Creative Well-being and How to Nurture It

As a creative copywriter myself, I’ve found my creativity stretched over the years and at times experienced the dreaded moment of burnout as a writer. The digital marketing industry is constantly changing and it’s important creators grow with it, but this can come at the expense of our creative well-being.

I read recently that if you’re not interested in what you’re writing about, your readers won’t be either. It’s easy to tell whether the writer is fully invested in what they’re saying or simply spinning an article out of 800 words, just so they have something to publish.

While it’s not possible to feel the spark of creativity at all moments of the day, there are certainly steps you can take to nurture your creative well-being, and in doing so, improve the quality of your work. So, here are my tips on creativity and how to nurture your creative well-being.

Inspiration Doesn’t Find You

So many writers wait around for inspiration to strike. And while there are those magical moments you feel inspired to write the first 2,000 words of your novel in an hour, they are few and far between.

Rather than waiting for inspiration to find you, go out in search of it. Do things that spark your creativity and learn to seek out things that interest you.

Something I enjoy is getting away from the crowds and taking a walk in the beautiful Sussex countryside. It helps me clear my head, relax, and dream up or work on the ideas that have been ticking over in my thoughts for a while.

Other people find inspiration in books, art, movies, coffee shops, outings with friends, journaling, and more. Find what you enjoy, take some time out of your day to do it, and see if you don’t feel more refreshed and inspired at the end of it.

Give Yourself a Break

In an industry as fast-paced as Digital Marketing, many of us forget to give ourselves a break once in a while. Not taking a break now and again can cause creativity to dwindle and eventually, complete burnout. So, it’s important to give yourself a break now and then.

It doesn’t have to be a long time, such as a week’s holiday on a beach somewhere warm. It can be leaving work an hour early one day to enjoy a longer wind down in the evening, or it could mean booking a day off work to re-centre your week.

There are so many ways you can give yourself a break, just ensure you take time doing something that helps you to rest and rest well.

Dispel that Sense of Urgency

We’ve all heard it before, but we really do need to take the time to slow down in many aspects of life. While technology is beneficial in so many ways, it also negatively feeds that constant sense of urgency. If a notification pops up on our phones, we feel compelled to answer it straight away, if we get an email, we need to reply immediately, if we have to write an article, we need to get it published as soon as possible. The urgency of tasks is constant, and it can turn the creative process into a clinical production line, where you’re just producing content for the sake of it.

Urgency is not good for creativity or for nurturing your well-being. Even when we take a break or enjoy a vacation, we feel the constant need to document our experiences or publish our thoughts. It’s time we disconnect.

Don’t Forget What Makes You Happy

Whether you have a side project, such as a blog or your own website, don’t forget what makes you happy. As a creator, it is important you’re creating content that you enjoy and that makes you happy. And while this isn’t necessarily possible all of the time, you can achieve this to a certain extent through your own passion projects.

If you’re a writer, start a blog! Blogs are a great way to write about subjects you’re passionate about. What’s more, they keep you writing regularly, grow you, develop your writing, and keep your creativity flowing.

In the lead-up to Christmas and all the busyness this season brings, I’ve found that nurturing my creative well-being is more important than ever. I have been working hard on nurturing my creativity so that I can produce work that I am passionate about and proud of. Because I believe our creative well-being is one of the things that inspires us and taking care of it can help you achieve more than you ever thought possible.

Let me know in the comments below what creative well-being means to you and how you nurture it well. I would love to hear what helps you and keeps you inspired!