Becoming Your Own Creative Cheerleader

Finding motivation can seem like the hardest in the world when you're feeling depleted. Sometimes, it feels like I work so hard & I don't always get the results that I want & that can be incredibly discouraging. It makes continuing to work that much harder & it takes even more effort to break through it, but there are a few things that I do to get over the slump.

One of the most important things about being creative is learning to be your own cheerleader. You're not always going to have a whole arena full of people cheering you on & that’s okay. That is exactly the time when you have to rely on yourself. I like to create self-motivating mantras & affirmations that remind me what I'm doing this for. It can be something as simple as "You got this," or "Keep going no matter what," whatever feels right is the one to go with.

The trick is to keep saying these mantras even when you don't necessarily feel them. You'll notice that it'll become this positive habit that gives you that extra push when you're depleted. Eventually, you'll get into such a good routine that it takes less effort to motivate yourself. It becomes second nature &this pattern will increase your productivity which is the ultimate goal.

There are times when I doubt . I worry that it won't be good enough or that it's not going to turn out just how I want it to, & that is normal, but that can also prevent me from going forward in the way that I should. It saps my inspiration. In this situation, doubts can be a good thing and it's all in a manner of how you frame it. Instead of putting myself down, I turn it around and understand that if I didn't have any doubts then that probably means that the idea is too safe. That's when I tell myself that I'm doing something bold & creating something new should always be a little scary.

When the doubts become too great, I take a break from whatever project I'm working on and rethink things. I'll go back and look at my older stuff, and instead of picking them apart, I tell myself all the things that I love about them. The color of a scarf or the design of a handbag. It seems like we're conditioned in our social media culture to focus more on the negative than the positive, but we have to give ourselves credit. After that, it's easier to return to my work and strive to do my best.

Creativity is a mental game, which is why I approach these problems psychologically. It's all about being kind and supportive of yourself and changing the narrative when you need to. You should be your own cheerleader, even if no one is there in the stands. Support will come in time.