Stoke Your Creative Fire - Change the Scenery

I am an inspiration junkie. I love getting the spark of an idea that opens doors to possibility. It’s energetic fuel to stoke your creative fire. If you take action, things start to happen.

However, this is just part of the path. The creative fire is strongest at the beginning of a project, but eventually it tapers off. There is always a point where momentum ebbs and you get stuck.

It happens when I start a new yoga class or diet. It happens when I tackle projects for my business. It happens when I take new classes and start learning something new. There comes a point where that initial burst of creative energy tapers off, and I need to feed that spark so it can become a steady-burning fire.

The best thing to do is KEEP GOING… (and trust me, it’s not always easy.) Changing the scenery can reignite your flow when you feel it waning.

You can change the scenery in simple ways by taking a different route to work, going window shopping or trying out pretty much anything new and different.

Sometimes though… we need a big change and traveling to a new place has never failed to re-energize me when I’m feeling creatively droopy. Whether you go on a full-out vacation or simply on a day trip off the beaten path, the fresh and different sights, sounds, tastes and energy of a new place can pull you out of your creative doldrums and stoke your creative fire.

I recently took a weekend trip to Montréal, Canada with my daughter for just this reason. It was a relatively short drive away. It was a different country, and it was a place I had never been… so it definitely qualified as a perfect opportunity to change the scenery.

We had a great and sometimes uncomfortable adventure that included getting lost in a maze of tunnels and highways around the city center when our GPS failed, eating some amazing food (definitely a city to go for that!), and stepping out of the very chilly 20 degree spring weather into the balmy, green of the Montréal Botanical Gardens. It was a quick trip, but we got to enjoy the sounds of people speaking French, several amazing lattés, and the vibration of this warm and friendly city.

We returned home exhausted, and then… I noticed after a good night’s sleep in my own bed, there it was: my inspiration! It was back. My energy had returned and my head was full of bright ideas.

When you need to stoke your creative fire, find a way to change the scenery. It may take a few days for the effects to sink in and sometimes it’s instantaneous… but it’s a great way to rediscover your inspiration.