Category: Blog & Career Tips

AN ALTERNATIVE CAREER VERSUS A CREATIVE OUTLET

AN ALTERNATIVE CAREER VERSUS A CREATIVE OUTLET

A journey to the past, and a commitment to the future: reigniting my passion for writing, imagery and editing as a creative outlet.

I’ve always had an interest in writing, in magazines, books and journalism. As a kid i’d film and act pretend news journalism in front of my family, leading my Grandad to firmly believe i’d be a globe trotting reporter (perhaps half a reality with my blog and travel guides). I’d store leaflets from every bank or store we’d go into and create big sellotaped magazines, packed with insurance offers and new collection lookbooks. As an early teen i’d rip pages from my favourite magazines and cover my walls with the latest Chanel ads or looks from my favourite naughties celebrities. And as a teen at college and school, I knew that media or journalism was something that I wanted to move into for my university degree and career thereafter.

I started with journalism. I’d never loved english per c’est and i’ve got no recollection as to whether I was good at it – literature or language. But I love writing, I love stories and I love imagery. Looking back now I can absolutely see an alternative career and in particular the reasons why I became so passionate about my blog. As I hadn’t studied english at college I didn’t qualify for a degree in journalism … so I searched for something that felt it had the greatest breadth of things i loved: brands, creative, media and magazines. As it happens I went to Bournemouth University and Studied advertising and marketing, a course that covered creative strategy, to brand marketing, to media planning and PR etc. I didn’t know or plan to go to the top media school in the UK, but it was and it certainly set me up and pushed me straight into a career in media out of the back of my exams. The school had direct links with all the top UK agencies and so during our degree we got doors opened for internships and post our exams the springboard to go straight into work, which I did.

I didn’t actually love the media part of my degree, in fact it was my least favourite schedule ironically. I loved the brand modules and the creative advertising study … albeit i loved the partying most of all. But as it happens my career is in media, and i’ve spent the last decade building a career i’m incredibly proud of (if not somewhat surprised by).

But as you know, in 2011 I also started my blog. It wasn’t long after I started work (a few years from memory), and the moment I launched on blogspot, I didn’t stop. I blogged daily for more than five years, sharing outfits, daily thoughts, my wish lists. As blogging became bigger and more people joined, I also shared my thoughts and tips on the blogging world which quickly gained traction and became a main traffic driver to my site. I also travelled a whole lot, but it was only more recently i shared those recommendations on here which is again, rather ironic as travel is a far greater passion of mine than style!

My blog propelled and satisfied my passion for imagery too, I became obsessed by photography. My own and crafting my personal visual skills, as much as admiring other peoples and analysing their set up and style. I had always been passionate about imagery, and style, and brands … but this blog bought them all together and became the creative ‘journalistic’ outlet that I’d always wanted for this side of myself.

I wasn’t the editor of a magazine (something I still would love to be and often think about as a parallel career universe), but I was the editor of my own online world. It filled me, inspired me, motivated me and bought me so much joy.

[one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0″][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last][one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last]

Some years ago though, my work became increasingly more demanding. The harder I worked, the more successful I became, and the more successful I became the harder i had to work and the more pressure I felt. Blogging daily alongside the demands of senior positions in a big agency, just became too much of a demand. On top of that maintaining healthy relationships and not spending every spare second writing or taking a picture was something I had to consider. So I stopped blogging daily. It soon whittled down from 7 days a week, to 4, then soon to 1 or 2, and before I knew it was bi weekly, then monthly, and then it just became sporadic and irregular.

This coincided with the growing scale of instagram, something I didn’t have time to invest in as well, and of course a whole new breed of ‘influencers’ of which I was no part of. Blogging became the back burner for many, but I was still here, writing and sharing when I had the time, missing out of course on the growth and followers others were gaining as a result of their diverted attention and ability to move with the times and invest in more than a blog. By this point you see, many that started blogging alongside me were doing it full time.

The reduction in pressure was a relief, but over the last couple of years I’ve certainly grown to miss the companionship of my blog and more than anything at all, the creative outlet it provided.

I’ve spent hundreds of pounds on journals, note books, pens, paints to try and find a release for the creative ideas and energy inside of me, but none quite work. I ‘can’t’ do those things, i can’t draw or paint. What I realise more than anything is that I need my blog back in my life.

Not for the ambition of it becoming my career, which at one point in the early days was a hope or thought in my mind, but just as a creative outlet for me. No pressure on sharing new outfits or clothes (although i of course will, because i still love my clothes and buy things regularly), not just a destination for high quality travel diaries and guides (although of course this will continue because travel, alongside blogging and photography is one of my biggest passions in life) and not just a platform for ‘purposeful’ driven content. Instead it’ll be as it always was, an outlet for whatever comes to mind. Whatever i need express or communicate. A space to process my ideas and share my thinking. A space to create something pretty and share something visual. A space for me to be an editor, and a journalist and a photographer … without the pressure of an income or ‘success’.

–

I spent the morning talking to my best friend and Jase about an urge to study writing, and an urge to bring back those old ideas of journalism and potentially alternative careers. I quickly started setting goals of featured articles and within seconds I was hoping to be the editor of Suitcase magazine. And this is so unhealthy and the crux of half my personal challenges in life.

