I don’t know about the rest of you but this winter has been hard. One thing I noticed is that my creativity and productivity were starting to slow down. I was beginning to feel less satisfied with the designs I was working on and more easily frustrated when I couldn’t find a solution to a problem right away. I started to second guess my design choices and even overlooked some of the most basic details. It wasn’t a good scene. I noticed that even my emotional fuse seems shorter and a bit more blah to what was happening around me. Unfortunately, a vacation isn’t in my near future and I discovered it shouldn’t have to be. There were other ways to get my creativity back. I started to look for these ways to get reenergized about the work I was doing and found some pretty simple ones. I’ve narrowed down my techniques to the three I found worked best for me.
- Do something different
The first way that I’ve managed to stay inspired by the work I’m doing is by introducing new types of creative work into my daily routine. For me, writing has always been a very different creative outlet. It’s not one that comes easily to me but it does help me release some of the built up tension that I have towards winter depression, how the city I live in has dealt with winter’s mess this year and people I interact with. I’ve found that taking a small notebook and just writing thoughts or rants to myself has been a huge relief in how I feel when I get back to my client projects. If writing isn’t your thing, try something else. Maybe you like to build with your hands, why not try building a small shelf or put together one of those 1000 piece puzzles. As well as writing, I started looking at other ways that would help me also get better at my craft but didn’t directly influence client work. I tried designing a theme for Shopify for the first time. It was great to have complete freedom over a design. I was able to try out styles that I wouldn’t get to use in my client work. It would be nice if it makes it into the theme store but if not it was a nice change to the rigors of client demands. -
Stay active
Staying active is the hardest technique. When you’ve got the winter blues and it’s cold outside, the last thing you feel like doing is going out and being active. However, the benefits of it outweigh any thoughts you may have about staying at home on the couch. I’ve always been pretty good with getting out and being active but when it’s -15 degrees Celsius plus a -30 degree windshield the last thing I wanted to do was go jump in a pool to swim. I believe you need to force yourself to be active anyways. In fact, you can do it from the comfort of your own home. For example, just doing a few pushups and jumping jacks can get your blood moving and start the release of Endorphins, which have been linked to feeling happy and creative. Now if you really hate exercise, other ways to stay active is by just getting out of the house. Yes it’s frigid out there but changing your scenery can do wonders. My wife and I have made a routine out of going to Starbucks on Wednesday afternoons. We find a corner to take over and we just work for a few hours. The change in surroundings helps me regain my focus on projects as well as draw from the inspiration of the people around me creating things for their own clients or companies. -
Read More
Finally, reading is one of the most comforting and inspiring ways that I’ve found to beat the winter. There simply is nothing better than to curl up with a good book and get captured by the story. It doesn’t even need to be a story like Game of Thrones. For example, I’m currently reading A Year Without Pants. It’s the story about what it’s like to work at Automattic. The techniques and corporate culture that is discussed in the book I’ve found to be very inspiring. I love knowing about what’s happening behind the scenes at my favorite companies. Sometimes though, we don’t have time to read full books. In this case, find blogs by people that inspire you. We all have our favorites. For me, I love reading the insights by Tim Ferris, Obox, Adii Pienaar and of course A List Apart. They offer weekly, if not daily, inspirations in various aspects of being creative and successful.
Having simple techniques that are cost effective can make a huge difference in the way you stay creative during the winter months. Everyone has their own techniques for fighting off the bleak winter and you need to find the techniques that work best for you. Sometimes this might mean that you “spring clean” your office or maybe you redesign your portfolio, but whatever you do stay inspired. Summer will come soon enough and it’s harder to rev up to new tasks and levels of creativity than it is to stay steady throughout.
I would love to know what your techniques are for staying creative during the cold winter? Leave a comment below.
###Further Reading
