Lost your spark? Bring inspiration back to your business
When you are starting a new business your mind is bursting with new ideas. Just like a new relationship, one of the things that makes starting a new business so alluring is that you are stepping into the unknown.
However, after the honeymoon phase is over it is common for business owners to find themselves in a rut. What was once new has become routine. Where there was once passion there is concern about cash-flow and deadlines.
After a while how we relate to our business can become routine and even mundane. This is normal and deadly. In this article we look at how you can bring creativity and originality back into your business.
Originality is rare
For most of us, truly original ideas come around about as often as winning lottery tickets.
When was the last time you had a conversation that fired your creativity and inspired you to new actions? When was the last time that you had a fresh, new idea?
Originality is rare because our lives are designed around routines. I wake up every day in the same bed, in the same house with the same man. I have a cup of freshly squeezed lemon and ginger tea every morning at 7am.
I go down to my studio and sit at my computer, in the same chair I sit in every day, where I email, tweet, blog and talk to clients. I efficiently and effectively hammer through my to-do lists. During my down time I eat vegetarian food, do yoga and indulge in dark chocolate and red wine.
Strangely I don’t find this sameness boring. In fact, I have a wonderful life and I depend on my routines and rituals to get things done. However, there is downside, because routine kills off creativity and originality.
Maybe I’m the only one who gets stuck in a rut – but I don’t think so. Human brains have evolved to be efficient. It is easier (and safer?) to do what has gone before than it is to risk trying something new. We take shortcuts using what we already know rather than waste time experimenting with something new.
Even those of us in creative professions know the pain of creative block. It seems like the more we try to find a new concept or angle, the harder it is to grasp. Yet, when we do breakthrough, when we are caught on the wave of a new idea , we experience being excited, surprised, inspired and alive.
Where new ideas come from
New ideas are delightful. They are captivating. New ideas bubble up from the underworld and hold us in their grip. It’s as if someone turned on the lights. Suddenly we can see old situations through new eyes and we are inspired.
This type of originality and creativity must be nurtured and cultivated. It doesn’t happen when we are stuck in our every day routines. You cannot force a new thought, but you can create the right conditions to generate the sparks and seeds of a new idea.
A new idea happens when your brain networks existing information in a new way. At that moment of inspiration your neurones literally fire in ways they have never fired before.
- To create the conditions for originality you must feed the mind with fresh information.
Read a book on a subject you don’t normally read. If you usually read romance try science fiction. If you normally read mysteries read business books. If you usually read business books try philosophy. - If you are reading and you come across words you don’t understand – look them up! Be enthralled and engaged with the strangeness and newness of the subject matter.
- Meet new people. Make a point of meeting someone new every week.
- Switch up your exercise routines. If you normally do yoga go running. If you normally play golf, play tennis.
- At your next meeting sit in a different chair to usual. If you are usually quiet – speak up. If you are usually loud – be quiet and listen
Upcoming opportunities to unleash your creativity
Have you ever noticed that when you go to a new place your mind starts buzzing with new ideas? Travel to a new environment instantly snaps us out of our routines and transports us into a creative space.
Retreats and workshops are a great way of getting out of your comfort zones, meeting new people and absorbing new ideas all within an unfamiliar environment. The new sights, tastes and sounds trigger new pathways in our brains and naturally lead to creative ideas.
Here are some upcoming events in my local area (Victoria, British Columbia) that are designed to create a rich environment for creative moments:
1. Intuitive Business Planning with Carmen Spagnola Sept 27th 2015
A one-day retreat is for spiritually-inclined entrepreneurs who want to infuse their business with more soul and give their spirit a voice in their day-to-day operations.
2. Marketing for Hippies Retreat with Tad Hargrave Sept 30 – Oct 4th 2015
A high-level program for conscious entrepreneurs and business coaches. The focus and format (including hot seats, mini TED talks and intensive dyad work) support you in growing your business to the next level while enjoying the company of like-minded folk in the beauty of Hollyhock.
3. Salt Spring Community Work Hub with Brad and Celeste Morris
Weekly opportunity to connect with like-minded creative entrepreneurs in a beautiful setting.
Conclusion
The feeling of being inspired, creative and energized was why you got into business in the first place. If you have lost that buzz then cultivating creativity will require you breaking out of your habits and routines and trying something new.
I challenge you take trying something you have never done before: take singing lessons, go to a hip-hop class, learn to rollerblade. Choose something different and seemingly unrelated to your business so that you can spark new pathways and connections.
