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nowledgeis power,butsometimesinformation
canbeoverkill.Fromthemomentwewakeupand
checkourphonesorswitchontheTVtothe
screentimewesqueezeinbeforebedtime,our
brainsareconstantlyoverloadedwithfacts,
thoughtsandopinions.And,eventhoughwemightcraftor
createtorelax,sometimestakinga breakfromit all is
what’sneededtogeneratenecessaryheadspace.
Likeyourphonebattery,yourbrainneedsrecharging in
ordertokeepit runningeffectively,and– especially
importantformakers– tokeepyourcreativitysparking.
Givingyourmindroomtobreatheinsteadofbombardingit
withmessagesnotonlyincreasesyourcapacityforideas,
it’ll allow you to craft with a more mindful attitude, too.
LISTENTOYOURSELF
‘Brilliant,’youmightthink.‘Anexcusetotaketimeoutfor
me.’But,sometimesallowingyourselfthatspacecanbe
thehardestthingofall.Manyofustendtoputothersfirst,
sochoosingtofocusonyourownneedstendstogetput
onthebackburner.AsTiffanyHan(www.tiffanyhan.com),
writer,speaker,teacherandlifecoach,pointsoutthough:
“Justlikeyoucan’tdrivea carthat’srunoutofgas,you
can’tdoyourwork,liveyourlife,orbeofserviceto the
worldif you’relivingonthebrinkofburnout.”
Tiffanyteacheswomenhowtoembracea newframework
ofproductivitytobringouttheirbestselves,anda bigpart
ofthatincludeschanginghabits.Sherecentlytooka break
fromsocialmediaasa wayofcreatingheadspace,and
encouragesotherstodothesame:“Itopenedupsomuch
ofmymentalenergybecauseI wasn’tcarryingaround
detailsofstrangers’liveswithme!”Bycuttingouta source
ofunnecessarystimulation,Tiffanycameback“feeling
calm,connected,andmorecreativelycharged”.
We’resousedtofillingeverylastsecondofourtime
inorderto‘beproductive’– lookingonInstagramwhile
waitingfora bus,multi-taskingwhiledoingmundane
chores– thatdoingnothingmightbetougherthanyou
imagined.But,youhavetorideoutthatitchyfeelingof
boredomforthemagictohappen.“Pausingtoinvitein
quietmightfeeltorturousat first,”Tiffanyacknowledges.
“Trust that the feelings will pass, that you’ll be okay,
andgetcuriousaboutwhat’snext.”Likea kidwhoonly
createstheirownentertainmentwhenthere’snothingelse
tooccupythem,wehavetoallowourselves to be bored in
order to channel our inner muse.NATUREANDNURTURE
MindfulcoachandartistDarianaMoreira(www.dariluna.
com) tellsusthattakingjustfiveminutesinbetweendaily
taskscanbeenoughtomakea difference.“Onceyou
surpassyourthoughtsbysimplyacknowledgingthem– this
freesupa newemptyspaceinyourmindthat’savailablefor
creativef low.”Byclearingourmindsinsteadoftuninginto
externalnoise,beit consciouslyorsubconsciously,you’ll
finda uniquesourceofinspiration.“Ideaslovetoconnect
withusthroughtheseemptyspacesbecausetheyknow
we’remorereceptivewhen we aren’t rationalising,”
explainsDariana.
It mightfeellikeyou’redoingnothing,butyou’re
actuallyallowingyourselfroomtoengagewiththecreative
process.Darianaalsosuggestsgivingyourselfqualitytime
everyday.“Practicesoothingyourselfwithsimplethings
thatinvolvenaturalprocessesusingyoursensesandbody,
insteadofmind-engagingprocessesusingyourreasoning.”
Anotheradvocateofthisis illustratoranddesignerBecki
Clark(www.beckiclark.com). “Itryandgofora runortake
thedogfora walkassoonasI wakeup.Thefreshairand
beingoutsidesetsmeupfortheday.”Notonlydoesthis
helpBeckitostartthedayafresh,it alsogeneratesideasfor
herwork.“Whetherit’sfornewpatternsfromthingsI’ve
seen,orcolourcombinationsfromblossomingf lowersand
plants,andeventhedetailsof the houses I pass, I can find
inspirationinanything.”
Ourmindsareamazingthings,andbystimulatingthem
ina morenaturalway;beit engagingalloursenses,or
allowingourselvestouseourimagination,you’llinstantly
feelenergised.“Justacknowledgingthechangingcoloursof
theseasonscanbringyousomuchjoy,”enthusesBecki.
“Bepresentinthemoment,noticethesmall things that
makeyousmile,anddomoreofthem.”
Sonexttimeyoufeeleventheslightesttwingeof
boredom,don’ttryandshakeit off.Embracethepleasure
in doing nothing at all, and let your creativity run free.HAVEYOUEVERCONSIDEREDTHEKEYTOCREATIVITYMIGHTBEDOINGNOTHINGATALL?
FIND OUT HOW CLEARING YOUR MIND CAN HELP YOU LEVEL UP YOUR CRAFT SKILLSTHE IMPORTANCE OF BEING BORED
Wo r d s :YVETTE STREETERIllustration:LISA TEGTMEIERWWW.LISATEGTMEIER.COM