There may come a time in every Creative’s life when that spark of artistic talent slows down; when the creative flow wanes; when there’s nothing being produced except, well, nothingness. Becoming consumed and bogged-down with life, and monotony, and routine (yawn) sometimes voids a Creative of all inspiration – there’s no stimulus to give you inspiration – there’s just…nothing.
In my area of expertise, we call this ‘Writer’s Block’, and I experience it frequently; way too frequently. Self-diagnosing myself with mild ADHD (yes, I’m dramatic as well as wordy) means I tend to fidget and flit from one task to the next, like a moth flitting towards the flame; the flame being in this case, inspirational ideas and creative notions. But when there’s no flame to navigate towards, how do we Creatives combat a block in our talents?
I came across this problem while living just outside of Brisbane last year. I’d taken a job as an Au Pair in a little town called Ormiston. Now, anyone who has been to Ormiston will know that there’s not much going on there. And so, as any ‘adult-child’ with a (self-diagnosed) mild hyperactivity disorder knows; boredom comes very easily, as does the lack of stimulation. Once all the Au-pairing tasks had been completed I found myself exhausted and void of all new and fresh inspiration – I required change.
In order to drag myself out of this creative rut, I made the best move I could’ve possibly made – I headed for the ocean; Byron Bay to be precise. Turns out that being on the coast, soaking in the sea air, basking in the glorious sunshine, relaxing on the beach, learning to surf (badly) and finding my own little paradisal mecca did wonders for the creative soul.
In Byron, you can immerse yourself in whatever you want, feel or desire. If you require solitude, you can have it (the beaches are plenty big enough); if you want to make new friends, you can do it (the hostels are accommodating, social and friendly; I personally recommend Backpackers by The Beach); if you want to party you can partaaaay into the wee small hours (Great Northern, Cocomangas, Cheeky Monkeys); and if you want to eat, boy can you eat – from BBQs to fish, kebabs to salads, local cuisine to sweet things – Byron has it all. It also offers a smorgasbord of vintage, retro, arty, kitsch and interestingly boho boutiques and shops, making it an artistic idyll for any wandering Creative.
Byron is the kind of place you could get lost in. The kind of place you could plan to visit for a few days and end up staying for the rest of your life. The vibe is chilled, the attitude towards work is laidback and the work-life balance seems to have been perfected right here on the border where Queensland meets NSW.
From Main Beach in the north of the town right round to Wategos and Little Wategos; from the lighthouse at the most easterly point of mainland Australia round to the picturesque Tallow Beach which stretches for 6km and where the surf turns aggressive, Byron feels like a holiday resort, a surfing hotspot and a tourist hub; but there is a strange serenity in a lot of these busy places, a serenity that could easily be likened to the peacefulness of a home.
By getting away and spending a few days in Byron, I felt my creativity bounce back to life. The solitude of solo afternoon walks, the new experiences (surfing and skydiving) and the encounters with some absolutely cracking people helped to ignite that fire that I feared was burning dangerously low.
Not every Creative loses their mojo. And out of those who do, not every one of those creatives will rediscover it in a backpacker resort in one of the world’s most famous beach towns. Some may find the inspiration to draw again by walking through the graffiti-lined streets of an urban city; some may find inspiration for their next song by sitting in a coffee shop, people watching; some may find ideas for new sculptures and designs while taking the commute to work on a packed subway or smelly bus; others may discover that the photographs they took while feeding the ducks in the local park were the kick in arse they needed to get back behind the lens.
There’s so many ways that our surroundings can inspire us and there’s inspiration for creativity everywhere you look, you just have to believe it. If you do see your creativity dwindling, stop for a moment, take a look around, take yourself off somewhere but ultimately, find what works for you and continue to express yourself!
Chasing Amy-Lou 