Getting Out of a Creative Slump + How I Gain Inspiration As a Blogger
It is October. (I hope that served as a good reminder for some of you.) And I have to admit something: I have been in a creative slump. Maybe this is a result of the comparison trap or thinking that anything that I write or create isn’t good enough (heyo, imposter syndrome!), or maybe something else. And only recently that I recognized that I was in a creative slump. Before I just shrugged it off as PMS, anxiety, and a lil bit of quarantine madness (diagnosis from staring at my still-blank walls). I was not creating anything. Every time I sat down in front of a screen, I would not write. Nothing would come out, and I started to question myself calling me a “writer” or a “blogger” or a “content creator.” I mean, I only have 6 total posts on Instagram, so who’s to call me an influencer? A blogger?
But after a little soul searching and a lot of journaling and prayer, I self-diagnosed myself as being in a creative slump. I did a quick search for an official definition of a creative slump, and found a working definition from a Medium article: “A creative slump is nothing more than a recession. Your mind temporarily pulls back to regroup from the excesses of creative prosperity.”
And take that in whichever way you want! But I think a creative slump is essential for any writer, content creator, blogger—really anyone in a creative field.
In my own creative slump, ironically, I took to journaling. Filling up two whole journals (!!!) this past year, I most recently looked back over my journal entries—cringing only at the slightest—and I want to share a journal entry from Sept 27 and Sept 28, 2020
9/27: Sometimes it’s hard to trust God, because well, sometimes I’m afraid that He’s not listening. Sometimes I wonder if I even know Him.
But I want to believe He’s there. He’s the God of peace, the God of love. Sometimes He’s not going to yell in my ear with a giant megaphone and answer me in clear-cut, simple answers…sometimes it’ll be a soft whisper. He’s answered so many other people, yet it feels like He won’t answer me.
9/28: God calls the sons of Aaron and the Levites to the priesthood (in Numbers 3). He calls ordinary people to ministry. But He calls these people priests. In 1 Peter (1 Peter 2:5), Peter calls Christians a “holy priesthood.” (Side note: actually, not ironically, because that’s God working, this was the exact sermon message the pastor was speaking on.) We, as Christians, are invited into the holy priesthood and called to go and make disciples in Matthew 18—in any way possible, made possible by our spiritual gifts. So if we’re called to serve God, then following my call to write isn’t as dumb as I thought. Maybe I should spend a little more time learning about and loving God for who He is, because He’s the one worthy of praise. Even in Numbers, He helps His chosen people to the promised land, and along the way, He gives them specific instructions to follow and trust Him, some practical (like carrying the tabernacle and the arks and other heavy things), but also when to camp when He camps/rests, when to set out when He sets out. The Israelites were following after a cloud, because it was from the Lord Himself. But when I can’t “see” or “feel” God, I struggle with following Him.
Lord, help me to blindly follow you by faith and not by sight. That is the true testament to one’s faith—following You in the unknown.
And as I read through my old journal entries, I noticed a common theme: I was really trying hard to listen to God and force Him to talk to me. I was trying to press hard into my faith and become something. And I realize, I was forcing that into my creative slump: I was forcing content that my heart did not want to write. I went back and forth on writing and publishing posts. I was questioning everything, including what I was hearing from God.
Like I said, it took a lot of journaling and prayer to get me out of this creative slump. Truth be told, I’m still climbing out of this slump that I’m in. But I’m learning to trust God with the reins and allow Him to provide for me the way He designed to. I’m reading this book “Follow Me” by David Platt (a must-read) and one of the common themes in the early pages is that God meets us where we’re at—not the other way around. We’re not supposed to meet Him or pursue Him. That’s what I’ve been doing and that’s what I thought being a Christian was: pursuing Jesus. But no, He pursues us and in return, we hand over our lives to Him and then that’s when we start to see His plan unraveling in our lives.
So, how did this get me out of a creative slump? Again, prayer. I’m learning—and continuing to learn—that prayer is a powerful tool. I realize that my being in a creative slump was coming from forcing myself to be the best version I could be who was this ambitious go-getter who could write on almost anything. “I can do that,” or “I can do this” were common phrases, but in reality, when I sat down to write, nothing came out. It was not something God had intended for me to do—and with a lot of prayer, I’m slowly starting to learn to hand the reins over to God, lay at the feet of the cross.
So, my advice if you are in a creative slump: take it back to your roots. As Christians, go back to the Word. What I’ve said before and what I’ll keep saying: the Word is a living, abiding, life-giving word and it will breathe life back into your lil creative slump. I’m not saying that reading one passage will inspire you to write the next Bob Goff novel—in fact, it won’t and you shouldn’t read God’s Word like that. Sit down, set aside any dreams or expectations that you have for yourself, and just read His Word. Go in with a commentary or reading plan (I found a Book of Numbers Bible reading plan on the Bible app—highly recommend). And journal. Use the SOAP method (it actually works) and pour out your feelings to God. Lay your burdens at the feet of the cross because He is meeting you where you’re at. Stop forcing things and just take a deep breath. God is right there, reaching out for you.
Content Ideas For Writers and Bloggers In A Creative Slump:
Write about what you know. Take some time to go on a walk outside, observe the people walking by, make up stories in your head about them.
Pinterest! There are loads of ideas on Pinterest; it’s not just social media, it’s a search engine!
For lifestyle bloggers, I recommend days in the life, what I ate/spent in a week, and a round-up of favorites you’ve been loving.
For beauty bloggers, please do a round-up or glossary of everything I should know about skincare. All I know is to wash my face and what the most inexpensive yet quality product I see at Target is.
For style bloggers: how to build a capsule wardrobe, thrifting challenges, and where to get the best loungewear.