I want to achieve everything, to not let anyone down, to never be half hearted, to be the expert, to be the best I can be, to achieve the top role because otherwise i’m not good enough. It’s been a huge help in achieving what I have to date in my career there’s no doubt about it, but it’s also an incredible stressor of mine; the way I think, the pressures & expectations I put on myself.

So after a little friendly course correction, I settled on two things. I’m going to try and find a fun and low key creative writing course to flex my skills and allow me to continue my passion in this space. And i’m going to start blogging for me again. regardless of who reads or visits. That means taking photos without an agenda. It means writing with no purpose. It just means dedicating time and mental space for the things that bring me joy and inspire me … not just work, career and ‘success’.

So true to word. This post has no ‘value’ per c’est. It’s simply my musings which I so desperately needed to capture and get out my head. It’s also a commitment to myself … I heard you, i’m listening, and we’re doing it. It doesn’t need to have a goal attached, it’s just an outlet for some passions I don’t get to fulfil elsewhere, nothing more, nothing less.

May 3, 2020
CREATIVITY: FINDING YOUR CREATIVE STYLE & HOW TO RELEASE YOUR CREATIVITY

(more…)

March 31, 2020
THE GRAPPLES OF MODERN DAY BLOGGING

THE GRAPPLES OF MODERN DAY BLOGGING

Meaningful Content Versus Everyday Musings. What Works Today and the Grapples of modern day blogging?

Sorry for the radio silence over here, i’m not sure what’s happened lately but it’s fair to say despite having loads to share with you, i’ve struggled to put the proverbial ‘pen to paper’.

It’s actually down to not having the time to make every post ‘meaningful’ and the shackles of wanting to only producing meaningful content creates for me. I’ve asked you time and time again what you enjoy, and I know the mix of purpose driven content (tips, guides, advise whether it be styling, career, photography etc, and informative posts) with everyday posts with little to know meaning or purpose is what you say time and time again (let me know in the comments?). I often just feel like ‘why would anyone visit’ if I wasn’t sharing something useful?

It’s silly really because half the blogs I love and read daily actually often post a blend of content too, and I’m as interested in a random style post with no tips or structure as I am an in depth article on their blogging careers or photography tips.

I think because the industry has changed so much since 2011 when I started, it often makes you feel bad going back to those ‘basic’ roots of simple diary edits and non-perfect, non-editorial style photos. But perhaps more than ever, that’s actually what people want, seek out and find appealing about the bloggers they choose to engage with. The strive for editorial quality, perhaps took the personal touch away, and that ‘realness’ is what drove the industry in the first place.

The grapple of modern day blogging!

That all said, the positive feeling of sharing a post (like my last one for example), can soon become overshadowed with my worries that i’ve ‘let myself and my site down’ because the imagery / content wasn’t truly my best. Like I have let it slip with something of no value or with images that aren’t ‘perfect’. A constant grapple …. be more real, share more, get back to basics versus content i’m proud of, editorial with meaning, visuals worthy of vogue.

It’s no doubt a common feeling, whether you’re a blogger or not, it’s that self doubt in your delivery. Is it good enough, should I have done more, is this what people want, will people like it, did I fail. It’s a rather boring and cyclical mental grapple. It holds true of instagram too … although whilst I worry about what I’m doing there, I’ve learnt that it doesn’t matter anyway, whatever photo I put out it never ‘succeeds’. Images i’ve spent hours on, the perfect photo in my eyes, could get barely seen in the mass void that is instagram. Equally an image I ‘hate’, that took no effort and that in technical terms is pretty poor, will still fail, but might fail less than the image I thought was better. It’s a very confusing thing.

It makes me worried for future generations. For young people and their mental health. I have a full time career i’m proud of outside of my blog and instagram, and i’m 31 years old, but even for me I can see how the ‘social approval’ impacts me, my self assurance and drive to create and share.

Recently i’ve taken to producing and sharing anyway, letting go a bit I guess (like my last post I mentioned). But like I said, then we go back to the shackles of worrying i’ve let things go too much, that I should have kept things editorial.

You see the grapples? Exhausting.

Regardless though, I still adore having my space on the internet. I’m more obsessed with photography and broadening my work than I’ve ever been before, it’s something I am hugely passionate about and my blog is, if anything, a chance to share my visuals. I’ve definitely started to share more ‘diary style’ content and not just editorial style features, i’d love to know how you find the blend? Whether you prefer the editorial focus or welcome the balance. I shan’t be stopping any time soon, and always love to hear what you want to see more of.

[one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last][one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last][one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last]

I’d love to know what you think? As a reader of mediamarmalade, as a blogger perhaps yourself? What content do you enjoy reading these days? Do you prefer the perfect tutorial, or sometimes just an emotional download like todays post? I’m forever interested … and want to continue sharing here and on my instagram.

September 6, 2019
FUELLING YOUR CREATIVE SPARK

FUELLING YOUR CREATIVE SPARK

Leaning Into Your Creative Desires For The Fun Of It

Every now and then I get this deep longing in my belly, a longing to create, to capture, to make something. It’s like a little lost part of myself longing to come back to the surface, to be nurtured and to be played with .It comes more often than not when my creative hobbies have taken a back seat in exchange for long hours and little to no time spent on my blog.

