3 Tips for Creators to Reignite Creativity and Stop the Cycle of Doubt

Create more, be happy.

All photos taken by the author, Zacc Rowlands.

Creativity is the missing piece to your happiness, and you refuse to believe it because of fear.

The fear of judgment.

The fear of ridicule.

The fear of unmet potential.

Fears that hold you back from achieving a life of fulfillment and purpose.

I know this to be true because I have the same fears.

I grapple with that demon every day.

It’s a never-ending match of jiu-jitsu where there is no tapping out.

The only option is to find a new way to escape the chokehold of self-doubt.

The cycle is viscous.

You don’t post your ideas because you fear judgment and ridicule. You think your ideas aren’t worthy. They’re not good enough. They’re unoriginal and boring.

So you don’t post because you’re worried about perfection.

Every time you don’t post, you reinforce the idea that you aren’t good enough, everyone is right to judge you, and you’ll never reach your potential.

The cycle of self-doubt is never-ending, feeding itself and growing ever more powerful with each decision to avoid discomfort and embrace conformity.

There is a way out of the cycle.

It’s right in front of you.

Creation.

The Cycle of Creativity and Well-Being

Studies have shown happy people are more creative thinkers.

But what you might not know is creative thinking makes people happier.

It’s like the cycle of fitness.

People who exercise tend to be happier, and happier people tend to exercise more.

The key to reaping the never-ending cycle of benefits is to exercise, even if you don’t want to at first.

It’s critical to both your happiness and creative potential to participate in creative acts daily as a means to overall well-being and satisfaction in life.

Practicing creativity should be as central to one’s life as health, wealth, and relationships.

It’s fundamental to our existence.

In the beginning, there was nothing.

Now, we have the booming creator economy, which is expected to double in size in a matter of a few years.

I use all three of the tips I’m about to describe to guide all of my creative endeavors, from writing to video making to editing to songwriting, to bread baking, to game design, to cooking, and every other thing in this life that fills my cup of purpose daily.

1) Idea Banking

This one is so simple and touted by everyone, but it’s for good reason.

It works.

The best ideas come when we least expect them so get used to capturing them when the flash of inspiration arrives.

Whenever an idea strikes you during a walk, during a conversation, at work, on the toilet, or while driving in the car, you need to store that idea immediately.

I promise you will forget 99% of your world-changing ideas if you don’t make a note of them right away.

I use Apple notes because I always have my phone on me.

You can use Notion, Google Docs, or Sharpie on your hand.

It doesn’t matter as long as you have a system to remember your ideas.

If you can’t write it down, then make a quick video note.

I once stopped what I was doing in the middle of work to run to the restroom to hum out a melody I had stuck in my head into my phone so that I wouldn’t forget it.

That song is on my band’s album now.

Once you have a database of ideas to pull from, you can go through the archive and start from 1 instead of 0.

2) Creative Priming

Super easy and extremely effective.

For 1–3 minutes before you start a creative activity or thought process, sit down and think back on three times you were creative in the past.

This might sound like bullshit to you, but it’s not.

Here’s a link to the study.

Creative priming is proven to be effective for inducing one’s creative performance.

It’s a simple reminder that you are, in fact, capable of being creative; you have proof of that in your past, and you are about to create something new that will further reinforce that belief system.

The Cycle of Creativity.

I literally did it before writing this. I felt stuck and unsure how to approach the topic. So, I stopped and thought for 3 minutes about my past endeavors.

I remembered the time I improvised a bass track to one of our songs the day of recording after we realized the song was falling flat.

I looked back on a short film I made about my friend’s band.

I thought about how I recently designed a game for myself to generate ideas in under 5 minutes.

All of these moments give me proof that I’ve done it before, and I’m going to do it again.

Creative priming isn’t woo woo it’s proof of concept.

3) Create with purpose.

Many people mistakenly believe creativity is the ability to think differently or outside the box.

The thing that isn’t commonly understood is that for something to be considered creative, it must have a purpose or solve a problem.

In other words, it must be considered valuable.

It’s not being different for the sake of being different.

It’s having new ideas or recognizing new solutions for a purpose.

That purpose can be entertainment, knowledge, problem-solving, or communicating an idea for yourself or others.

There must be a reason for an act of creativity, even if it’s just to let off some steam.

To practice creativity, it’s imperative to know the goal of your creative endeavor.

It will guide your ideas to deeper crevices of the mind and expand the depth at which you can think about what you are creating.

For instance, this piece was written for many purposes.

My own selfish pursuit of happiness, self-development, and artistic expression were among them.

But I also wrote this for you.

So you could be exposed to a different idea of what creativity can do for your life.

To see a different perspective on ways to feel happy, achieve purpose, and practice having better ideas.

I wrote this so that maybe just one person could stop judging themselves for a moment and understand that being creative is the essence of existence.

So that you can stop the cycle of self-judgment and enter into The Creative Cycle of Well-Being.

All you need is one idea.

A quick reminder that you are creative.

And a purpose to guide you.