There are so many things to juggle when you are trying to run your own business, especially if you’re a sole trader. It can feel like you’ll never manage to keep everything in the air, that something will inevitably slip and crash to the ground - potentially taking your entrepreneurial dreams with it.
While you obviously have to keep track of the financial and management sides of your company, there is no doubt that there is one essential element that binds them all together: your creativity. If you are inspired and feeling the rush of creative juices flowing, then it’s easier to keep those balls in the air because your mind is working and pulsing with thoughts and ideas… but what if the pulsing begins to die out?
Every business owner goes through a phase where they feel like they have run out of inspiration; where things that used to come easy to them are beginning to feel tedious. It’s not a sign of grand underlying problems, but it is a sign that you need to do something to bring yourself back to normal.
If you’re in need of a jolt of extra creativity, then here are a few source ideas that will never run dry…
#1 - Look Over Your Past Work
Give yourself an afternoon to look over the things you have done in the past. This will remind you of your previous creative process. There’s also a chance you will find something you did many years ago, and realise that you’d do it very differently today - this alone might inspire a whole new wave of creativity.
#2 - Update, Don’t Create
If you’re struggling to get your mojo in full flight, then don’t try and force yourself to be creative from scratch. Instead, take a half-measure to get back in the groove. For example, you could change the colours on your company logo, revamp the home page of your business site by following some great homepage SEO advice or even just rearrange the office furniture. These small changes give you something to focus yourself on, while quietly stirring your creativity in the background.
#3 - Look To Others
If you’re in need of inspiration, then your final call should be to look over work you admire from other people. Is there a fellow businessperson that you look up to? Buy their autobiography. Is there a figure from history you have always found inspiring? Watch some documentaries about their exploits. Or step outside of the business realm and browse the likes of DeviantArt just to see the beautiful creations that people are putting online.
#4 - Don’t Force Yourself
Finally, if inspiration is refusing to strike despite all of the above, then don’t let it get out of hand. The more you force yourself, the more you’re going to struggle. So give yourself a break, focus on something less creativity-demanding, and wait for the slump to pass. Which, you will surely be reassured to know, it absolutely will.
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