The piece of me that loves to create needs a bit of focus.

The tricky thing is, I often have such high standards for what I want to create and share on my blog, I want the perfect outfit in the visuals, I want my hair done and makeup on, I want the locations, compositions and lighting to be spot on, and to have all of that is often a rarity and takes a lot of work and effort. But this bank holiday weekend, after spending the day chilling in the garden, I really felt a longing to do something creative and so I decided to bring my fuji camera on a little walk in the forrest outside my house. I was sweaty, and wearing nothing special, but it was beautiful light and the golden hour tones lit up the forrest beautifully.

Whilst I didn’t expect to do anything with some of the photos I took – this would normally stop me taking them, as I’d focus on shooting for my blog rather than just playing with my camera (the shackles of meaningful content n’ that)- the process gave my inner creative a little bit of love. I shared a few of the photos on my stories, and you guys said you’d love to see a post with them. So here we are.

[one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last][one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last][one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last][one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last][one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last][one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last][one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last]

READ MORE

– HOW TO SURVIVE A CREATIVE RUT – HOW TO GET INSPIRED AGAIN –

So whilst these shots aren’t my usual style, and most definitely not my best photos by any means either, I wanted to share them anyway because it was the principle behind them that meant something more. Listening to my body and knowing I needed to fuel my creativity, and spend a little bit of time creating something. I didn’t think I had anything to shoot in particular, and I certainly wasn’t prepared to have photos of me after a long day in the sunshine wearing an old dress and my hair swept up, but going for a walk and taking my camera with me was enough to fill that gap and longing I had. And whilst the plan wasn’t to create a blog with the images, it turned into something anyway.

So the lesson learnt, pick up that camera, paint brush, book or pen. Even creating without purpose has it’s purpose in fuelling your creative spark x

August 30, 2019
INSTAGRAM’S GONE TO SHIT, NOW WHAT?

INSTAGRAM’S GONE TO SHIT, NOW WHAT?

I don’t want to say I told you so, but I mean, I really did tell you so.

Dear instagrammers, I don’t want to say I told you so, but I mean, I really did tell you so (three years ago to be precise).

That said, I still slogged away at it myself for the last few years in hope of growth (none) or some turn in events that made it a more positive and inclusive place to succeed (no chance), ignoring my own wise words that this social platform was only going to go to pot.

I did a personality test recently and two of my strongest attributes were hope and perseverance, and truly that explains a lot. Despite missing the wave back when instagram launched (and forever feeling bitter about my ‘low follower numbers’ compared to others that started blogging when I did – all on 100k minimum now), despite never growing and staying stagnant for years (no matter what I do or how much love I put into my content), and despite feeling shit most the time about the content I worked so hard to create going literally nowhere (and other accounts with seemingly low quality visuals flying?) … I persevered. I really did. I really hoped ‘luck’ would come my way, I hoped finally it might shift gear and the algorithm might go in my favour. I hoped maybe people would discover my account, and follow along. I hoped, I persevered (and ironically now more than ever really I kinda like the visual style I’ve created) but do you know my reward? 5% of my followers seeing my posts. 26 likes despite 14,100 followers, and genuinely what feels like a big old ‘you can’t sit with us’.

It’s not just me, even the ‘big dogs’ are moaning now, perhaps there 26 likes is 26,000 but it’s still 1/5 of what it used to be, perhaps their 5% equates to 100,000 followers, but its’ still 5% .. everyone’s feeling trodden down, deflated and generally … perhaps … over it?

If you’re a long time reader here, you’ll know I’ve harped on and on and on about the value of owning your own platforms, the risk of a business built on social media , why I still back blogging (over a social first strategy) even today and I’ve not really talked much about the emotional / self esteem side of a platform built on virtual likes, but I’m super aware and not a fan of that either. Now more than ever I feel instagram has lost it’s way, it’s origins in creativity no longer exist, it’s a business now and in turn the algorithm feeds off that shit. It wants money, not creativity. It’s a clique, not an inclusive platform for all. And worst of all, it’s gone from a platform fueling positivity, to one that now genuinely seems to be driving a nation of low self esteem, comparison and virtual social gratification … not to mention consumerism.

Don’t get me wrong, I see the positive movements out there, gaining their voice and galvanizing support. But if you’re honest with yourself, the underlying social currency Instagram operates on isn’t healthy. For every positive movement, there’s a 17 year old sat devastated that her latest bikini photo isn’t getting likes, doubting her self, her body, her worth …

There’s been chat about ‘ditching the likes’, it might have even been Kanye who broached the topic (heaven forbid, it could be the first bit of sense that mans ever talked, I even I couldn’t help but listen) … and this could help, perhaps. But the problem is the platform has been built on likes, followers and engagement driving success, to take it away won’t necessarily eradicate the addiction to checking those stats for yourself, comparing the opportunities you get (or don’t get) to those of others and for being a numbers driven platform (lets not forget all the brands and advertisers STILL basing their campaign partners on those numbers). I wonder if really the damage has been done?

