{"id":16915,"date":"2020-02-10T17:12:39","date_gmt":"2020-02-10T22:12:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lisatener.local\/?p=16915"},"modified":"2024-09-30T08:56:30","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T12:56:30","slug":"5-ways-to-get-unstuck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/2020\/02\/5-ways-to-get-unstuck\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Get Unstuck: In Writing, Creativity and Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Looking for Ways to Get Unstuck in Your Writing, Creativity or Life?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This time of year, in the Northeast, it\u2019s especially easy to get creatively stuck. It\u2019s cold outside. We hunker down, watch more TV, skip yoga class, eat chocolate\u2026<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll write tomorrow. I\u2019ll exercise later.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s downhill from there.<\/p>\n

But it doesn\u2019t have to be that way. Winter can be an especially inspiring time if you know how to get unstuck. How?<\/p>\n

5 Ways to Get Unstuck<\/h2>\n
\"Lisa
Moving to the Jamestown Library for my writing last weekend really freed me up.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

#1: Change Your Environment<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I do my book coaching, teaching and much of my editing from my in-home office that doubles as a guest room.<\/p>\n

In winter, I spend even more time in that room where it becomes an entertainment center for watching Netflix or Hulu, phone calls to family (I still prefer a landline) \u00a0and reading books from the guest bed<\/p>\n

I kept putting off writing the chapter summaries for my book proposal and I finally realized, I needed a new environment, both for the change of scenery and to spread out in a big room, surrounded only by my book ideas.<\/p>\n

So, I hauled over to the Jamestown Library<\/a> and took over a conference room, where I could spread out my book and post-it notes and create the outline<\/a> of my book.<\/p>\n

\"get
Find a space to spread out to get unstuck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

#2: Make Space<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When I first thought of mapping my book with post its I couldn\u2019t imagine where in my home office I could find enough space to spread out.<\/p>\n

Creative projects often require both physical space and space for one\u2019s psyche.<\/p>\n

Today, I spoke to an aspiring author who also felt stuck because of all the different projects in her workspace. In a guided visualization we did together, we asked her creative inner muse<\/a> how to create the space and her muse responded with the advice to rent a separate studio for her artwork and move that out of the space where she\u2019d be writing her book.<\/p>\n

In addition, when she told me that her large whiteboard was half covered by ideas for her podcast, I suggested a separate surface for her outlining and book-related work. Why? Every time she looks at her emerging outline, she\u2019d also see the podcast info. In essence, the podcast would intrude on her \u201chead space\u201d for the book. She agreed.<\/p>\n

#3: \u00a0Get Moving<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sitting still at a computer all day practically guarantees getting stuck at some point. We need movement (and blood flow and breath) to keep our brains functioning optimally. Physical stagnancy creates creative stagnancy.<\/p>\n

So, whether you stand up and do jumping jacks, yoga stretches or qigong, or you don your boots and raincoat and go for a walk in the rain or snow, you\u2019ll likely find yourself refreshed and unstuck when you return to your desk.<\/p>\n

\"Playful
Donning my playful headdress at Hera Gallery Gala<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

#4: Be Playful<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders, we\u2019re more inclined to feel pressured and stressed. Do these emotions contribute to creativity? Hardly.<\/p>\n

When we allow ourselves to be playful in one area of life, we open up to creativity and flow in other areas.<\/p>\n

I recently made a playful headdress at the HERA Art Gallery<\/a> Gala. I put it on just before working on my book and\u2014voila\u2014instant inspiration.<\/p>\n

Why does this work? Playfulness is liberating. It helps us go beyond linear thinking and make creative connections we didn\u2019t see before. And once we\u2019re in that creative mindset, we don\u2019t even remember feeling stuck.<\/p>\n

#5: Return to Your Vision<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In my book writing classes, I noticed a pattern that for many people, if things were going to fall apart, it tended to happen in week 3. \u201cI didn\u2019t write anything.\u201d \u201cI lost my drive.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m stuck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amazingly, I rarely needed to say much because other participants in the class offered what helped them stay on course and unstuck. And the thing I heard over and over was, \u201cDo you read your vision statement daily?\u201d<\/p>\n

In week 1 of my Bring Your Book to Life\u00ae Program<\/a>, we start with creating a vision statement for our book\u2014what it will do for our readers, our own work and lives and the greater community or society. I encourage everyone to work on that vision until it feels like a 10 (on the 1-10 scale of inspiration).<\/p>\n

Then, I suggest participants read their vision statement daily and also right before sitting down to write.<\/p>\n

People find that the vision statement provides focus and clarity:<\/p>\n