As I mentioned a few days back, I found myself in a serious blogging and inspiration rut over the last few weeks. I was the mayor of bummer city for awhile there, feeling completely uncreative and just generally down in the dumps – so much so that I hated even looking at my blog. Luckily, Go Blog Social was just what I needed to kick my butt back into gear and get my creative juices flowing again. It was refreshing to chat with other bloggers {some who just started and others who had been doing it for years} who could relate to feeling uninspired at times as well.
One of my favorite speakers from the two day conference was Amanda Marie, an absolutely incredible photographer based in Texas who chatted about photography and how to stay consistently creative. Here are some of her tips {with a few more that I added in!} to stay inspired while blogging on the regular.
Thrift Shop + Flea Markets: Some of my favorite places to find inspiration are thrift shops and flea markets, especially the Randolph Street Market in Chicago. It’s so fun finding clothing and home goods from decades past and figuring out ways to incorporate them into your wardrobe & home.
Brain Dump: Something that I’m going to start attempting {a la Amanda’s advice!} is a “brain dump” every week to get my ideas flowing! Basically, you grab a giant notepad and write down the first words you think about {i.e. almond milk, twine, polka dots, avocados} etc. After you write your list, walk away from it and come back an hour or so later. Looking at your list with fresh eyes can help you see clear themes and new ideas you may not have been able to think of before.
Throwback: What’s old is always new again, so why not get ahead of the curve with old movies & inspiration? I spent a good deal of my childhood staying at home with my parents watching old movies {don’t judge, I was obviously the coolest kid on the block} and loved the costumes, decor and sayings that made the golden olden days so magical. Re watching old movies can help spin your creative wheels and give you serious street cred on Jeopardy, hey-yo-
Travel: As the saying goes, “the cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears or the sea.” If you find yourself more in the sweat & tears category, it might be time for a vacation 😉 Stepping outside my everyday life and normal environment helps me de-clutter my thoughts and find new inspiration and fresh ideas.
Read: Remember those little bound paper things called books? Yeah, me neither. After being an English major, I’ve completely shamed my college peers by reading embarrassingly few books since graduation. However, whenever I get back to reading I find myself becoming even more inspired {and coming up with awesome ideas when I’m in a rut!}
Organize: When the world around you is organized, your mind is organized! Take a few minutes to make your space a heaven for brainstorming, designing and keeping those creative juices flowing.
Feed Your Soul: When your body’s happy, your brain is happy! Get your daily serving of fruits and veggies, drink a glass of green juice, grab something fresh from the farmer’s market – anything to make your brain do a happy dance!
Unplug: One thing that I’m awful at is unplugging. Balancing a full time job + blogging + managing Midwest Bloggers makes it hard to leave my computer alone for any period of time. But, it’s so important to take some time to get away from screens and focus on the little things in life! Get together with your best girlfriends, read a book, teach yourself a new skill – anything away from the familiar glow of your computer screen should do the trick.
First off, I had such a great time hanging with you this weekend. I'm so glad that we met! This list is such a great takeaway from the conference – I'm still trying to make sense of the chicken scratch my notebook became after a few hours in. 😉
LOVE this! one of my favorite talks too. Totes pinned it 😉
These are great ideas. I've felt like I've been in a bit of a rut lately. I need to start a weekly brain dump!
traveling and unplugging both work so well for me! 🙂 great ideas!
Can we get a little vacation? I haven't been to a legit beach in I don't know how long- that's where the next blogger reunion for RHOGBS is, I've just decided. 🙂
-Ashley
http://lestylorouge.com
I love the brain dump idea! I have so many things floating around in my mind that seem to make no sense, but maybe if I jotted them all down they would start to make some sense! This is a great list of ideas, thanks!!
Emma
emmabauso.com
These are such great tips! Sometimes things more along so smoothly and other times I have no ideas. I'm all about a brain dump.
OH! I love all of these ideas!
Thanks for sharing for those of us who weren't able to make GBS!
I'm horrible at unplugging, too. But I'm good at thrift and flea market shopping…and yes, they are fabulous places for inspiration!
I'm glad you had a wonderful time at GBS! Travel is my favourite way to get inspired…countdown to Hawaii is on!
xo jen
Pearls & Lace
Dress was perfect for my daughter. She loved it. She got it for her aunt's wedding coming up. I couldn't wait after placing the order as I was worried about the fit and length of the dress.
great post, Maya! I'm glad I read this-I really like the brain dump idea.
xx
Erin @ http://www.truffles-ruffles.com/
I'm so down for the vacation idea. Fabulous ideas. I've bookmarked this page for the next time I'm lacking inspiration.
xo, Emily
https://emilykeizer.wordpress.com
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