Commanding Creativity: Can we control Inspiration?

In this episode, Pratyush dives deep into the challenges of staying inspired, maintaining motivation, and sustaining creative energy in everyday life. Whether you’re a designer, entrepreneur, or creative professional, we explore five practical strategies to overcome creative slumps and build habits that foster consistency and productivity.

Discover how to create effective creative rituals, embrace personal growth, and reframe challenges as opportunities. Learn why seeking new experiences, surrounding yourself with other creatives, and celebrating small wins can keep your momentum alive. Packed with insights on overcoming burnout, managing discipline, and leveraging design thinking, this episode offers actionable tips to inspire you to keep pushing forward in your creative process.

If you’ve ever struggled to stay consistent with your projects, this episode will help you cultivate a mindset for long-term success. Tune in for strategies to harness motivation, develop sustainable habits, and unlock your full potential.


Timetamps:

00:00 Intro
02:20 Podcast overview
02:38 Creative slumps
03:30 Tip #1
06:10 Tip #2
08:34 Tip #3
11:08 Tip #4
12:55 Tip #5
13:52 Summary

About Pk:
Pratyush has been a designer for almost 6 years. He started YouTube to share his knowledge and establish a connection between design and business. He believes that knowledge grows by sharing and he wants to do just that. He wants to help fellow freelancers and content creators make a profitable career.

Connect with Pk: LinkedIn | X | YouTube

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Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 2:20 Podcast overview
• 2:38 Creative slumps
• 3:30 Tip #1
• 6:10 Tip #2
• 8:34 Tip #3
• 11:08 Tip #4
• 12:55 Tip #5
• 13:52 Summary

Transcript

Hello, everyone. I'm Pratyush, and you're listening to the underdog protagonist. This podcast is for those who want to take ownership of their lives. I believe every one of you is struggling with staying consistent and motivated all the time. So speaking from the recent events, I have been struggling to stay inspired or motivated and get that courage to stay consistent in all the work that I have been doing.

And as you know, I have not been consistent in any of the platforms. If you are following or, seeing the podcast episodes, YouTube videos, Instagram posts, and whatnot, I'm not consistent at all in any of those platforms. And partly because of my discipline and secondly, the reason I'm not driven enough for each and everything consistently. That's a problem that I have to face, but everything begins with one thing, staying inspired. If you want to achieve something, if you want to be at something, you have to do that for the long run and you have to think everything in passive state so that everything that you're doing right now will give some sort of value, some sort of return in the long run and that is what I want to feed myself in the brain, but I'm not able to.

Even though I know deep within that, you need to keep at it, you need to stick to something before you can expect something. Just have that, you know, lazy mind or lazy human tendency that I have, and I'm not able to stick to something for a long run. I do something, drop it after 5, 7 days, then again, motivation strikes 10, 12 days later, and I'm again back at it. But that gap is what I should not have, and I know that very clearly. For some reason, I just go back to my old ways.

I've felt that making content and being accountable with myself, I'll try to improve, I'll try to work harder and solve all these bad habits that I have and then try to be more serious with what I'm doing. But, yeah, this is a very powerful but elusive force, which I want to discuss today, is staying inspired. So if you're in any creative field, whether designing, building a business, or just even looking for fresh ideas in your work, You know how incredible it feels to be inspired, but what happens when that spark is in there? Just like me. How do you keep moving forward, keep creating, and keep pushing the limits of what possible even when inspiration seems out of reach.

So I have devised 5 strategies to not only find inspiration when you need, but to build a sustainable approach to staying inspired and keep at it in everyday life. We'll be covering practical routines, new experiences, community connections, and more. So let's get into it. Now the one thing that needs to be addressed, the elephant in the room, is creative slums. If If you're someone who relies on creativity to do the best work, then you've probably experienced those moments where ideas just don't flow, and motivation feels like a disappeared entity.

It's completely normal, but here's the thing. If you wait around for inspiration to magically show up, you're going to have a hard time maintaining the momentum that creative work demands. I've been in those clumps myself, sometimes for days, sometimes even for weeks, and sometimes for months, which is why I've not been able to post as consistently. And what I've learned is that inspiration doesn't have to be something that happens to us. We can cultivate inspiration in our own minds.

We can invite it in and we can build habits that make it easier to access. That's what I want to double down on, creating a lifestyle that nurtures inspiration instead of waiting for it to come along. So here's tip number 1, create create a creative ritual. This is something that might sound small, but it can make a huge difference in setting the stage for inspire work. Think of it in this way, rituals are like signals to our brain that tell us, hey, it's time to create.