The algorithm changed the game … it stopped you seeing the content of people you follow, in the order of which it was posted, into some kind of undefined popularity contest where if you didn’t’ cut it in the first 10 seconds your work was sent to the bin, there was no hope of anyone seeing it, not even all those people who actively signed up to you and pushed subscribe. The single and most prominent act of stating you WOULD like to see someones content. The algorithm took logic out of the way, it created disorder, comparison, competition and just a total lack of consistency for content creators and followers alike.

If you want my two pence, the only way to restore order at this point in time, is to go back to the origin. If you subscribe to an account, you want to see that content. It’s the whole point of ‘following’ someone. On that basis, I don’t need an algorithm to decide which order I see those peoples content, or indeed, whether I see it at all.

The biggest joke of all right now, is I have other accounts (a home one and an interior one), and even on MY OWN feeds where I follow myself (don’t judge), MY OWN CONTENT isn’t shown!!!

If that’s not instagram gone to shit, then I don’t know what is.

[one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0″][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last][one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last][one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last] [one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last]

SO NOW WHAT?

All this said, I can’t see myself braving it and deleting the app for good, once again trusty perseverance and hope struggle through and take the lead (plus I love sharing my photography and getting inspired by those people I follow). I do think though, that something must change, what ever developments have come into play this month have not worked for anyone and it’s about time Instagram listened.

I for one will be continuing to channel my energy and efforts into the one platform I OWN, and I have control of, my blog. I talked about the importance of your own platform over three years ago and I think now more than ever it stands true. Who knows what further developments are around the corner and how they could impact your Instagram account and Instagram success … with such poor engagement and reach right now, brands will soon start looking at the data and questioning how their investment is stacking up and that’s when the tides will really start to change.

Whilst Instagram’s drivers might be profit, they’re only really shooting themselves in the foot right now by so significantly impacting peoples reach. In today’s data driven marketing world, no savvy business is going to keep ploughing advertising investment into a medium that isn’t delivering the returns it once did for them. And I am saying that from the advertising side of the fence, not the blogging side of the fence.

And lets not forget the founders left Facebook only last year, with an elusive statement suggesting they don’t back where it’s going either. I can imagine it’s only a matter of time before we see the next big thing, from them, or other creative entrepreneurs wanting to make positive change (and take on the giants currently ruling the social media space).

I’d love to hear your thoughts, as Instagrammers, as content creators, as followers, as marketeers. Thoughts on a postcard …

July 1, 2019
YOU DO YOU: FINDING YOUR OWN APPROACH TO CREATIVITY

YOU DO YOU

Finding Your Own Approach To Creativity

After feeling a little out of sorts creatively a few weeks back, I spent some time thinking about creativity, getting inspiration and generally just getting back in touch with my own approach to creativity. The thing about instagram is that you can start to believe there actually is ‘one size fits all’ … and what I mean by that is that you can start to think there is right way to create content for the platform. The right colour tone, the right composition, the right locations, the right pieces in shot … you start to think you have to fit a mould, fit the prototype, to fit in and do well. But that mindset is suffocating, it drives you to lose touch entirely with you, what creativity means to you, the colours you love, the compositions you innately take, the things you want to share. More than that It takes away the enjoyment of creativity and makes it into a rule book of guidelines to follow. The antithesis of any great art.

That’s the downside of comparison and thinking you need to follow a formula to fit in. Recently I decided to eff instagram all together (well the strive to master the platform anyway), I just wanted to spend more time doing creative things, playing around, testing, learning, and generally having fun with my creativity. I wrote about it here, and for once I practiced what I preached and followed my own advise and my goodness it’s been liberating. My instagram feed feels like me, bright, colourful, airy just like my photography always has been. Yes my accounts not grown, if anything it just goes down, but for once it feels right and i feel happy with it.

Of course my images aren’t 1000% where I want them to be (you can always learn more, try new things and keep evolving your work), I want to take more, explore more cities and generally have more time to capture more visuals, but they’re getting there and most importantly I am having so much more fun creating them. On top of that I am capturing more moments and capturing the creative things I’m doing outside of photography too.

[one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last][one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last]

Take these pictures, I just had the urge to make a collage, I wanted a way to capture my inspiration and ideas that wasn’t just on Pinterest or instagram, I missed the tangible feel of collages like I used to make when I was at college. And so you know what, I printed some pics, I went to the shop and bought some glue and I made a collage. It was fun, I felt a release, like I somehow managed to create on paper what was in my mind taking up too much space.

I feel far more in tune with my own creativity, my own inspirations and the types of content that brings me joy. In fact I’ve even been on an Instagram spree following far more accounts that reflect my own take on creativity rather than the Instagram popular accounts that are all clones of each other. That in itself has been so liberating.

April 26, 2019
SIMPLE WAYS TO GET INSPIRED & MOTIVATED WHEN YOU HAVE A BLOCK: MAKING ‘SPACE’ FOR INSPIRATION, CREATIVITY & RE-ENERGISING

SIMPLE WAYS TO GET INSPIRED & MOTIVATED WHEN YOU HAVE A BLOCK

Making Space For Inspiration, Creativity, & Re-Energising

I’ve been talking quite a lot about creativity and productivity this last couple of weeks, what can I say it’s clearly a pertinent topic right now for me. One of the things I wanted to share is the things that help me get through a period of creative struggle, whether thats a lack of inspiration, limited time to create, no mental space to think about writing something worthwhile … or simply straight up lack of motivation.

