All Ping

Working from home is a dream come true for a lot of us. We get to choose our own hours, spend more time with family, work in our PJ’s if we want to and can even take an unplanned day off! But as awesome as awesome as working from home is, it can seriously affect your creativity at times.

                                        (Image source: Fotolia)

Working at home alone, day in and day out can take its toll. You find yourself unable to concentrate, the quality of your work starts slipping, and every idea you come up with seems contrite and unimaginative. In short, you lose your creative spark.

Luckily, there are a number of ways to keep your creativity intact.

1.Take Your Work Ousite

If you’re feeling the walls of your office close in on you every time you try to concentrate, it may betime for a change of scenery. If you have a backyard, a front porch or even a balcony, consider taking your work outside. The fresh air, the hustle and bustle of your neighbourhood, or even the quietness of it may be what you need to revive your creativity.

If you live in an apartment, and don’t have access to any of the above, then head to your nearest park or coffee shop. Combine the fresh air with people-watching and your head will soon be brimming with ideas and possibilities! If nothing else, you’ll come back home feeling a lot better than how you were when you left.

2. Get Your Hand Dirty

Spending an entire day coding, designing, writing, editing or Photoshop-ing can take its toll. If your work is starting to swim in front of your eyes, it may be your brain’s way of telling you to take a break. Spend some time doing something with your hands – well, something other than moving your fingers over your keyboard. Instead of typing words and hitting commands that stopped making sense hours ago, step away from your computer and do something else.

Cook a meal for yourself and your family. Instead of hurrying through your lunch or dinner, take the time to enjoy it. Colour. Use crayons, paint or markers. Even if you just stencil your name, taking 30 minutes to create something with colours will relax your brain and give it something new to focus on.

If you have a garden or house plants, take the time to weed and water your plants. Pot a plant if everything’s tended for. Any gardening fan will tell you how rejuvenating working with plants is. Sometimes, doing something with your hands is just the boost your brain needs. Your creativity will thank you for it.

3. Work On A Personal Project

We all have a project or an idea for a project that we’d love to do if we ever had the time. Well, with your creativity fried, now is the time. Nothing boosts creativity like working on a project you’re personally vested in, even if it is something like reorganizing your office space. And you’re passionate about your personal project. You want it to be perfect. This project is what you want to stop doing everything for.

Nothing boosts creativity like passion. So start working on it. Your passion and enthusiasm for the project will take care of your creativity. Before long, you’ll be bursting with positive energy and ideas, and you’ll will want to work again!

4. Exercise

This is by far the toughest thing to do. But it’s also the most effective. Exercising is the one activity that is guaranteed to improve your overall mental well-being. So not only will your creativity be boosted, but you’ll feel more energetic, positive and healthier too!

If you don’t exercise, it is definitely time to get moving. Even if it’s as simple as doing Pilates at home, get your bums off the chair and onto an exercise mat. For those of you who already exercise (notice how I don’t include myself in the already exercising group?), it might be time for a change in the form of exercise you do. If you use a treadmill, head out for your run. If you run outside, try cycling or swimming or hiking.

Anything that gets your body moving is a guaranteed way to boost creativity.

5. Stop And Ask What's Wrong?

Stop! Stop doing whatever you’re doing right now. Whether it’s browsing, checking email or answering the phone. Now ask yourself why you’re not feeling creative. Is something stressing you (apart from your lack of creativity)? Is there something bothering you? What aspect of your personal or professional life feels off-balance?

Once you’ve pinpointed the problem, try and figure out how you can solve it. What can you do to make the situation better? Your problem may not be something that can be fixed immediately. But finding out what’s wrong and acknowledging that something is wrong may be all you need. You’ll find yourself feeling much ‘lighter’. You’ll be able to concentrate on your work too!

6. Meditate

Meditation is a great way to relax. The simple act of concentrating on your breathing can significantly reduce stress. You don’t even have to leave your chair if you don’t want to. Just turn off every ‘screen’ that’s on, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Inhale and feel the air move through your body. Exhale and imagine all your stress leaving your body.

Of course, mine is a very amateurish take on meditation but focusing on your breathing really helps. There are plenty of excellent meditation resources that you can refer to online. Find one that suits your work schedule.

7. Take A Nap

If this is the first time your creativity has deserted you, then a nap may be all you need. Quickly go over your routine for the past month. Have you been going to bed on time? Getting enough sleep? Peaceful, uninterrupted sleep? If the answer is no to any of those questions, then a nap is in order.

Your nap can be anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours. It really depends on the needs of your body and the time of the day. I wouldn’t recommend taking a 2-hour nap at 5 pm!

If a nap is out of the question, focus on going to bed on time (or even earlier) to catch a little more sleep than you usually do. In a few days, your body would have recovered and your brain would be back to its fully functional creative self.

8. Collaborate

If a project has you stumped creatively and you’re wondering what’s wrong with you, here’s something you probably haven’t considered: The problem may not be you. Not all projects are created equal. Sometimes we need help. If you’re unsure on how to proceed on a project or can’t come up with ideas, then seek help from a friend.

