5 Ways to Get in Touch with Your Creative Side

Hi guys!

So lately I’ve had a lot of creative ideas flowing through this big head of mines. By creative ideas I mean a lot of projects that I really want to start and see take off sometime in the near future. When moments like these come into my life I feel so unstoppable!

I feel super confident, secure in my skin, strong, and as if I can literally do anything I put my mind too (just like my parents always said)! Having that internal the strength is honestly one of the best feelings ever, and if I could feel this way all the time, I’d be the happiest person in the world.

And let me be clear it’s not really the feeling itself that creates such excitement within me. It’s more so the possibility, and living truthfully through my fantasy as if it were my reality, that creates this undeniable excitement within me.

I bet you’re wondering what all these creative ideas are that have been floating around in my head. Honestly, there’s way too many ideas. There are so many ideas that I don’t even think I can list them all, let alone list my top ten. Of course, these are only ideas at the moment so they aren’t developed, but some of them have undergone the development process.

Who knows, my life is so fluid right now that I may just surprise you all one day and release some of these secret creative project ideas. Only time will tell though. But that’s not what I’m here to talk to you all about. I want to talk to you all about the creative process of getting in touch with your creative side.

Yes, you read that right. The creative process of getting in touch with your creative side. I know you’re probably thinking, what in the world could she possibly be talking about? Well no worries, let me explain.

Your creative side is truly something special and unique. Not everyone will utilize their creative side the same way you do, and not everyone will understand your creative process. Which is actually a very normal part of being an artist. But tapping into that very special part of you isn’t easy. It’s not like a light switch, something that you can turn on and off. It’s more like writing a book, something that you have to really be connected to in order to tap into the necessary parts that bring it all to life.

I still struggle with this from time to time, but as the years, months, and days go by I’m learning how to tap into this side more effectively. So, I thought that I’d share those tips with you all right here, right now.

5 ways to get in touch with your creative side!

1. Give yourself the mental space needed to connect with your imagination

This is not easy…at least not for everyone. I definitely struggle with it but like I said, as time goes by I learn more effective ways to combat this struggle. Connecting with your imagination is such a key component to letting your creative juices flow. So how do we give ourselves the mental space to connect with our imagination? Good question. My advice? Set time aside for yourself.

Setting time aside means setting aside time where you can be by yourself and alone with your thoughts. It is here where you allow yourself to be able to really tap into what’s going on in that head of yours. I don’t know about you, but it’s so hard for me to focus on things when I’ve got too much on my mind, or there are way too many things distracting me. I can focus somewhat, but definitely not as great as I’d like to. And honestly that’s very frustrating.

Allowing yourself anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour a day to just be by yourself will help kick this process into gear. Don’t just use that time to take a break from the world. I mean if you really need it by all means do it. But you should really use this time to think about the things in your life that are trying to speak to you.

The things that you keep muting because of the other voices and demands in your life that are yelling at you. Use this time to ask yourself what is it my heart desires? When you have the answer move on to developing a short game plan of how you can answer the question your heart is asking, by giving it whatever it is it truly desires.

2. Work on your imaginative ideas for a short period of time everyday

Creating a beautiful piece of art is not something that you can accomplish overnight. At least not for most things. Instead, it takes time. And if you’re anything like me and struggle with patience, this can probably be the more execrating part of the whole process for you. But trust me, as execrating as it may be, it’s probably the most important part of the process.

In order to create something beautiful we have to commit to making it happen. For everyone this looks different. For me it’s a matter of making the commitment to work on my project every day for at least 30 minutes. Breaking up the task in sections like this can help keep you from feeling overwhelmed.

In the past I would get these amazing ideas and feel the need to start and complete it all within the same day. But the reality of doing that is that it’s just not how creating great projects works. It really is a day by day kind of thing. Once you have accepted this, and you allow yourself the time and patience to work on it day by day, you will be setting yourself up for real success. Not something you can only take in for a moment, but success where you can enjoy the benefits that will come from it for a while.

3. Share your creative ideas with those who are truly deserving of knowing what they are

I’m a huge believer in the idea that we are more likely to follow our dreams or see something through when we share them with others. However, I am also a huge believer in the idea that we should only share our ideas with those who are deserving of them. By deserving of them I mean people who are going to support and encourage us all the way through. It’s also important to note that these people should be people we don’t have to fear will try to rob us of our ideas, or any joy they may bring us.

Instead these people should be people who have our best interests at heart. The people who will be honest with us about our overall vision. The people who will support us every step of the way. The people who will unselfishly help us promote our ideas, and share our projects with others, simply because they want to see us succeed.

These are the people who are deserving of knowing our creative ideas. They play a very crucial role in all of this in that they are the eyes and the ears of our overall audience. They will tell us what they think will and will not work. What they think others would and would not like to see. Where our strong and weak parts are. They are in a sense the guinea pigs of the creative process, and they don’t take it personally. Instead, they see it as a badge of honor and they wear it proudly.

4. Push your ideas out into the world for others to enjoy

After the hard work is done its time to enjoy the aftermath of it all. Again, this will look different for everyone. A general idea of this is simply the success that you feel.

That happiness you feel inside, the appreciation for the people who stood by your side through it all, and most certainly the great sense of relief that you feel when it’s all said and done? Those feelings are the success that you have created within yourself as a result of seeing your creative process through. That’s a feeling to always take pride in.

You take pride in that by not keeping it to yourself. Instead, you share that pride with the rest of the world. Whatever your art is you share it. If it’s a book that you’ve finally written, don’t just get it published. Announce it to the world by having a small book signing party. If you started your own business, don’t just announce it to the world in hopes of attracting clients. Host a party where you send your guests home with free samples, and where you have the opportunity to really discuss it with others.

Plus, it makes you available to answer any questions that your fans or people who are interested in your project may have. The more intimate you are able to be, the better the success will be, because it really does serve as a gateway to building rapport with others and making those necessary connections.

5. Know that a success or fail in one idea, doesn’t mark the end of your creative journey

Something to always keep in mind is that success is like a rollercoaster. There will be highs and there will be lows. However, just know that the highs are not your limit, and the lows do not define your brand. Instead, those are more moments of opportunity that have been created for you. The opportunity to learn something from your current attempt, to try something new, or to branch out. Either way they are moments that you will experience, and yes, they are necessary parts of the creative process.

That’s pretty much it guys!

Seriously, slowing down and taking my time to really put in the time and effort for my projects has been so life changing. I mean it’s just so amazing how a small change in one area of your life becomes a ripple effect for the rest of your life, and for a brief moment everything seems to fall into place.

Never in a million years did I think that taking an hour a day to write out whatever is on my mind, would lead me to starting a blog. I never thought that committing at least 15 minutes of my day to working out would build more motivation in me to chase after the things I want in life.

It’s all a ripple effect. It’s the one thing we never see coming, but the thing that we have always needed. That’s the beauty in being an artist. We express ourselves in so many different ways that’s it’s hard to know the things that are going to be a hit or miss. It’s hard to know to know what’s going to activate and stimulate us, and what’s not going to.

This what the creative process is for. So that we can discover those things and find ways to use them to our advantage. I promise you, the road less taken is always the better road. Like my acting teacher always says, “If it scares you then that’s what you should always go with”.

In other words, chase after your fears, you never what light may come from them.

-Xo

Kimora