1 Simple Strategy You Need To Boost Your Creative Energy

Building a business – navigating the twists and turns of starting something new – can be exhausting. It’s easy to feel drained, like all your good ideas have run out. But, you can’t afford to run on fumes. You need to boost your creative energy – fast. 

Starting and growing your own business is exciting, so it’s only natural that you would go into it feeling super-charged with passion and energy. 

But, as I’ve shared with you before, starting and growing a business is not a straight line. 

• There are obstacles at every turn (see How To Accept and Overcome Obstacles As You Start A Business). 
• And, you’ll occasionally feel stuck (see What Do You Do When You Feel Stuck?). 

Over time, it’s normal for your creative energy to wane and for the whole thing to start feeling like a chore – which, often, leads people to quit before they even get far enough to see if their business idea can work. 

DON’T GIVE UP.

It’s time to boost your creative energy and reignite your spark. 

Critically, it won’t come by just trudging forward doing the same old things or by waiting for inspiration to suddenly strike you. 

No, it requires intentional action to put you back in a creator’s mindset. 

Are you ready to boost your creative energy? 

Here’s the strategy. 

TO BOOST YOUR CREATIVE ENERGY, YOU NEED TO TAKE A DEPARTURE.

A departure is something I’ve actually experienced without realizing it – you probably have too. 

It wasn’t until I recently read Creative Quest by Questlove – the author, musician, and frontman for the Roots – that the concept really crystalized for me. The book is a great examination of the creative process. It’s worth a read. 

Here’s one passage that really stood out to me: “Creative people have specialities, but they also have restlessness. That’s part of the paradox. How do you keep your talents sharp while still exploring ways to expand your talent?”

Questlove’s answer? A departure. 

A departure is a strategic choice to explore something new and different, staying open to whatever you experience or take away. 

It’s not a break where you go play video games or binge Netflix. It’s not when you take a few days off to unplug. Those can be useful ways to unwind.

A departure, however, is something different. 

It’s about intentional exploration. It’s about going to play in someone else’s sandbox – seeing or experiencing something totally different from how you typically spend your time. 

Here’s Questlove’s advice:

“Singers, obviously sing. But, one of the other things they commonly do is paint… A new skill doesn’t mean a new talent necessarily – often you’re dealing with the same talent. You’re putting [your talent] into a new place, where it can acquire new energy. Neurologists have proven that brain plasticity matters and that when you broaden your life, even in small ways, you broaden the brain that helps you understand your life.”

In other words, he also says: 

“Make an effort to make your life different. It’s the only way it’ll stay the same in terms of creative inspiration and creative energy.”

HOW DEPARTURES HELP BOOST MY CREATIVE ENERGY:

The departure you need to take will look different than mine – it depends on your unique strengths and talents. But, I’ll share my experience just to give you an example. 

One of my strengths is zooming out to see the big picture. 

That’s one of the reasons why I feel such a call to business strategy and to helping new entrepreneurs and leaders pull themselves out of the weeds. 

And, it’s also why my departures often make use of that same strength, just in a different way. 

For example, in my downtime I study astrophysics – which is inherently about the biggest picture of all and tends to pull me out of whatever weeds I’m stuck in. 

It’s not ever going to be my profession, but I make time for it because it boosts my creative energy and fills me with wonder. It’s a classic departure. 

WHAT MIGHT A DEPARTURE LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? 

Here are a few reflection questions to get you started: 

• What’s the core strength you possess that’s fueling your business? 
• What’s the thing you do every day that gives you energy? 
• What’s another profession or hobby or activity that’s tangentially related to what you’re already doing? Or, maybe just something you’ve always wanted to try? 

Use this as an opportunity to experiment. If you don’t like it, try something else. 

But, in any case, I challenge you to lose yourself in the activity. 

Immerse yourself in it. 

Let your mind wander and wonder. 

Be curious and open minded. 

When you do, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can boost your creative energy and get back to doing what you were meant to share with the world.