. If you're car was broken you could push it past it's breaking point only to be stranded half way home, or you could leave it on the drive way, call someone to come and fix it, look after it, and be back on the road in due time (again forgive me, my driving lessons are going slow so my metaphor might not be entirely accurate).
That's what I need to do with my own creativity tank. Take it in for a service. Polish it up. Refill it to the top, instead of always running just above the red line.
Luckily an mot on my creativity tank doesn't cost as much as broken down car and I don't need to claim it on insurance. I simply need to read a magazine. Get into a good book. Try something new, maybe jump on the colouring band wagon. Sew something, where all I need do is follow the step by step guide to create something. Get outside. Take a walk. Sit in silence.
For other people polishing off their creativity tank might take a bit longer, for me, it probably won't be too big a job. But even if it is, even if your creativity tank has turned from shiny unicorn colour to dark brown rust, it's still there.
The best thing about a creativity tank? It never fully breaks. It never needs replacing, and it will never be fully written off.
It just needs servicing.
Live life & service your creativity tank (oo-err) x
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