Thoughts on Clearing Your Head and Creativity

The moments where I was the most creative were moments where I had a clear head. As I’ve been navigating creative blocks over the past few years, it’s become more and more obvious.

Having a clear head is not having an empty head, with no ideas, or inspirations. Having a clear head is having space for new things, space to stretch.

If I have a clear head, there is space for play, and so my inner artist feels safe to come out. As she comes out, and expresses herself, it clears my head even more, like this magical vacuum cleaner robot for my mind.

Enemies of a Clear Head (Tom’s Version)

I need to regularly look at this list, to remind myself that they are getting in my way.

My phone
Social media
Demons
Worries
Comparison
Not journaling
Not exercising
Not going to therapy
Coffee???
Looking for perfection
Overthinking
Not socialising enough (isolating)
Worrying about what other people think
Keeping stuff inside my head

If you don’t have a clear head, barriers will look like mountains! So minimise the barriers! Just remember to be kind to yourself. It’s not a competition.

To Clear Your Head, Don’t Use Your Head

As counter-productive as it sounds, you have to think less, and do more, if you want to make space in your mind.

A list of ways to clear my head:

Do things with your hands, not your head
Read a book, not the news
Use your five senses
Go for a bike ride
Ask others questions about them, instead of asking yourself questions
Learn something new
Build something with wood: cut, sand, screw! It’s physical problem solving
Do grounding tasks: do the dishes, go camping for a weekend
Write. Draw. Scribble. Sketch.
Write things down instead of keeping them inside your head: make lists, set reminders
Play

These down-to-earth actions usually help me create initial space in my head.

It’s a Circle!

These activities are really important to help defragment your mind, but they’re not everything.

Clearing your head isn’t just something you need before you get creative. It actually happens because you’re creative! It’s a reinforcing feedback loop.

It’s tempting to wait until your head is clear before you start something creative. Remind yourself that playing helps clear your mind.

It’s a loop: Clear head → Space for play → Inner artist feels safe to come out and play → Making art → Clear head

Sometimes, all you need is to start anyway. It will help. Say yes now, figure it out later.