Your Creative Fuel

Do you have a creative pick-me-up? Some call it a “guilty pleasure.”  It’s a specific activity that makes you feel so good, that it charges you up to create.

We already know some activities, despite giving you a dopamine hit at first, may be an overall distraction to your creative process.  For me, I discovered with a heavy heart that it is the Emmy-award-winning daytime soap opera THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. I was raised in the 80’s by John Abbot’s kindness and Katherine Chancellor’s perseverance. I used to love watching the crude storylines and yelling at my TV. However, I learned the time invested in watching the show deterred me from working on other creative endeavours. I would spend more than the five hours I would need to invest each week in the show and regret not spending this time WRITING instead. I used to hold onto this regret, which fed off my happy vibes.

After a time reassessment, I rarely watch the show (maybe once a month or less often - thank you, spoiler websites!). When I do watch, I use the time as lessons in character development and inconsistencies in writing. Y&R is a learning tool to hone my craft rather than a device to distract me from it.

On a side: Dear Y&R producers, for the love of Victor Newman, could somebody change Phyllis Summers’ character arc? And can we find a new love interest for Nick Newman who is not Sharon or an ex-girlfriend to his brother and arch-nemesis Adam? I am open and willing to write for you if you’re hiring!

Let me take a break from Y&R for a moment to discuss a different guilty pleasure - KARAOKE.

I discovered Karaoke during my university years. Once a week, we would make our way to the FUEL STATION to support our singing tribe (and fuel up on well-deserved refreshing beverages after a hard day of using our brains during classes - Mondays were HARD!). 

I rarely sang when I first attended. I was too thirsty. And I loved the feeling I would receive from hearing my friends and others sing. Eventually, I found the courage and my first fallback song where I could hit the notes (Madonna’s “Beautiful Stranger”). Each time I sang, it gave me the confidence to request the mic the following week and join the leagues of “regulars” strutting on the stage. The FUEL before singing also helped!

As I aged, I discovered a new love for karaoke and began to sing with less liquid FUEL. I enjoyed belting out my fallback song and hearing new voices perform. I admired those confronting fears of stage fright to bring a higher vibration to their being - music.

I rediscovered a new love for karaoke this year. I broke out of my comfort zone, willing to try out new songs and different karaoke bars. I still get butterflies in my stomach before I sing. They don’t last long. And regular karaoke peeps are supportive, no matter how gosh-awful I may be.

I am not ashamed to admit I get a high from karaoke music. I do not consider myself a good singer.  I am not singing for a recording contract.  I sing to expel any worries or sorrows out of my gut. I listen to others to root them on, which also fuels me.

Interestingly, writing comes easier after karaoke. I may not write during a karaoke session, but it usually raises my vibration for writing the following day.  

It’s interesting how Y&R can be draining, and KARAOKE moves me to write.

Writing and journaling daily, especially in the mornings, lifts my vibration for the day. Yet there are days upon waking when I am low on energy. I have the ideas, the outlines, and the drafts. Even if my gut is motivated to tackle the blank page, my body and mind don’t always cooperate. The vibration or spark is misaligned. What to do?

Creating takes inertia, and we (creatives) must take good care of ourselves. I have written in the past about how I cultivate ideas and how I handle creative bumps when no ideas appear.  These shares were from the assumption I was already within a higher vibration of creative flow. 

What if you have the idea? You know how to execute the idea and move around the bumps along the path. You have a vision of how the end item will turn out. Yet you can’t start. You are DRAINED. You feel depleted physically and mentally.  You are more tired than afraid, worried, or depressed. How do you motivate yourself to start working on the plan? 

I’ve learned the mind, body, and gut must be in sync for a creative flow. This means ensuring we continuously monitor the vibrational energy within us. It is difficult to create when we are running on a low charge.

Fear and doubt lower our vibration and deplete our energy. Being in a constant state of stress can lower one’s vibration. Taking part in certain activities can place you in an orbital state of worry or sorrow. And being active in our creative process depletes our energy over time.  How do we raise our vibration to continue building beautiful things?

The first thing we can do is pause and take a deep breath. Recognize and acknowledge the energy in the present state. Is it stable, high, or low? Are we truly in a lower vibration, or is it something else?

The next step is to assess the types of fuel available to us. Activities will either lift us or pull us down.  Music is a great example.  Part of my love for karaoke is hearing different renditions of songs I love. There are days I need to listen to music for quite some time before I am motivated to write. Recently, I learned that singing can be a form of meditation. It brings you to a present state and raises your vibration. Singing in the shower becomes less weird if you claim it's “meditative.” 

I am not encouraging everyone to run to the next karaoke night in your neighbourhood (but if you do, call me!). Music is a high-energy fuel anyone can enjoy in different ways. It comes in various formats for the boost you need.  Not a Madonna fan? No problem - I am now taking requests!

Physical activity is an excellent way to garner fuel. With music comes dancing, and I love it when a good tune gets me to shake my body to the ground in a good way. I love to dance, stretch, or exercise before writing. And I am rediscovering a love for walking before and after a writing session. When moving, I decrease stress, shake off any stagnant energy in my body, and increase energy. This leads to a greater creative flow.

A favourite ritual in the day may provide the boost needed for creativity. Many love coffee or tea first thing in the morning, believing the liquid gold provides them with fuel. For others, it’s the ritual of making coffee that sparks joy. Personally, I enjoy the ritual of my husband grinding the beans, letting the boiled water settle before pouring over the freshly ground beans, and handing me a cup of java in one of his handmade vessels. He receives fuel from the ritual, and I receive his energy from the ritual.

Other ways people replenish themselves (outside of food and sleep):

• Laughing (one of the reasons why I continue to gravitate back to Y&R!)

• Journaling or freewriting

• Reading - finding motivating words in books. 

• Being in nature - garden, hug a tree, or walk barefoot in the grass.

• Positive affirmations - say something nice to yourself and repeat it for at least a week.  Your vibrational energy will shift around this positivity.

• I mentioned DANCING already. It deserves a second mention. I love doing silly dances for the family. I am on a high after nearly dislocating a hip!

• Surround yourself with people who LOVE and appreciate you (or at least LIKE you!).

It’s easy to become depleted when creating. It is common to be drained before you even begin (thanks to “adulting”). A creative idea itself may not be the drive that moves you into the creative process.  There are days when you need a frequency boost, a pick-me-up.

Numerous activities can either raise or lower your creative vibration. Reassess what raises your vibration and what brings you to a fizzling state, then gravitate to those activities that provide the best creative fuel. 

If only Y&R had a karaoke section of the show… now that would be rocket fuel to my creative spirit (call me, Y&R Producers).

Enjoy fueling up, fellow creatives.

Nadine