I remember working really hard on a sketch for art class in middle school. I sat for a long time examining every stripe on my sleeping cat trying to duplicate it just right in my drawing. I tried really hard and took my time, concentrating on the details and shading. I was pretty proud of how it turned out. The teacher gave it a C. I’m sure many have similar stories that extinguished the creative spark. Creativity as a means to make a living has often been viewed as a lesser valued contribution to society. But the millennial generation is beginning to revolutionize the workforce experience. Courses immediately available at your fingertips will teach you how to do pretty much anything. And yet, along the path to self-expression, working nine to five doing one thing and five to nine doing another, it can easily feel like you’re being stretched too thin. That’s when creative pursuits often get put on a back burner. It doesn’t have to be that way. If you keep a few fundamental strategies in mind, it will be easier to manage your time and create room in your schedule for using your imagination.
Reflect and evaluate
Evaluate your default patterns to discover what takes up your time. How can you change even just one thing in your daily routine to create more time for expression?
Sleep, sleep, and more sleep
So, apparently, we humans do not get enough sleep. Shocking, right? Really, though. We know this. We know we need at least eight hours of sleep a night, but we trick ourselves into thinking we will get more done if we use the hours we should be sleeping to do more stuff. After collapsing on the job and injuring her face falling into her desk, Arianna Huffington is revolutionizing awareness of the importance of quality sleep. I, personally, was super motivated by her TED pep talk encouraging women to “sleep their way to the top.” When you’re done reading this, take a listen, then go take a nap. Alright. So, you’ve tapped back into your brain power that once had you doodling on notebooks and singing in the shower. All the extra sleep you’re getting is fueling big dreams. Now what? Check Out These TED Talks for Inspiration: The Beauty of Being a Misfit – Lidia Yuknavitch The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers – Adam Grant How Frustration Can Make Us More Creative – Tim Harford A Musical Escape Into a World of Light and Color – Kaki King Success, Failure, and the Drive to Keep Creating – Elizabeth Gilbert
Increase your efficiency with solid resources
BRIT+CO is driven to inspire women to embrace their own creativity. It’s basically everything you need to know to start a side hustle all in one place. Take a 15-minute quiz on the Adam Grant Originals website to pinpoint your creative gifts and find direction.
Plan and organize to bring things together
I swear by Trello project boards. They’re free and easy to use which fuels my sense of accomplishment. Asana is another project management system with a really pretty user interface that gives the ability to collaborate with team members. Other apps like Evernote and OneNote are also lifesavers when it comes to keeping all your brilliant ideas in one place. Sounds easy enough, now. Right? The paradox of the road to work/life balance is there are so many stumbling blocks and discouraging moments along the way. But, we have the impression that people who are wildly successful got to where they are by some mysterious good fortune. Be inspired by creative artists you admire by learning their stories and you’ll find that’s not the case. “We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already.” – J.K. Rowling
Stay inspired
Print this list of ages famous people were when they “made it big.” Keep it in a place that inspires your creativity, say some affirmations, and get started. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=873042568577&set=a.543875067887.2055033.4601655&type=3&theater
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