This doesn’t just apply to bloggers and instragammers, anyone working in a creative field will know these struggles well, but more than that it can impact everyone in any aspect of their life. A lack of inspiration of things to do, a lack of energy or motivation at work, no mental space to create positive habits in your daily life. It’s more than just a creative block, it’s a mental block, and one we all face every now and then in our lives.

I for one hit the wall regularly, sometimes in a small way every few months, sometimes in a big way every few years. I’m learning fast that my energy and pace is built from adrenaline (this isn’t a good thing by the way), and so when I’m on a roll in life I am 150 miles per hour and I almost have an abundance of ideas, things I want to do, things to achieve … but when that stops, which inevitably it does, I am wiped. I have nothing more to give. I have drained all my energy, all my resources, my brain simply cannot and will not think.

Creating ‘space’ in every sense of the word is one way of immediately shifting yourself back into the right lane. Whether it’s physical space to breathe and think or mental space through a break, rest or time out, space is often all we need in order to get inspired, get productive and get our energy back. I thought i’d share some ways I create space when I need to re-set, get my mojo back with my blog or creativity, or feel re-energised at work, in the short term, but also the long term too.

[one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0″][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last]

SIMLPE WAYS TO CREATE ‘SPACE’ (NOW & FOR THE FUTURE)

–

IMMEDIATE SPACE

Walk, Talk, Switch

–

It’s really tough when you’re in a situation that you REALLY NEED to complete and deliver on, but you simply cannot muster the ideas, energy or brain space to get the job done. It’s like sitting at your computer waiting for inspiration to strike for your next blog post, but inevitably nothing happens. Or like needing a solution to a challenge at work, and no matter how many different things you suggest nothing quite ticks the box. Or needing to spring clean your home / finish that essay / write that strategy, but simply having no energy to tackle the task. These are all challenges which need immediate solutions, they need space ‘right now’ to be able to deal with the task in hand. They’re tasks that ‘taking up yoga’ won’t help with right now (don’t discount that though, we’ll come on to the benefits of taking up yoga later). They’re jobs you need to pull it together for right now. I get it … here’s three very simple, yet surprisingly affective things that DO HELP.

TAKE A WALK

–

Stop, get up. Walk. Walk to the coffee machine, walk to the coffee shop, or walk for 10 minutes aimlessly. Clear your mind. You will be gobsmacked by the clarity simply stopping and walking will deliver for you. Not only does it give your brain something different to focus on, walking innately means you’ll ‘see’ different things, and those things in themselves often spark inspiration and ideas, it’s also just a great way of getting your body and mind moving again and renergising yourself. It is always quite astonishing how much a very short walk can do for your mind, mood and inspiration.

TALK IT OUT

–

The second very simple solution is talking. Phone your mum, grab your collegue for a chat, or talk it out with your dog. Talking often helps clarify the challenge regardless of whether you get helpful advise back from the person on the other end of the conversation (less likely, if you went with the third option, your dog). During a week long training course I took on creativity a year or so ago, almost every creative challenge started with a walk and a talk … clarifying your thoughts, receiving feedback, and simply walking to channel your energy.

You might be thinking ‘yeah, hows that going to actually help’, but give it a go before you can the idea, you might be surprised.

SWITCH IT UP

–

The final thought, is to stop all together, admit temporary defeat and try something new. For example when I’m sat staring at my mac trying to think of words to fill a blog post with, but NOTHING is coming, i often decide to park that blog post for a while and before I know it an idea often sparks for another one instead (take today, I was trying to write an outfit post, couldn’t think of anything interesting, which sparked me to think about how to get inspiration when you don’t have it.). Same goes for most things, if it’s simply not working, then try something different.

If you’re sat at work with no energy or motivation, with limited brain engagement to tackle whatever task you’re faced with. Switch it up, go and work somewhere different (and ideally walk and talk your way there). Close the computer, switch to paper. And if it’s truly ‘one of those days’, bring in some new brains for a minute, seek help, seek others ideas, seek guidance. Often it’s the getting started that’s the hardest thing, so having a little helping hand for that first step can really help create and trigger the chain of action you needed.

–

LONG TERM SPACE

Mental & Physical Space

–

Some things need long term actions, and not just short term tips and tricks. Say, a proper mental block with no ideas for weeks. The feeling of wanting to give up or ‘i can’t do this’ needs more mental and physical space than an everyday task to overcome. Losing energy for your hobbies, the creativity that was once a release or the job you used to put so much into … these things need long term help. This help comes in two forms, mental and physical space. Hear me out:

MAKE DEDICATED MENTAL SPACE

–

When we take on too much, or wear our energy supplies out (yep, I acknowledge it) over a period of time, we become drained physically in our bodies and mentally in our mind. I’ve been learning a lot about this in my traditional chinese medicine journey, because I for one have run my energy down to the point of exhaustion, and recovering this energy takes work, time and serious space. If our job is one that requires creativity, running out of energy is kinda a fundamental issue. If our job requires energy and motivation, running out of steam is kinda a fundamental issue. If our lives require productivity, inspiration and creativity (note, THEY DO) then having no fuel is kinda a fundamental issue. You get the gist, whatever your job, hobby, life, ambitions, you need energy, you need inspiration and you need mental space to ‘think’, ‘give’, ‘create’.

