Looking for inspiration? It might be right in front of you

The thing about creative inspiration is that you can’t conjure it at will.

It pops up when you least expect it. Rather than tackling lack of inspiration head on, simply wait and something will appear, often right in front of you.

How to get on with things when you’re just not in the mood

I’m not in the mood to write this blog today. But I need to.

How can you get on with things when you’re just not in the mood?

Choir starts back soon: is it time for re-invention?

Here in the UK, many choirs have a long summer break and start back in early September when the schools go back.

This may be the perfect time to try something new, a time for re-invention.

Procrastination: harnessing your subconscious to help with creative tasks

I’m a big procrastinator. I leave everything until the last minute. If I didn’t have deadlines, I would never get anything done!

But I’ve come to realise that this is my way of working and it has good results. Here’s why procrastination is not necessarily a bad thing.

Slow and steady wins the race – it takes time to become a singer or choir leader

We live in a fast, short-attention span world. People expect instant gratification.

photo by Rose Davies

But becoming competent at something takes time.

What I did on my holiday: tapping into your problem-solving mind without even trying

You’re finally on holiday and have truly switched off.



But did you know that this is a great time to do some work without actually making any real effort? Here’s what I mean.

How to move forward when you’re uninspired

I’m having a tough time writing this blog post.

Colleen is bored by scragz

I didn’t sleep well last night, I’ve been over-doing it, I have too much on my plate, and I have no idea what to write about.

Actually, I have plenty of ideas what to write about. I have a file with hundreds of ideas for blog posts, but none of them appeal to me today, and the ones that do will take a long time to write and I want to do them justice.

But I have to write a blog post because I’ve promised you – my readers – that I will publish one post every Sunday.

Or it could be a song I promised to arrange, or a choir rehearsal that I have to run, or a workshop that needs planning, or a song that I agreed to write. It’s no use waiting for the muse to appear or to be in a better mood, it needs to be done now, today, this minute.

The answer is simple: JUST DO IT.

You don’t need to feel inspired to begin the job at hand. Just get started. No matter how tired you are or how rubbish you think the result will be, by just getting on with it some weird alchemy happens: you will begin to feel inspired.

Desire follows action, not always the other way round. Start to go through the motions then you will begin to feel like doing what you’re doing. No need to wait to feel motivated or inspired.

We often read about professional song-writers or authors or painters who tell us that they just work every single day, no matter how they are feeling. As professionals they can’t afford to sit around and wait for the muse to appear.

The results may not be the best (or they may be), but that’s not important. Just get on with it regardless.

So next time you don’t feel like going to choir or planning that workshop or doing your vocal warm up (or writing that blog post!), ignore that feeling and just do it. The creative juices will soon start flowing and you will end up with good results and feel better.

What are you waiting for??!!

 

Chris Rowbury's website: chrisrowbury.com