What to Do When Your Creativity Has Fled the Scene

So you started your day with all the enthusiasm you could muster - after coffee and a pastry with chocolate in it, because that's okay at breakfast, isn't it? I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that it's best to have chocolate in the morning when your taste buds are all fresh... Sorry, I digress.

You have your bright, shiny to-do list that says: Today I will build the template designs I need!

And you open your computer and see an email, so you answer that. Then you look at social media for a bit - aww, cute dog dancing! And you... wait, I'm supposed to be concentrating!

So you go into Canva and think, "Right, let me look at some designs for inspiration."

And you scroll.

And scroll.

And scroll.

And ooh! Squirrel in the garden! And birds! And wait... no, I got distracted again.

Concentrate...

Wait, haven't I seen this design before? I like that one. And that one. And that one too.

Then comes the heavy sigh, because your creativity has strolled off to look at something else.

Here's the thing: there's nothing wrong with you. I know you wanted to focus and you really tried, but maybe you just weren't feeling it. Creativity isn't something you can force.

But creating templates - having a set you can refer to and use - will save you so much time and overwhelm. If you have a go-to set you can just use over and over, it will make life so much easier.

I get it. The scroll is overwhelming. There are so many options to choose from. So try this:

Set a timer for 10 minutes. Grab a piece of paper (no drawing skill required). When you see a design you like, just draw the shapes of that design on your paper. It might be where a circle is, or a line in a certain place. Make some notes too, but keep it simple. Don't think about the photos or colors - just look at the designs themselves.

After 10 minutes, go and do something else totally unrelated.

Now, when you come back, look at what you drew. Okay, it's just lines - but I suspect you'll have started to see a pattern. A pattern of the style you like.

If you're still not sure, do it again. Ten minutes, sketch some designs, then walk away.

Now you can start turning these into templates. Add your colors and fonts. Add some stock photos too. I know people say don't do this, but if you don't have any images, it's okay. I hate it when people say this and make others feel bad for using available resources. You're new, the resource is there - use it. When you have photos of yourself that you're happy with, swap them out. But for now, if you want to use stock images, go for it. This is your permission slip.

Now you have the creativity you needed to create the templates you actually need, and you can tick that off your to-do list.

But if you don't feel like you can do that, I can help with some pre-designed templates to get you started. Check out my shop and see what you think.