003 Overcoming Creative Blocks and Finding Your Flow

Discover techniques to overcome creative blocks and cultivate a flow state in your artistic journey. The episode emphasizes actionable strategies for enhancing creativity and the importance of celebrating small wins to maintain momentum.

• Addressing creative blocks and their sources 
• Recognizing emotional and motivational barriers 
• Strategies for overcoming blocks with small tasks 
• Three key techniques for finding flow: sprints, minimizing distractions, and using music 
• The no-editing rule for first drafts and trusting the process 
• Emphasizing the joy and purpose in creative work

Transcript

Richmond 0:05

Hi , you're listening to Pockets , a podcast about finding joy , meaning and purpose in life's simplest moments . I'm Richmond Camero . Let's dive into today's journey .

Richmond 0:25

There's this quote that I've read before and it goes like you can't wait for inspiration , you have to go after it with a club . It's a funny image if you picture it in your head , and it shows how much effort we need as artists to have that inspiration . It's always fleeting that we have to have this strength and bravery to run after it right . Today I'm going to talk about finding flow in the creative work and how that can be captured in a pocket .

Richmond 0:55

I'm a writer , but the principles that I'll talk about also applies to other creative disciplines . Of course , you can't discuss the flow state without touching the artist's block , and I'll touch on it for just a bit . The creative block may come in different forms . It might be a lack of motivation or energy , the tired and lazy feeling when I'm staring at the blank page . It can come in the form of fear that what I'm putting out is not worth it and I am not good enough . Sometimes it's feeling stuck and not knowing what to do next . I have not mastered conquering the writer's block , but I do have several tools on how to deal with it . I think we would need to address the creative block first before we can get into the flow state . If we fight the block without understanding where it stems from , it will be difficult to get into a creative flow .

Richmond 1:51

So it starts with understanding , stepping away from the body of work we're creating and thinking about what blocks us from continuing . Is there something that we don't know ? Is there some technique that we need to learn For writing stories, I often stumble when it's not clear for me what would happen next , or if there's something about the world that I'm not sure about . Like what would the town that I create look like ? So usually in these cases I step away , I do some sketches and just think about the problem that I'm encountering . So yeah , it's stepping away from the actual work . Stepping away from the actual writing , and asking several questions will help me understand what I'm missing . The other cause of creative block is the motivation or the mood . It's a common feeling . We sit in front of our desk , we stare at the screen , then we get distracted with other shiny things . Deep inside we want to create something , but at that point we want to do anything else that doesn't involve our art .

Richmond 2:59

There are two ways that I address this . The first one is I ask myself what's the minimum amount that I'm capable of doing . It might be just writing a single sentence , or even just a few words . It might be spending five minutes , or it might be planning on what I can do next when I'm in a better mindset , but it's something I have to do something , no matter how small it is . It's a tiny progress that I would consider as a win . Second option that I do is to actually step away from it and not do anything . There will be days like this , really , and I really have to listen to my body and my mind if it requires rest , but I try not to overdo this and treat this as a last resort . So now that I have an idea of what my block is and have potentially addressed that , I can now go to building my flow .

Richmond 3:56

I have three techniques to enable me to work in a flow state . First is sprints . I like to work in sprints . Even if I intended to write for a one-hour session , for example , I like to break them into smaller chunks . Pomodoro is a famous technique for this . It's a 25-minute focused work then 5-minute break . For me , what works is shorter sprints . I like a 15-minute sprint followed by a 2-minute break . Why it works for me is because tackling a 1-hour work is daunting . 1 hour feels like a big commitment , whereas 15 minutes is less than your typical comedy TV show right ? It's doable and it offers less resistance than committing to a 1-hour work .

Richmond 4:46

My second tool for flow is no distractions and disturbance . When I commit to a sprint , I try my best not to be distracted , whether physical or digital distractions . It's the same principle for multitasking , really , that when I allow my attention to be divided into other things , getting back on track will be much more difficult . Digital distractions are much more harder to avoid . To help me set boundaries , I use apps like Freedom to block access to social media across different devices . The third one I use to achieve flow is music . This also helps in minimizing the physical distractions around me , because my focus tends to break when I hear something out of the blue . I have a playlist for writing . It consists of instrumental songs , mostly with an adventure or RPG kind of vibe . I find the soundtracks for games or movies are helpful to me , but there was a time before when I can write to music with lyrics , but I can't do that now , so I mostly stick with the instrumental ones .

Richmond 5:50

These are my three main tools for achieving flow . There's a bonus fourth technique , actually , but this might be most applicable to writing , and it's no editing . Writing the first draft of a story or an An article means putting my thoughts out , so the first draft is not for well . , My my goal is to put my thoughts on the screen . The first draft is for myself , not for my audience objects . When I stop to edit and think the flow of writing is disrupted , it takes a bit of practice to silence the inner critic , and it also means trusting my system too , that I can improve and edit in the succeeding revisions .

Richmond 6:30

As a writer and as a creative , I want to leave my body of work as a legacy . I also want to enjoy the process and continually create . Flow helps me do it . Yes , there's discipline involved and consistency too , but discipline means showing up for yourself . May you find flow in whatever you do and may it help you build the work you want to do .

Richmond 6:58

You've been with Pockets . Thank you so much for sharing this space with me . Now go , embrace the moments , build your pockets of meaning and keep curiosity as your guide .