8 ways to spark daily creativity in your business

Let me ask you something….How’s your creativity faring these days? 

If you’re like me, your creative muse just took a pandemic-long hiatus. She packed her bags and headed south to live it up on oversized scorpion bowls and long sandy naps on the beach. 

I can’t say I entirely blame her.

As a copywriter, my creative energy is the yin to my yang-y work. I need it to operate at my best. Sure, I can still deliver a landing page or a homepage and ‘get it right’. But to truly shine, I need to think outside the box, tap into storytelling, or lead with a snappy headline just slightly off the cuff. 

I’d venture most creative entrepreneurs can relate to this. Your natural creative energy is what gives you the edge you need to stay at peak awesomeness in your business. It drives your purpose, motivates you on tough days, and reminds you why you decided to become an entrepreneur in the first place. 

Sheer willpower alone isn’t enough for our human minds to alter ingrained behaviors. 

It’s also the source of your best ideas. The big pivots…the aha moments…the sudden bursts of inspiration or solution to a problem. 

The art of creativity begins with habit

It may seem counterintuitive, but habits are the key to tapping into your creative energy. Habit formation is widely recognized as the major differentiator to changing our behavior for good. 

Why? Because sheer willpower alone isn’t enough for our human minds to alter ingrained behaviors. 

And much like exercise, building your creative ‘muscle’ requires a bit of patience, consistency, and practice. It’s a habit that we develop over time to change our behavior in the long run. 

Starting with small daily acts of intention is the best way to find–and maintain–the creative energy you need to run your business like the boss you are. It’s what keeps you at your inspired best.

So give yourself permission to carve out space for your creativity each day. To free up headspace and just sit for a while, completely removed from your daily demands. Your muse will thank you for it.

8 ways to tap into your creative mojo every day

1. Let your mind wander

Remember being a kid and daydreaming? Staring up at the clouds on a sunny day or spending an afternoon imagining the future? There was no start or stop time…just a long stretch of time where ideas flowed. 

Of course, grown-ups don’t have the luxury of daydreaming their day away. You have a business to run, after all. But even short sprints of unscheduled, unstructured time on your calendar each day can help you tap into an innate gift we all had as kids but lost with time: our natural curiosity.

2. Go for a walk

Some of my best business ideas came to me on a walk. There’s something about breaking your normal routine and doing something unexpected that can get your mind going. Plus, a walk is easy to implement into any routine, and you can do it all year round.

(I live in Kansas, so if I can do it, you can, too.)

3. Be intentional about (mental) self-care

You know the drill here. Get enough sleep. Eat well. Exercise regularly. We certainly hear often enough that these things matter, and they do. But it’s also helpful to think about your mental well being when it comes to your self-care regimen. Take a bubble bath. Spend some time meditating. Journal after a hard day instead of bingeing Netflix. Ultimately, freeing up that headspace will help you put your best creative foot forward.

4. Do something creative every day. Even if it’s only for 5 minutes

Regardless of your creative craft, make space to practice something creative every day. With zero expectations. It doesn’t need to look or sound “good”. Don’t even look at it once you’re finished. 

The goal is to re-engage with the joy that your creative energy brings you. Journal, paint, draw, color, take a photograph or dance…whatever’s a source of energy for you.

5. Get inspired 

Re-read your favorite books by authors you love. Take a trip to the museum and wander through hallways of your favorite style of art (I see you, abstracts). Listen to your favorite opera, album, or artist. Sometimes revisiting old sources of inspiration can help you tap into your creativity in a new and unexpected way

6. Get the heck off of social media

Steer clear of distractions, and that includes social media. Not only does social media stress us out, but it’s also a distraction during those precious moments of downtime. Turn off your notifications and put your phone in a different room at night. Or go watch The Social Dilemma…I  guarantee you’ll want a break.

7. Track your progress

If you’re data-minded like me, you like to see results. Chart your minutes, words, ideas…whatever your ‘core KPI’ is each day in your journal. After a month, you can transfer your data to a spreadsheet and make graphs and track your creativity upticks in real-time. 

Would I actually do this? Yes. Yes, I would.

8. Celebrate wins

It’s easy to forget about small achievements. It’s really easy to focus on what went wrong. Let yourself celebrate each milestone, however small it may feel in the moment. Did you stick with your creative goals every day for a day? A week? You’ve earned a pat on the back.