May 2022

How do creatives motivate themselves? When you often work alone and with few deadlines most artists struggle to keep themselves motivated and produce work.

Finding the secret to keeping motivated can make the difference between success and failure. Below is the usual advice given to people to help them get motivated:

1. Regularly review your goals and progress. …
2. Continue to set new goals. …
3. Keep the momentum up. …
4. Find mentors – a mentor is someone who is experienced in the habit you want to change. …
5. Surround yourself with positive people. …
6. Use exercise as one of your daily goals to improve your mental health.

Whilst these are good ideas, I believe that lockdown has made us find a new way of motivating ourselves. In the last two years we have had to rely on ourselves much more for motivation. All the usual methods of finding inspiration by visiting galleries and meeting other creatives almost disappeared and although we had Zoom this was definitely a mixed blessing. Useful but also lacking proper human contact.

A quick survey around creatives asking them how they had coped highlighted the importance of establishing a routine. Routine is not something the creatives are normally happy about after all they became artists to avoid the 9-5.

However a fixed routine will encourage you to participate regularly in activities. Its amazing how many writers can tell you exactly when they write. i.e. 4a.m. – 8 a.m. And during that time they write, they don’t think about it. Creating your own ritual can make a big difference to your life, so why not give it a go. For example:

7-8 Gym/running
8-8.30 Check emails/social media
8.30-9 Breakfast
9-1. Painting/writing/making

You can waste an awful lot of time deciding what to do. It has been said that professionals work to a schedule, amateurs wait for inspiration. Which are you?

Good Luck!

Liz.