It's hard to bring yourself to create when there's nothing in your mind. That's why it's our double edged sword. It kind of helps you in both ways, like, even if you're not inspired, it will push you to be inspired. When you're not feeling creative just because you have a ritual going on, you have to try to be creative. So what could be a creative ritual look like?

For some people, it might be a cup of coffee or tea and sitting down with a notebook. For others, it might be setting up a workspace, putting on a specific playlist, or even starting with a few minutes of journaling to clear the mind. The goal isn't to create a lengthy routine, but rather a consistent way to cue your brain that it's time to get into the creative zone. Personally, I like by organizing my space, putting everything on a specific set of background music that I only use for creative work, which is like lofi music. I believe everyone is using that as of right now.

This calms your brain. It gets your flow of going, and you can find playlist which is like 1, 2 hours, 3 hours long and just hook yourself into it. And once I have my space ready, I have everything neat and tidy on my table, I have my things on the sides, I have my computer on, I have my notepad on, and I switch on the project which I want to take up. And it doesn't take long before my mind starts shifting gears and get ready to dive into whatever project I have lined up. Certainly, it's not a few minutes.

Sometimes it's also takes more than that, but I've realized that once I get started with the work, I go on with the flow as opposed to if I'm thinking more and more that whether I should start it or not or I'm just on the hooks. It's mostly not likely to happen and I'll just procrastinate more and more and not let the work get started. And the trick here is consistency. If you set up this ritual regularly, you'll notice that your brain will automatically start to associate with the creativity which makes it easier to get into that stage even when you're not feeling particularly inspired. Maybe this looks different for you.

Maybe you are an early bird who loves to work in the morning light or maybe you are a night owl who feels the most energized after everyone has gone to sleep like me. Whatever your ideal creative space and time, build a ritual around it over time, and it becomes a comforting and reliable way to tap into inspiration. Every time I'm about to start with my work, I get a cup of coffee or tea and sit on my table, on my chair, and then start it. So it's like a creative ritual for me. I can't get myself to work if I don't have something on my hands, like any any beverage, any liquid.

Kind of backfired me because I have been doing that a lot lately. Caffeine should be moderated, but, yeah, do what works for you. Moving on, tip number 2, seek out new experiences. This is one of my favorite tips because it's so versatile and it taps into the idea that inspiration is often a product of new input. Our brains thrive on variety.

So when we experience something different, we're giving ourselves fresh material look to work with. Now this doesn't mean that you have to go bungee jumping or travel to another side of the world. Although, if that's accessible to you, just I personally would love to do that. I want to travel. I want to work anywhere in the world.

It's like a dream come true. And you have all these celebrities, con content creators, with that image that, hey. I'm living my life. I'm doing my business on the sites or maybe a primary business, but I'm able to travel on the sites and still work on my business, and the workflow is not hampered. That is the life everyone wants to live, but it's certainly not easy.

But if that's accessible to you, go for it. It just boosts creativity to a whole another level. But often what happens that small changes really start to make a difference. You could try reading a genre you don't usually read, listening to music outside your comfort zone, outside of something you usually listen to, or taking a different route when you go out. I remember times when I have gone out in weekends and spent the whole day outside or done something that is not particularly working.

I've seen my perspective shift a lot, and I have looked the world, looked my work, on the creative side a bit differently than I have usually looked. You have heard this tip everywhere going around, take a break, take a break. Now break does not mean that stop your work and sit idle. Break means that take your mind out of the work, focus on something else which will give you relaxation, and then try to get back to work once you are at ease. I've been itching to try this curiosity hour, like once a week I'll block off an hour to dive into something random that catches my interest.

Whether it's reading a new book, watching a documentary, re watching a movie, or or doing a design stretch, It doesn't have to be directly related to my work because inspiration doesn't always come in direct ways. Sometimes the best ideas emerge when you're exploring something that seems totally unrelated to your main project. So give yourself permission to try something new every week. Think of it like an investment in your creative energy. Tip number 3, surround yourself with other creatives.

We have heard this over and over that you become what your circle is. You become that person, the person with whom you spend the most time with. And, subconsciously, you pick up few habits of them, which you might like at the moment. Maybe just to look cool or you feel like the discipline is something that is worth following, and you just try to implement that in your daily lives. And if you have been a part of a creative community, you know how powerful this can be.