All too often we run our resources down, and we need to create mental space to breathe again. It isn’t a short term fix, it’s a long term commitment to yourself, to give your body and mind the ‘space’ it needs to recover, re-energise, and re-fuel.

People have tons of different ways of creating ‘space’ for themselves. Call it me time if you will. Here are a few very simple ways to dedicate regular time for yourself, for your recovery, for your energy: pilates, journaling, yoga, running (or any sport for that matter), meditation, reading, spa appointments / days / weekends, weekends away, time off work, holidays etc.

More often than not we exhaust ourselves and then thoroughly need a proper break (a holiday) to recover. But what if we didn’t operate on a model of 150% all the time, and instead we made some ‘space’ in our day, our week, our life for regular self care and recovery. Not only would we not end up exhausted and unwell at the end of intensive periods, we’d also create the conditions / the space mentally to be creative, be inspired, be motivated and be productive on an ongoing basis. We’d give ourselves time to ‘top up’ our fuel more regularly, so that we have the energy to keep going longer, without a crash and burn at the end.

I get this is bigger than going into nature to get inspired, and that’s the point, if you want to feel inspired, energised, creative, motivated, positive and not depleted constantly, then making regular time for ‘mental space’ is so incredibly important. I’ve been working to make some changes lately, including working from home on a Friday (which has had the most incredibly positive impact on my sanity), signing up to weekly yoga and pilates (which I used to have to pull out of because work got busy, but now I won’t let anything stop me from going, it’s so important for me, my productivity and my energy to have this time) and finally regular time to have acupuncture each week with my TCM therapist. These relatively ‘small’ things, are already helping my brain space and energy tremendously, and in turn helping me feel more inspired to create content, to feel more energised to be creative for my instagram and blog, and generally feeling a whole lot less worn out too.

CREATE AN INSPIRING PHYSICAL SPACE

–

The final thing is one that is especially important for those people who work for themselves, work in the creative field, or currently find it difficult to create the conditions to work, be calm, be inspired, be creative, be happy. It’s your physical space.

The impact your physical surroundings has on your emotions and mental health isn’t one to underestimate. Therefore finding and / or creating a physical space that inspires you is hugely important. In the short term this might be a coffee shop that gives you good vibes (hello Coffeeology in Richmond right now), but for the longer term this is making the space you have (your home, your office, your employee office) a space you feel happy, energised and motivated by. The latter, your employees office, is of course a tad harder as you don’t have entire creative freedom, but even a little plant, your favourite coffee mug, and a few home comforts can transform a space. The former, your home and own office / working space / study, are spaces you have total control over, and the ability to make into the most relaxing, inspiring, creative, calming, energising place to be.

Here’s a question for you, Do you pin pins on pinterest of homes / offices that are just your dream, yet they’re MILES away from what your home or office looks and feels like? Probably, right? If yes, why not have a proper think about what sort of space you want to live in, work in, be in, and take some ACTUAL time out to adapt your space to make it more suitable for you to thrive in.

The same goes for your work space, whether that be in the home or outside your home if you’re lucky to have a separate office, you have the ability to create the vibe, inspiration and ‘feel’ you want here. I don’t have an office, but I have a desk space I use every now and then and even updating this to have more art work, more places to store inspiration, and a little touch up every now and then (new chair, new desk, a re-paint) can be all it takes to re-energise your physical space, and in turn your mental space, your creativity, your inspiration and of course your productivity as a result.

[one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last][one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last]

Finding yourself in a creative rut, lacking energy or enthusiasm to tackle a job, or feeling out of sorts with productivity is super normal. Too often we don’t give ourselves the right conditions to work and live in, to be inspired, to be creative and to re-fuel regularly.

Innately ‘space’ to think and be is hugely important, whether it’s creating time for you to ‘self care’ or updating physical spaces to fuel your creativity the impact is tremendous.

I’ve been feeling a little lacking in creativity lately, and being home one weekend with no plans for a few hours I decided to go down to the bottom of the garden and see my sisters studio which she created for herself and her business chickpea. I opened the door and to absolutely no one, shouted ‘wow’. I walked in, spun around, absorbed the space she’d spent the last few weeks transforming. I immediately ran back to the house grabbed my camera and computer, took a whole array of photos (in fact 4 / 5 different ‘scenes’) and started jotting down ideas for content. I spent around 2 hours in her shed studio, I felt so energised, and excited just from walking into this beautiful space she’d created, it jolted me from the depths of creative darkness, into an adrenaline fuelled state of inspiration. There are many spaces around us that will have the ability to do this to us, a museum, a beautiful country walk, a pilates studio, a trip to the seaside, a holiday, visiting someone else’s house, a store, even your own home with the right amount of love and care.

When we need a jolt from ourselves and our own spaces, lean on others, make the most of the wonderful things at your disposal … and in the long run, work out a way to create your own space of inspiration in your home or office. A space that when you enter it, you feel excited, inspired, energised.

