When creativity is at a low ebb

It’s been a little while between posts. The topic for this Creative Rambling is about when you lose the creative spark or motivation to get out and practice, play and create. It happens. It’s frustrating. It’s normal.

I hit a low ebb for a few weeks, probably in the process of coming down from the highs of summer holidays. Summer was great. Lots of time outdoors, camping, walking, enjoying family time, and running around with my camera. Then it was back to work. Back to school. Weekends would come and go, and I would barely pick up my camera. I didn’t even want to. When I did, I found I wasn’t producing anything I was even remotely happy with.

We live in a world where there’s a lot of pressure to be busy. Working on side hustles, learning, growing – dare I say being more and more ‘productive’. But the truth is that this isn’t sustainable. We can’t sustain the same level of creative energy and be switched on with inspiration all the time. It’s draining. In the same way as a stressful and reactive job can be exciting to a point, when our stress levels remain elevated for an extended period we dip into dangerous territory. We risk burning out, and all that seemingly productive energy comes at a high cost to ourselves. Conversely, a sustained period with lack of stress or interesting work can see us fall into a demotivated slump. Like many things in life, we need balance. Whether it’s a corporate job or a creative passion, we need to tune into our needs and recognise when we need to give ourselves some down time, and when we need to rev ourselves back up.

So a few practical tips:

Firstly, tune into yourself. What do you need? If you need a weekend to just veg out, then take it. Unless you have paying clients, who cares whether you pick up a camera, paintbrush or writing pen or not. Creativity comes from within. If your creative battery is running on empty, then maybe it’s time to give yourself a chance to recharge.

Feed your creativity by enjoying the art and creativity of others. Visit an art gallery. Dive into some good books. Read poetry. Listen to music. Flick through some photo books and let yourself sit with the images that speak to you. Go to the theatre. Feed your own creativity, find new inspiration and personal enjoyment. One thing that spurred me back into wanting to pick up a camera was popping into the National Library to check out the Fit to Print exhibition of photojournalism. While my love is landscape photography, seeing the black and white snapshots of life and key moments in Australia’s history made me want to capture meaningful moments in my own life. As a side note, if you’re in a creative slump, my recommendation would be to minimise looking at images on social media. Consuming art in this modern medium tends to feed apathy, disenchantment and ‘FOMO’, and you are captive to the algorithm and all the crap that goes with it. If looking for online inspiration, I find it’s much better to go to an artist’s own site or download an eBook to view their work in a more intentional way.

Another practical tip to keep on track with creativity is to have a routine or some commitments that require you to at least do something creative on a regular basis. It’s the same principle as with keeping on track with fitness – if we rely on motivation to keep us wanting to hit the gym or running track, it ain’t gonna happen. Set a routine and make a solid commitment to attend a fitness class or go for a run with a mate at a certain time, and it’s much easier to stick to those goals. I’ve got a couple of photography related routines going at the moment, and when I was in the slump, these were really great to keep the dust from gathering on the camera. I’ve started going along to a regular funshoot portrait photography meetup, which is a no-pressure fun way to get out with like-minded people, learn new skills and play. I’m also signed up to a monthly photography challenge, which is also another reason to pick up the camera and try new things – even if it’s just stepping out in the garden and quickly snapping a few shots to meet the deadline. Having these set routines keeps me on track with my photography journey and even if motivation is lacking and creative energy is low, I can still keep the dials turning.

Finally, if creativity is at a low ebb or your creative ideas aren’t working, my tip is to just have a bit of fun. Play. Do something different. You don’t need to produce something for others. Just muck around a bit. ICM (intentional camera movement) can be a freeing way to play with light, texture and colour. I also had a bit of fun on a photo walk taking photos of derelict places that I wouldn’t usually be drawn to. While I’ll probably just delete most of these images, it got me thinking about light and contrast and story. Children learn through play. We’re never too old to embrace play-based learning ourselves. I wonder if Jackson Pollock created Blue Poles from a moment of mucking around and chucking paint at a canvas. Who knows?

Finally, I’m a big believer in having something on the horizon to look forward to and keep you motivated. Book in a workshop to learn new skills. Plan a holiday or a mini-break to give you some dedicated time for your creative pursuit. Jot down some ideas for your next project.

So, in conclusion, as with everything in life, it’s okay to have low times. It’s normal that we sometimes need to put aside our creative work for a break or to make room for other priorities. But if this is what you love and a key part of who you are, it’s best not to let that low ebb drag on too long. Use structure to allow yourself to get back into the creative flow. Take baby steps and rest as you need. Or jump back into your creative work with a renewed vigour and vision for your work.

Creative Ramblings, May 2025