I can make my home office space as comfy, cool, great as possible, but I just physically can NOT get myself to start on my creative work at home. I write, so depending on your craft, this can be different, of course.
I like to go to a park/green space with a notebook for idea generation, then a cafe to lock in and get a draft done. If I'm stuck on something, I go for a walk with a thematic playlist to see if I can work it out in my mind before going back to the page.
All of this to say - I need to be out of my living space. I have notes on notes on notes of ideas, excerpts, etc. but as much as I think about getting started, I find ten things I have to do at home (and sometimes, I just sink into a video game).
My advice is less about overcoming something, and more just getting outside of your space and going somewhere else with the express intent on Getting Started.
Everyone works differently, so find the flow that works for you, but going to a new place with this intent gets the brain working (I think, anyway)
Jun 29, 2025
Related Recs
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General hell yeah to the previous recs. I mentioned The War of Art earlier today and it addresses specifically this question, if you feel reading a book would help.
I'm a creature of habit so having a routine is vital for me. An hour or two right after work is my create time everyday. I do my best to eliminate distraction by writing drafts out by hand or typing on my ipad mini + portable keyboard combo. And you need to get to a place where you can accept that unproductive create time is not wasted time. Staring into the middle distance is vital to the creative process.
Reduce friction so you can't make excuses to not create! That means keeping that camera on you AT ALL TIMES. Keep pen and paper on you AT ALL TIMES. Whatever you need for your project it needs to be with you or easily accessible otherwise you won't make space for it.
And feed your brain. Read, watch, listen, play, and experience as much as you can.
Apr 11, 2024
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Pull a joni mitchell and engage in arts that differ from your primary to inform it at a later time.
If you lean more toward visual arts try poetry, song writing, music making, acting/performances for the self, crochet, clay, claymation, videography, sound collection, whistling, discovering new sounds you can make etc.
Often when i want to create but i feel tired or uninspired i try to use still life or my surroundings— BUT If thats boring i ask myself a question and let my train of thought ramble -> connecting that rambling to my pen on paper
Honestly setting your inner critic to rest and creating things that are imperfect is actually incredible!
More often than not letting first drafts be final for a moment allows you to discover what you crave to create.
Apr 11, 2024
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This!!! Lately I've been in a slump, I've found that setting a 30 minute timer where I put phone on do not disturb, only have my document up on the screen, and write — not editing it as I go just write for 30 minutes straight — has helped. By the end of those 30 minutes I'm usually in a flow and try again for another 30 and so on.
I also like collecting quotes or photos (I use Pinterest) that connect to my story. It's a way of grounding me back into the world and a source of inspiration.
I used to commute 1 hour back and forth to work everyday and that time in the car by myself is when a lot of the building for my novel took place. So now whenever I'm in the car, it's reflexive almost for me to work out plot lines, dialogue, etc.
Dec 28, 2024
Top Recs from @motleyshrew
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh and Girl On Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert.
I'm really enjoying both, despite how many times Girl On Girl punches me in the gut with lines like, "Movies in the aughts hated women."
May 21, 2025
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After three, I say something like, "oh, wow" or if it's my partner, I jokingly say "stop it".
May 2, 2025
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Shows are impossible to go to, now. The entire Ticketmaster platform is filled with scalpers that TM choose to foster, rather than ensure that fans can see artists perform. (Yes, I'm salty because yet another performer's presale is on and tickets are "Verified Resale" for $500+ each.)
I just want so badly for everyone to stop spending thousands of dollars on shit seats so the industry caves in on itself and makes way for progress. Concerts are not supposed to be this way, and we aren't getting there if people keep throwing a $2000 ticket on their credit card for 300-level seats.
Don't be the frog boiling in the water, HOP OUT OF THE POT!
Apr 23, 2025