April 10, 2019
THE SHACKLES OF ‘MEANINGFUL’ CONTENT

THE SHACKLES OF ‘MEANINGFUL’ CONTENT

The Second Phase Of The Creative Rut

Happy Sunday everyone. Todays post is exceptionally impromptu, so much so I’ve only just leaped out of bed to make a cup of tea, thought my bedsheets looked nice in their morning mess, so grabbed my camera and took a few photos, sat down to drink said tea and thought, hell i’ll write a blog post.

After last weeks post all about my creative rut, it feels quite liberating to be able to shoot something and share it so instantaneously, without that overthinking that often goes into everything posted online or on instagram. It’s fair to say that often the creative rut extends beyond just posting something good on instagram, into feeling shackled by ‘posting something meaningful’ on the blog. Often the weight of producing something ‘useful’ deters me from sharing on here more often. What if I don’t have anything useful to say, but just have a new outfit to share? Is that enough? Does that cut it these days? Will anyone want to read that?

The truth of the matter is I have a whole back log of outfit posts to share with you, five from this year alone, let alone the ones I still haven’t shared but want to from seasons gone by, even years gone by (I have one of my favourite EVER set of photos from Morocco taken in 2017 which I’ve waited for the ‘perfect’ moment to share, and two years on they’re still sat their waiting – what a waste). But the shackles of getting all my content ready & saying something meaningful with it is actually quite mentally paralysing if you don’t have the ‘brain space’ to think.

It’s a bizarre thing really, my creative blocks definitely come in two forms, firstly the not being able to shoot content I like (whether thats driven by time or a lack of inspiration) which I discussed in my last post, but the second comes from the overwhelming challenge of creating ‘worthwhile content’ on the blog. Only exasperated by the time needed for whittling down any images and organising them into a blog post (sounds easy, takes AGES). I’m either stuck with no content, or too much to handle.

[one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last][one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last]

Currently i’m in the latter battle … I have so many posts waiting to be shared, so many pictures to organise and make something of, I keep putting off the task and when I do have some time to dedicate to it … I end up concerned whether I have anything meaningful to say, and so I put it off!

Today I’m home alone, Jase is travelling back from a stag do later this evening, and I haven’t made any plans. I didn’t plan to write todays post, let alone take todays photos, but there’s something quite motivating and easy about ‘shooting and posting’ in real time … without too much time, overthinking and energy going into creating a post. Often the longer I wait and the more I think about it, the more paralysed I become.

So today, with a day ahead to myself, I’m going to head to Nottinghill with my laptop, enjoy a nice brunch and then I’m going to sit and organise all the outfit posts into blog features … with the only remaining task to ‘write’ something to you all. Hopefully this ‘prep’ will loosen the shackles and get me in a good place to easily share all the outfits I’ve been meaning to, in the week ahead.

As for the ‘meaningful content’ to sit alongside my outfit visuals, what do you think? Is just some musings about my day enough for you guys?

April 7, 2019
SURVIVING A CREATIVE RUT ON INSTAGRAM: LOSING MY WAY ON THE GRAM & 5 WAYS I AM TRYING TO TACKLE THE RUT & GET INSPIRED AGAIN

SURVIVING A CREATIVE RUT ON INSTAGRAM

Losing My Way On The Gram: 5 Ways I Am Trying To Tackle The Rut & Get Inspired Again

The last week or so I took an accidental beak from my blog and Instagram. I posted a couple of pictures on my feed, but half heatedly as I wasn’t feeling entirely motivated and rewarded by it creatively or ‘numbers wise’ (damn those numbers for always bringing me down), and unintentionally its been well over a week since I posted a blog feature too. I actually loved my last two posts I shared, a travel guide from a hotel I loved and a personal post on health, both with photos I felt particularly proud of an excited to showcase over here. But since posting those and ‘using’ the last set of photos I had time to properly shoot on my grid … I’ve gone quiet.

The truth of the matter is I’ve felt a bit out of sorts creatively (mostly with instagram), lost even, in what I am creating versus what I want to be creating, I’ve become swamped in an Instagram comparison trap comparing the visuals I love to the reality of what my content on instagram looks like, and there’s of course a disconnect between what I want it to be versus what it is. Being honest half of the problem is my severe lack of time – blogging and instagram after all is my side hustle and not my only career – and my control freak nature on the quality of visuals I want to produce. I want to embrace the ‘care free’ visual style I admire so much, often shot on iPhone or film, but yet I struggle not to shoot on my DSLR or be satisfied with anything other than those high res professional shots. It’s a grapple that’s limiting not only my opportunity to shoot for instagram (because I don’t currently capture content unless i’m deliberately out with my camera) but also my inspiration and enjoyment of it too.

On top of all this mental grapple, my Instagram followers have been gradually declining (only -100, but still, it’s devastating for morale) exasperating my feelings further, there’s nothing more disheartening and affirming that what I’m doing ‘isn’t quite working’ right now than losing followers. Whilst my issues are with my instagram rather than my blog, because actually i’m quite content with what I am doing over here and this is my space where there’s no algorithm or ‘popularity’ contests to be had, the reality is my instagram grapples are impacting my overall creativity, motivation and enthusiasm to produce and share. My creativity is being stifled by the sheer nature of what instagram has become and the formulaic nature of what content is ‘popular’ and instagram boosts – and ultimately what is required on instagram to achieve success today.

