Motivation Secrets - 2 Simple Steps To Staying Highly Motivated And Creative

By Dan Goodwin

However creative you have the potential to be, actually creating to that level you're capable of regularly is easier said than done.

Plus, the longer it's been since you last created regularly, the harder it seems to get back into any kind of routine and flow. Sometimes it feels like you may never create ANYTHING again, let alone creating the art that you're truly capable of.

So here are two simple steps to getting - and staying - highly motivated and creative that you can start using today:

1. Create what you want to create. One of the biggest mistakes we make as creative artists is to constantly strive to create what we feel we SHOULD be creating, in the way we feel we should be creating it.

Preconceptions we have about what artists should be like, how they should create, how easy or difficult creating should be, and how often we should create, all add up to a whole stack of barriers to creating freely.

Being a "slave to the shoulds" is a recipe for constant struggle and disappointment in your creative life. Even of you do manage to create, it's likely that you'll analyse and criticise everything you've created so intensely it'll feel like just an other in a long string of failures.

The way to start getting out of this negative cycle and regain a high level motivation is simply to create what you love, create what you long to create. What have you always wanted to create but avoided because you thought it would be too abstract or people wouldn't like it, or it might not work out right? Take the plunge and create what your heart desires you to create.

The more often you create what you want to create, how you want to create it, the more enjoyable it will be, and naturally, the higher your motivation to create further will be.

2. Chart your progress. Most of us already create far more, and far more regularly than we think we do. The problem is because we live with ourselves day in, day out, we lose objectivity and find it difficult to measure how creative we are.

To overcome this, a great technique is to have a Creative Landmarks chart to track your creative progress. Have a sheet of large paper pinned on your wall in a prominent place, and begin to list all your creative landmarks as they happen.

These don't have to be huge landmarks like finishing a novel or holding an exhibition of your photographs. Start small to encourage yourself. For example your first few landmarks may be "Got paints out for first time in 6 months", "Bought 3 new canvases", "Mixed up some new shades of blue for new painting project" and so on.

As you see your creative landmarks building, it inspires and motivates you to achieve more. Every month or two, spend a little time reviewing where you are now, compared with a couple of months ago, 6 months ago, a year ago. Having those steps and achievements you've made recorded will show you how creative you've been and motivate you onwards to new levels of creativity.

Start using this simple two step system in your creative life today, and in a matter of weeks you'll notice a great increase in your creativity as well as your motivation to create more of what you enjoy.
This is one of many ways to be more creative.

I invite you to take the next positive step to increase your creativity today by downloading your free copy of the powerful and practical "Explode Your Creativity!" Action Workbook at http://www.CoachCreative.com

From Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin

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