I find it terribly boring when people write about the same thing over and over. Often, they’re not even aware that they’re regurgitating their sameness. I also dislike being hypocritical, yet here I am, about to admit that I am at fault for both of these things. My excuse for this is the pandemic. That’s one good thing about this global catastrophe — it gives us an excuse to suck at pretty much everything. It also has limited the scope of what I experience since I’ve basically been on house arrest with my husband, two kids, and our dog for a year. Naturally, what I write about and create is going to be limited. But again, this is an excuse — there are plenty of people whose creativity is thriving.

I’ve moaned about never having time alone, never getting dedicated time to work on something without distraction in (what feels like) every story I’ve written this past year, and that is because it bothers me. For more than 10 years, I’ve been in a constant state of creating; my identity as a creative director is wrapped up in (shocker!) being creative. Now I feel like a robot caregiver whose brain is usually in 10 places at once. My way of coping with this is surrendering to this strange situation and focusing on what I can do each day. It doesn’t always make me feel better, but it often helps. Let me share some other ways I’m coping.

Surrender

When you say “surrender,” it sounds depressing, but it can be empowering. Sure, saying “surrender” means it’s something I’m not super happy to release myself to, but permitting myself to cope and stop resisting feels good. It takes the pressure off. Now, I’m not addressing many factors (like those of you who work in creative 9-to-5 jobs or someone who doesn’t have the privilege to surrender to a challenging situation) — even I’m not really in a position to stop working altogether. This pandemic has put my family and my business under huge financial strain. Still, with childcare being costly and not the safest for my family, I’ve become my children’s full-time caregiver, juggling their school and daily life all from our home. It’s not ideal, but I’ve decided it was the best we could do with our situation, and I’ve just had to surrender to it.

Focus On What You Can Do

This is a big one for me. When I’m overwhelmed and not performing at my highest level, it’s easy for me to fall into despair and want to give up on everything. What has helped relieve the pressure I put on myself is to focus on little things I can do. I flip my narrative to my positives. Like that, I’m in a creative incubation period. I’m taking this time to learn and absorb new ideas hoping that when I do have more free time again, I can make things that are fresh and new to me. I also like to write out three goals for the day. If I get those three goals done, that’s enough — no dwelling on all the things I missed.

Creative Field Trips (aka Daily Walks)

Seeing friends, going to museums, traveling — these are experiences that give me creative bursts. Since I cannot do these things right now, I’ve had to find new ways to get my creativity flowing. For me, the easiest thing is a daily walk. It’s so simple but never ceases to surprise me how inspired I feel just by walking in nature. Sometimes I go without my phone — giving myself time and space to think uninterrupted. I often bring my phone and take silly videos and pictures of light, flowers, water, birds, people — anything that sparks my interest. I’m not creating great works of art, but these little moments delight me, and I feel more creative for the rest of the day. Walks are a non-negotiable now.