Trying To Fuel Creativity

I thought I’d be better at this working from home and limiting my interactions with people outside of the house. After all, that is often the life many folks in the midwest live during the winter. The cold weather keeps many of us trapped at home, but it doesn’t stop us from going out if we feel brave enough to fight the bitter cold.

I’m also used to working from home. I was a lucky one who often worked from home or from anywhere I wanted. I even worked when I traveled, which allowed me to travel frequently throughout the year as long as I set aside some time to work while on trips. I could easily set up at a coffee shop or brewery as long as there was wifi. This mobile office space was how LooseKeys started, no office but the freedom to work from anywhere. I accomplished most of my work on my laptop or other mobile devices, and I offloaded anything that needed a bit more power to a render farm. As I’ve now learned over the last few months, it was that freedom and flexibility that helped fuel a lot of my creativity and motivation.

Although the kind of work I was doing didn’t change, the where and when it was getting done did vary. Being able to work from home doesn’t prepare you for the reality of doing it every day and not having another place to get away from work, or change up how you work. You need strong discipline when the room you work in is also the room you use for watching movies in, playing games, and exercise.

In the current situation, time means less, and every day is the fucking same! Lunch beers, breakfast for dinner, optional pants, showers? When you don’t go anywhere, how is today any different than tomorrow? This struggle to keep some sense of regular life has been unexpected. Although I tend to love chaos, it’s the trapped part that messes with me the most.

I have to tip my hat to the people who are much more disciplined with the work from home lifestyle than I am. But not having kids or many other responsibilities allows me to work strange hours or whenever I feel the most productive. I’d much rather work on a client project at 10 pm than stay glued to the news or the twitter feed watching what seems like neverending turmoil. Ignorance may be bliss, but it doesn’t spark creativity.

As I wandered the same four rooms for these few months, I’ve found my creative well running low. Creativity comes from the experiences you have, whether that’s a vacation, a bike ride, or just a conversation at a bar. Although I still go on daily runs and bike ride often, not being able to stop off at a brewpub or dipping into a coffee shop is something I didn’t know I’d miss so much. With many of my previous activities gone or changing, it’s necessary to look for other forms of inspiration.

I’m always on the lookout for tips or even places others get inspired. Here are a few that have worked for me:

• Pinterest. The recommendation engine is kind of fabulous and can take you down rabbit holes you never knew possible.
• Calls with friends. Not video calls but just old fashioned phone calls. You might talk about the pandemic, but you want to try to talk about anything else.
• Listen to or watch any space podcasts or youtube videos. Right now, with everything on earth not making much sense, hearing someone discuss parallel universes, dark matter, black holes, and UFOs is a nice distraction.
• And finally, consume a lot that is not news. Watch cartoons, play video games, read. Do something different than what you would have done four months ago. Something like this can fill that empty feeling you might have. It won’t solve the problem, but it allows you to escape for a bit and not be feeling so anxious or stressed.

We are still very early in all of this, and if you’re feeling creatively empty right now, I’d highly recommend looking for something that helps you through this time because as winter rolls back around in a few months, you might face some of the same issues. Plan for the problem, don’t just react to it.