I have been with the future creative community for, like, month or 2, and it was a game changing moment for me. I met with hundreds of people in the community who are equally driven and are working on their creative side and their creative side hustles. And every time I went on with a Google Meet, a Zoom call, a live air meet, whatever, when I whenever I connected with them, I just felt like I'm talking to myself. The energy that drives me is something that is driving them as well. Just feels a push of motivation every time I jumped on those calls.

And there is something very magical about being around people who are also excited, passionate, and are working on their own projects. Even if you are an introvert, you don't need constant interaction. Sometimes just listening to other people's process can spark an idea and also motivation. So in the starting days, I was not able to speak a lot. I I don't know.

I consider myself an introvert. I don't know what people perceive of me, but I was not able to talk to any of those people for, like, a good week or 2. And people were so supportive that they themselves came to me, started a conversation, and that just went down with the flow. So in person events can be fantastic whether it's a local meetup, a workshop, or even just a coffee with a creative friend. Even if you don't have a creative community, these are the ways which you can incorporate in your life so that you get that creative energy from other people.

And don't underestimate the power of online communities. I've been there myself and even though you feel like it's a virtual space and you're not meeting someone face to face, not the real deal. But the exchange of feedback and the support that you'll get is just the same. I also get inspired by following creators on social media who share insights into their work or just talk about the creative challenges, which they're facing. It's a reminder that we are all in this together.

And when we surround ourselves with other creators, we're plugging into a network of ideas, perspectives, and encouragement. It's like adding fuel to your creative fire, and it can really help you stay inspired even if you're working on something solo. Tip number 4, embrace small wins and celebrate progress. This one might seem obvious, but it's incredibly important, especially for those of us who tend to focus on the end goal. Here's the truth.

I've been the one who has been dying on the end goal but not willing to put the effort, which is why consistency is something that I struggle with. Once I not get the result within, like, 3 or 4 days or 5 to 10 content pieces, I'm like, nah. This is not working. It's just like a bad mindset to follow because everyone who has gone big has more must have done it a 100 times before they have gone big. It's just the practice and doing that consistently, doing that all over and over that makes them find the trick or that way that just works.

You know? But you won't know what works for you unless you have done that multiple times. Those guys have discovered that for their own personal brand, and you have to do that for yourself so that you find, like, what is working for you, which is what I have to do for myself as well. But creative work often involves long complex processes and sometimes it's hard to see the progress day by day. That is why celebrating small wins can help you keep motivated.

Sometimes I sit alone and hit a pause and look at the small steps that I have taken and small wins that I have got. Even if they seem insignificant at the moment, when I look back 3, 4 months, 9 months before and I compare myself to what I have achieved or what I have improved now, the difference is quite hefty and it's very substantial. And by acknowledging these moments, I am reminding myself that I'm moving forward, that each step, no matter how small they are, I'm doing some progress. And over time, it becomes a really positive way to look forward and see how far I have come. The process itself is what makes the creative work meaningful, so take a moment to honor it.

Tip number 5, reframe your challenges as opportunities. Now this one is about mindset. Every time I try to do something challenging or something new in my career, I am faced with obstacles, numerous obstacles and challenges. It just pulls me down over and over again and slams me on the ground. This drains my creative energy, bugs me with this question that why me all over again.

Just recently, I wanted to get back on social media and voila, bad health. I wanted to do consistent posting and then no ideas in my brain. I wanted to engage with the community. What happened? I lost followers.

No comments. Only friends are reacting. There's no new engagements. So every time I try to do something, there's something heartbreaking that follows, but I've learned this in a hard way that it is all about that mindset. That shift is what I need.

And the challenges and setbacks are always inevitable, but I don't have to drain my inspiration just because of that. So here you have it. Five ways to build a routine into your daily habit. And remember that inspiration isn't something that we have to wait for all the time. We can invite it, cultivate it, and nurture it every day that it sticks for long.

So to give you a recap, create a creative ritual, seek out new experiences, surround yourself with creatives, embrace small wins, and reframe challenges as opportunities that shift our mindset we talked about. And I love to know what you think about all these tips. Feel free to drop what you like or what you follow to spark that creative energy within you to stay motivated for long and and just shine that energy every day. If you have any questions, reach out to me on social media. Links are given in the show notes on the description.

I hope you enjoyed and learned something from this podcast episode. You are listening to the underdog protagonist, and I'll catch you in the next one. Until then, take care.