So in the wake of utter creative despair, and really losing my way with instagram i’ve decided to challenge myself to a few creativity sparking tasks. These 5 tasks are self designed to release the shackles I have, encourage me to shoot more often and not just when I’m on an organised shoot for outfit posts, and also to shoot a greater variety of content … regardless of whether it makes it onto the grid or not.

My goal is to clear my mind, bring back inspiration, and just have a little more fun playing around with my visuals – I think these 5 challenges will help with just that.

[one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last]

5 WAYS I AM TRYING TO TACKLE THE INSTAGRAM CREATIVITY RUT

–

CREATIVE SPACES

–

Sometimes your environment is as much as driver as it is a prohibitory of creativity. I’ve always wanted to fill my space with things I love, but actually I realise there’s more I can do to make sure my ‘space’ is fuelling my creativity, as much as my travels do. When I am away I am constantly inspired creatively, there’s so much to take in, to capture and of course far more time to play around with my camera. We’re going through a huge renovation shortly, so i’m mindful that things will change, but I want to task myself with shooting something inside my house each week, to explore more corners, more spaces, more ‘props’. And not just that, perhaps even the office, my commute to work or simply the places I visit but forget to stop and look at.

Starting with todays photos which I shot in just a few minutes when I got home this evening … task one complete.

–

DAILY IPHONE

–

I am shackled by my DSLR. I admit it.

I know it, but I struggle to do anything about it. I admire and love so many peoples photos on instagram which are clearly taken with a phone, but for some reason seem paralysed to use mine for the purpose of my ‘grid’. Fear of the image not looking good enough combined with a reality that I am not an iPhone photographer, I am a camera photographer. I don’t really know how to get the best out of my iPhone to truly capitalize all the moments I could – everyday life. I wrote a post about shooting with iPhones recently, and want to go back to some of that motivation and inspiration I had. I am going to challenge myself to shoot a daily photo on my iPhone, and as much as possible share this on my instagram feed.

I am at the point where I truly need to change things up, and I think this will help me. It’ll also encourage me to think more about composition, lighting, props etc when taking phone photos, as it’s easy to point and shoot and not think creatively like you would when using a camera, but ultimately it still needs the same care and energy to get a great shot.

–

CLEAR THE MIND

–

Part of re-finding your creativity comes in simply taking the pressure off. Creativity comes into it’s own when we feel our best, when we are relaxed, calm and when our brain has a little space to breathe and wonder off. Going for a walk, taking a bath, even sitting on the loo is often when our brain sparks, and there’s a reason for that. The more relaxed you are the more creative you’ll be.

I realise I need to create some space for that, and so whilst it won’t immediately generate content for my feed, I hope practicing a little more mindfulness will get me into a better space mentally, to be inspired to shoot, create and play around with my visual style. I recently picked up two mindfulness journals in Anthropologie as well as a cute notebook to work in, I often find myself buying note books and book when I am seeking a little more creative fulfilment or feel I want to sit and write whats on my mind and this was no different, so last week I embraced the urge and picked up these books as a little treat to myself. I’m already looking forward to using my journal to complete daily mindfulness tasks and capture creative ideas when they spark.

–

SHOOT FILM

–

I think the idea / challenge with the most potential is my film camera. It will immediately remove all the shackles of my ‘phone versus camera’ photography debate, because you simply cannot see the result until it’s developed. It’s a format that really inspires me and has it’s own unique visual style, a style I feel most drawn to right now. Finally, it’s a relatively easy piece of kit to carry around and I hope as such I might broaden the horizon of photos I take, be inspired to play about, test and learn, and try something new.

I’m going to carry my film camera around with me, and aim to shoot at least a couple of pictures everyday with it. Anything and everything goes.

–

SHOOT SOMETHING NEW

–

And the final point, and one I found worked for me today, is simply shooting something new. Shooting outfit pictures is difficult as I need a helping hand to capture my looks, it can often take quite a bit of time to get from conception to editorial and of course you you need ‘new things’ to wear to make it worthwhile when it comes to blogging and instagram. All of these things, on top of my time limitations, often means I can struggle to share lots of outfits on my instagram unless they’ve been shot already for my blog. But switching up the subject makes things so much easier, for me this means shooting things that aren’t me.

Actually I often find when I play around with a new subject, whether it’s trinkets like today, home decor & interior posts, shots from my travels, or simply random things in my daily life, that it actually sparks even more creativity and motivation to create. Taking the ‘need’ to shoot away, and instead just playing around and experimenting, often leads to greater work and a far more enjoyable creative process.

Even shooting these visuals this evening has made me feel more positive and actually quite excited to produce more.

[one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last][one_half padding=”0 5px 0 0px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 5px”][/one_half_last]

These shots, taken on the spur of the moment with no effort or real thought, represent the style of photos I want to create more of. So simply putting my own tips into practice this evening has already moved things forward and got me a little more excited to shoot more, more often and release the shackles a little.

I’d love to know your tips for getting out of a creative rut and how you stay inspired on instagram?

April 1, 2019