I took a week off last week for the Autumn half term. Well off with the kids is different isn’t it, not exactly a rest, but a rest from my business and thinking about that. After coming back, it really highlighted to me why rest, or having a break, is so necessary if you’re a creative founder who relies on creativity to make money.

Creativity can be cyclical.

There will be natural peaks of feeling inspired and sparky, and troughs of feeling like you’re wading through mud and nothing is easy (hello, creative block). Days when you want to create and post and be visible - because you’ve had a new idea fuelled by a new seam of creativity, or days when you want to curl up and never post anything again. And guess what - it’s normal. You don’t have to beat yourself up for being inconsistent. It’s called being human.

Flowers and plants don’t bloom all year long, they have whole seasons where there’s nothing to see above ground - but actually there’s a lot going on beneath the surface before they pop up again in the Spring.

Honouring fallow periods - whether that’s some time weekly, monthly or ramping up or down in different seasons, should be celebrated.

It can be hard not to be influenced by the constant drive to be productive and making more money in society, but maybe it’s time we listen to our own internal voices, rather than the noise.

A good book recommendation if any of this is vibing so far - Wintering by Katherine May.

The value in slowing down your mind (and avoiding burnout)

I think I’ve gotten used to spending my work days in fifth gear. Time feels pressured with school pick ups and domestic family life; working out what we’re eating, making sure everyone has clean clothes to wear and we’re on top of the school date admin...so it’s very easy to feel go-go-go when you actually get some time to yourself to work.

On this recent trip away I forced myself to just sit in nature without my phone, not trying to come up with offer ideas or marketing content. I pulled up a chair to the edge of the Airbnb garden and just sat and listened to the stream, looking at the sun glinting off the water and smelling the slightly damp but glorious autumnal leaves around me.

Coming back to work after a deliberate ‘slow down’ means I often see things more clearly when I return. This time I remembered that I wanted to enjoy the ride and the process of stepping into my Coaching era. I set myself a slightly mad goal of hitting my 100 hours for my ICF qualification and tying a neat little bow around adding this extra string to my bow.

But I realised trying to stick to this arbitrary date meant it was starting to suck the joy out of it. I want to finding my feet and leaving space to take it all in and learn how to be really fucking good at this.

Creativity needs feeding - changing your routine, scenery and activities

Sometimes you might need an inspiration injection. Inspiration can come from all sorts of places, but I’m guessing if you work from home you’re probably working in the same place, and your brain isn’t being challenged or exposed to new things. Here’s some quick ideas of how to get your creative mojo back.

• Have a real conversation with someone - a friend or someone in your network
• Go on an excursion - where do you go when you want to feel lit up and more in touch with creative energy? (For me it’s probably a gallery with art other than paintings, a museum, a secondhand market or a library with books I can browse). Let yourself take time off work to take yourself on an artists date (ref Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way).
• Treat yourself - a book, an audiobook, a magazine, a ticket to see something.
• Go away. Being in a new place is the ultimate inspiration injection for me. I know this one costs money but going on a 1-2 day retreat, away from home is such a great investment in yourself and your business.

• Business/Coaching retreats. I need to look into this one but a few of my friends have had transformative times going away with other people in a similar place in their business and forming new connections.
• Co work with other freelancers or business owners. Does anything already exist you can join? Can you set up something yourself to invite others to? I feel like people are absolutely hankering for real human connection right now and they’d bite your hand off.

Remembering why you run your own business

Sounds like an obvious one but sometimes I think we need to remind ourselves WHY we chose this path. It’s not easy - if it was, everyone would do it.

As a creative business owner and female founder you are taking the path less trodden and carving your own way. Sometimes I like to remember some of the pros that come with being a bad ass creative founder.

• I can take time off whenever I want - I’ve committed to taking off school holidays with my kids but also, if I want to take 3 days off to paint a room in my house, I’ve built in slack for that.
• I don’t have to commute (well I toddle down the garden with a coffee but that’s it)
• I get to shape my days. If I want to do Yoga at 11am to refresh my brain, I can. If I fancy a lunchtime sauna, I’ll book it in.
• I get to shape my business and how I’m spending my life hours. I get to honour my creativity within my work on a daily basis (as a creative business coach, I find Coaching an inherently creative process.)

How to make sure you can stop and rest

1. Plan for it. Bake it into your calendar so no one else can book in over those weeks. No client calls, no meetings.
2. Pay for it. Work out how much money you want to earn in your business, taking into account how many weeks off you want a year. Having a clear financial goal can make sure you actually hit it, working the hours you want (and also you then don’t feel guilty taking time off)
3. Don’t wait until you earn X per month to rest. It can feel counter-intuitive but stopping can bring in those bestselling money making offers when you take time to step away from the day to day of your business and allow space for creativity to come back.