Collaborate with another freelancer or even hire a consultant if you can. Two pairs of eyes are always better than one and two brains bouncing ideas off each other can be just what you need to get back in the groove of things.

9. Create A Virtual Water Cooler

Loneliness is a very common feeling among people who work from home. While office workers long for some peace and quiet to work in, freelancers who work from home long for just the opposite. If you work alone from home, then I’m pretty sure there have been times when an entire day has gone by without you uttering more than five words.

If you haven’t found yourself in good company in a while, then remedy the situation. Call a friend, a sibling or even your mom and talk to them. Skype with somebody in your field who also works from home. Join a small online forum, start tweeting, anything that gets you to interact with people.

This helps you create a virtual water-cooler not unlike those found in traditional offices that are a hotbed of gossip. The good thing with a virtual water-cooler is that you pick your own people and topics of conversations. So get talking to people and feel your creative mojo come back with every conversation you have.

10.Laugh

Laughter boosts creativity. Even the monsters in Monsters Inc. found it to be true! So who are we to argue with a Pixar cartoon? If you’re feeling stuck and uncreative, watch your favourite comedy movies and shows. Whether it’s the movie Hangover, the television show Big Bang Theory, or a medley of funny children and animal videos on Youtube, get watching!

Me? I’m going to go watch some Monty Python right now and give myself a much needed creative boost.

Of all the memories we all hold on to, the ones we never learn to let go of are those of our family. They are the people who are there for you from Day 1, there by your side through your cuts and bruises, trials and triumphs. But there comes a day when we have to be independent, stand on our own two feet and move out of the nest, either for studies or for work or to build our own family.

Before leaving, why not make an awesome family portrait that will remind everyone that they are always in your heart.

                                         (Image Source: HANNA MAC)

While the regular family portrait is probably good enough, you certainly want to do something that is out of the ordinary, one that will easily crack a smile when it is looked at, or one that even nana will proudly show off to her bingo buddies.

To inspire you to make really special family portraits, we have prepared awesome family portraits shot by photographers with an intriguing view of things. If you are the kind who never says no to family, you’ll probably enjoy this post as much as I did making it.

Bold Family Portrait. Isn’t this family portrait too badass? Brace yourself, the request for your photo studio’s name from your friends and relatives are coming. (Image Source: Chris Nicholas, Matt Power, Becki Peckham)

Bri, Joel & Indy. I’m amazed at how an impression could drastically change by just holding the photo frame in non-traditional way, and Kevin N. Murphy executed the idea perfectly. 

(Image Source: Kevin N. Murphy)

Coming Soon. Wanna take a family portrait even though the blessed one is still in the womb? A clever combination of vector shape and vibrant typography will do! (Image Source: HANNA MAC

Composite Family Portrait. A magic trick performed by Erick Christian! This is the portrait that will make visitors keep asking you how did you do it, whenever they visit. (Image Source: Erik Christian Photography)

FAMILY. Family, a word that describes the most precious thing in the world. (Image Source:Marianne Wiest Photography)

Family Dog. This is a fun way to put the family pet into the picture. Well, it’s funny for everyone except dad, I guess. (Image Source: Jonne Seijdel)

Family Gallery. A father holding a portrait of mother holding a portrait of daughter, I just love this inception-inspired trick! (Image Source: Jaroslav Francisko)

Family of Dark Side. Spice up generic poses with iconic masks and be boring no more. The Dark Side has never looked so warm. (Image Source: Kessler Fotos)

Family Ties. You just want to stare at this photo and think about how genuinely beautiful this idea is. It’s a must-shoot for the family! (Image Source: Beco G. Photography)

Happy Feet. It doesn’t require clear faces to make the portrait lovely, just a lovely family and their feet! (Image Source: Lumoid)

Mommy, Daddy, Me and Little Sister. Kisses all around for the family. (Image Source: WNCY)

My Family and I. They all sure look alike, and the progression emphasizes their similarities.(Image Source: Martin Bennett)

Our Family Portrait. Remember to take your camera into the family portrait as well; to most of us photographers, we treat it like a son anyways! The scene, the idea, I enjoy everything Capa12 has taken in this photo. (Image Source: Capa12)

Shadow Family. Well-placed sandals, a puddle of water, the right amount of light and there you have it, a reflection of your family portrait. (Image Source: FLIGRAFIE PHOTOGRAPHY)

The Combs Family. If you can hold your children tight, then this is the most fun memory you can shoot in a portrait! (Image Source: Kelsey J Gibbs Photography)

Reflection

Creative family portraits take longer to set up than regular ones, but you will be surprised with how the outcome will always put you in a good mood no matter when you revisit them. It sometimes even serves as the catalyst for you to save any severed relationships you have with your family.

That said, here’s a heartfelt thanks to all photographers that dedicate so much of their time to photograph and demonstrate how inspiring a family portrait can be.

Time for sharing! Have you ever done a cool portrait with your family before? What’s your favorite among these showcased pieces? Share with us!

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