If you’ve ever felt like your creative spirit is trapped under a to-do list of other things taking up space in your brain—welcome! You’re in good company. It isn’t easy to bring your most imaginative, out of the box self forward all of the time because life, quite simply, gets in the way. Fortunately there are ways to snap out of the ho-hum of the everyday and back into a flourishing mindset. And, no, these things don’t require a ton of money or even a lot of time. They’re just simple activities to incorporate into your everyday life to keep your artistry in tip-top shape. You’re a beauty professional, after all. Your clients love you for your vision, precision, and all-around awesomeness. Get your creative motor running with these easy techniques.
Step out of your comfort zone.
Does the thought of this make you uncomfortable? That’s the point! Stepping out of your comfort zone doesn’t need to mean trying something completely crazy or out of character. It can be as simple as listening to a different genre of music from your norm, or watching an indie film when you’re a strictly blockbuster watching movie-goer. It could also mean trying a new activity, like yoga or knitting. Basically you want to put yourself in a different mindspace than what you’re used to in an effort to unlock ideas that are waiting to be discovered.
Become a student.
Education is everything, especially in the beauty biz. There are always new techniques, styles, products, and services emerging each and every season (if not more frequently than that). When you allow yourself to be a student instead of solely being an expert in your field, you’re opening up your mind to all sorts of different methods and skill sets that could majorly help your business. Get out there and learn, then bring this newfound knowledge back to your salon suite.
Write in a journal.
Nope, journals aren’t only for 12-year-old girls. Journaling is for everyone. You may not think you’re much of a writer (and for this purpose, you don’t have to be), but by putting pen to paper you’re giving yourself a written record of how you’re feeling on any given day. It’s a form of expression that really gets into some of your deepest thoughts. While you may not necessarily get any major creative release during the actual writing process, you might be surprised at the ideas you have when you read these entries back at a later date.
Keep a notepad next to your bed.
Here we are encouraging you to write again. But think of this notepad as your inspiration landing spot. Before you go to sleep, when your mind is most clear, jot down a few ideas you have of things you’d like to accomplish, learn about, or bring to your salon suite. Don’t be afraid—the bigger the idea the better! This way you can keep all of your to-dos and goals (no matter how intimidating) in one spot, and return to these notes whenever you have an idea about how to break them down and make them more realistic.
Listen to music.
When your creativity has hit a wall, dive into someone else’s imagination. Music is a great escape. It can help you clear your mind or, on the flipside, offer up inspiration and a whole party of ideas. Maybe certain lyrics will inspire you to create the next great manicure trend, or a melody might put you in the mood to conjure up a gorgeous color palette for your client’s makeup application. Hey, music could just help you dance around and shake out some tension and stress.
Take risks.
We’re not suggesting you take risks like using a wild new cutting technique you’ve never tried before on your next client. But if there’s something you’ve been considering adding to your beauty business or a collaboration you’ve been eyeing—go for it! This all goes back to our original creativity booster, which is stepping out of your comfort zone. Not a risk taker? That’s OK, too. Try a few risk-taking baby steps, inching your way towards a creative breakthrough.
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