creativity — Blog — Lorraine Barker

Hey all!

I wish I had a more inspired post to write about here, but with the world at a stand-still, frozen in fear, nothing has piqued my interest to write about. Perhaps my next post I will brush up on my art and fashion history textbooks and blog something more educational, but for this post - let’s talk about something every creative I’m sure is struggling with: staying productive and creative when no inspiration is coming through.

I’ll admit - I have not been blogging as much because life really did hit me hard the last month. Before going into COVID-19 lockdown, I ran into some pretty serious health and interpersonal issues that put my life at a standstill, and now our current international quarantine has made that standstill even more profound.

I create this blog to educate and inspire others, so let me lead by example on what I have been doing.

So, how have I been staying busy during “social disty”? I am a big fan of lists, schedules, and calendars, and utilizing those organizational tools has been even more important during today’s monotonous times.

My best advice to other creatives out there is: We have had our few weeks of mourning, of relaxing, of accepting. It is now time to create and contribute, for our own sanity.

I have been treating this time as an extended and much needed vacation. I am reading books I have intended to complete, I am finishing up my clothing collection, and catching up on films I have not seen. I am trying to keep a steady mix of assertive and passive hobbies in my daily rotations (see a couple blog posts down on my theory on different types of productivity) so that I am equally producing and consuming.

I intend to use this time to learn more, to try to maintain my social life through social media (unfortunately) and Animal Crossing, and to work on projects I keep putting off.

Raine 2.0 will have a soft launch within the coming weeks online until I am able to ship and deliver. I am going to attempt to make face masks for local hospitals as my contribution to helping with the world’s pandemic.

Basically, us creatives need to stay busy. Follow my example and make short term goals to complete and reach during this time. Make a daily schedule to get yourself moving and out of a mixed-up-sleep-schedule funk. It is PERTINENT that us creatives create during struggling times like these. When the economy has crashed and the world’s health is in the toilet, all we can do is create art. All we can do is provide creature comforts for others and ourselves to keep spirits high. The Netflix shows we are watching and the books we are reading were all created by artists and creatives. Those essential products made by creatives like us are what is keeping the world’s morale up.

So the least we can do is contribute. It may be hard to get out of that pandemic funk, but make a small step to making a daily schedule for yourself to create at least one thing a day. To express yourself once a day. To learn once a day. Your future self will thank you for it.

Love you all! Thank you so much for reading. Stay safe, healthy, and sane.

Lorraine

Hey guys! Sorry about the break in post during the holidays. I am back with new posts about fashion styling, art history, and creative advice for 2020!

Sometimes life can get you down and everyday chores and responsibilities can get in the way of your creative juices. Right now, I am struggling with just that. A lot is going on with my life at the moment and big life events are moving very rapidly. I do not have the energy to be innovative, creative, or charismatic about projects. I am trudging through finishing up my clothing collection, and the cold weather has me feeling like a hermit. But in order to move forward in life, one must push through any obstacle, and I am trying my best to still create during these winter months.

One thing I want to touch on in this blog post is my theory on productivity. I tend to go through two different phases of productivity and alternate back and forth. The two phases of productivity I experience are assertive and passive.

During the assertive productivity phase, I want to constantly create. I am always inspired and want to do ALL of the things. I tend to agree to too many things and overextend myself, but I feel so good about it. While feeling assertive, I am drawing, writing lyrics, making more blog posts, just DOING things.

During the passive productivity phase, I want to kind of draw inward and evaluate my life. I lean towards activities like yoga, reading, and shopping. In this phase I am still remaining productive but I am taking information in instead of exerting information. While I feel guilty in the passive phase that I should be doing more things, it is also important to take that time to reflect and slow down.

Both of these productive phases influence how I stay creative. If you, the reader, also resonate with these, let me offer some advice to keep alternating between phases and not being stagnant with your growth as a creator and human being.

Always try new things.
Go out with friends, but alternate your friend groups and what you do with them to keep a healthy balance and to always be learning from them and making new memories.
Make some time for yourself to learn something new!
Even in the passive phase, try a new restaurant or place to shop at.
Listen to new music.
In your assertive phase, try making something everyday, whether it be a sketch, a poem, meal prepping
Never be afraid to take risks and say YES - just make sure you have the energy for it.

These things I do to keep myself moving forward. It is healthy to alternate between being assertive and passive with your habits and hobbies to keep your creative juices on their toes and flowing! Inspiration can come from anywhere - and it’s okay if you hit any roadblocks, writer’s blocks, or just need some downtime to reassess your needs. Do not force creativity and productivity.

I hope this blog was helpful to read! It is definitely something different than what I typically write up but sometimes we all just need a boost, especially since we creatives are always so hard on ourselves and our productivity.

Thanks for reading!