I can't deny it. The past few weeks have been challenging. At times, my perserverence with Sarah Reimer Designs has faced ultimate lows and I've questioned whether continuing this is lifting me up or in fact, draining the life out of me. I know many artists face these challenges, but my problem has been "what next"? I always come back to blame this on my lack of "business training".... what's a girl to do when she longs to be a successful creative, but doesn't know how to get her work out there? What is a "successful creative" anyways? What am I doing again? ... See, there's my point. My brain works in an annoying way that eats away at my motivation. It's a vicious cycle that I'm sure many artists or creative people struggle with.
Often times it is lack of direction that eats away at me. I'm doing this on my own, with no one to tell me what comes next, or to fill in the blanks in areas that I consistently leave out of the picture. I've listened to podcasts, read other blog posts, and done various research on this topic. Through that, I've learned a lot about facing fear, and pursuing goals... but what about the logistics side of things? What about the business side of things? In no way, do I consider myself a real business owner... though should I take this more seriously? Is that the answer? I mean, I make a few things and sell a few things. I gather ideas, work on my photography, seek out materials... but at the end of the day, this is in no way, shape, or form, "a thriving business". I mentioned in my last post that I'd like to see Sarah Reimer Designs grow in the future. It's clear to me that if I want this to grow, I must put in the time and effort. But, what do you do when you don't see results? You keep going. What if you don't know what to do next? Just work with what you have. Just start. That's why, yesterday I sat down and attempted to create a schedule for myself. I've never been a day-to-day schedule type person... going through the 9-5 has never excited me. However, now that my life has become a lot more open (the substitute teaching has been extremely slow), I feel that I crave habit and consistency. I continue to look for other opportunities online, but for now, I realize unless I schedule time to focus on my shop, it might just die out. I won't go into detail about my "scheduling" but when it comes to lifting my spirits and motivation, there's one thing that never fails. I find I get the best ideas when I am outside, walking or on a bicycle. It's true! The best Interior Design project I ever did in college came to me while I was on a walk. I brainstormed all my initial ideas and creative presentation ideas while walking down the street (only to pick up my pace so that I could get home to write them down). This project won first place in a design competition in Toronto which helped fund my last year of college. In England, I rode my bike to work every morning. I worked at a cafe, where I would spend the first two hours usually chopping vegetables and prepping sandwhiches. This may sound boring, but by the time I arrived at work, I had all my thoughts to unwravel and I would often be able to plan and dream of the things I could acheive while I was doing that morning prep. The result didn't win me a competition or design award, but it was last year that I started Sarah Reimer Designs and began experimenting with photography and writing.
The point of the story is, if you are struggling with a creative block, or maybe just feel stuck in another area in your life, all hope is not lost. I'm there also, and the struggle is real. Let's just go for a walk.
Do you have any go-to's to overcome creative block or find direction? I'm far from an expert on this and would love to hear others opinions on this topic. Get in contact with me, or share in the comments below!
