Creativity Comes From Blank Space. A miracle of a statement right? It’s something very valuable that I have learnt in my time as an entrepreneur. Here’s why:
As an entrepreneur you think you should keep going no matter what
I can get into this mindset pretty easily. Keeping going when everything is running dry, getting frustrated that I have nothing more to give to a situation and not know which way to turn.
Often I find myself flicking through twitter, combing Instagram feeds, scoping out Facebook. All for what? That little bit of spark designed to keep my business running, to try and make myself that extra penny.
Does it work?
This mindset keeps you running in the same mode. It doesn’t switch off and therefore you don’t pause to see if what you are doing is actually working.
It is also absolutely exhausting. I get so tired running on it. What makes it worse is that I can’t sleep because I keep thinking through my ideas, thoughts and reasonings for just wanting to go along the same road. It also doesn’t give any room for anything else to grow or flourish.
So the answer is No it doesn’t work.
Blank Space
However, having time to switch off is overwhelmingly rewarding. I’m not talking about heading down a meditation tunnel for hours. I am talking about changing the scenario. Heading out and doing something completely different from the project you are working on.
Walking, gymming, going to the cinema, reading a book, heading out with your friends. Flipping the switch on the situation gives room for your projects to breathe. Think of it like a loaf of bread, chilling out in the airing cupboard so that it can rise properly.
It gives you time to think about situations differently, see someone else point of view. Even more than that, blank space takes you back a few steps. That is an awesome thing.
Why?
It breaks down the problem and makes you ask questions of it. Where you don’t have the answers yourself it gives you time to figure out who to ask and who would know how to solve the problem.
An Example For You
I had been mulling over an investment for ages. I had gotten it into my head that I needed to buy it and deliver it a certain way. But, I couldn’t get the figures to work and no matter how many of my peers I asked nothing was helping. However I couldn’t shake the idea that it was a great deal.
I decided to walk from my meeting back towards home and just leave the subject open to the possibility that something might come of it. Essentially I hadn’t shut the book, I just didn’t know where to get the knowledge from.
The next day I was feeling pretty dejected, I hadn’t got a solution and I felt like I had wasted my time on the deal. Knowing full well that business must go on I threw myself into content writing and getting people to do my online course.
Whilst working, I received an email from someone who was blogging for me and also a seasoned investor and I thought to myself, I’ll ask him what he would do with the property, no strings. 30 minutes later I got a call back and a solution that was viable.
I was excited again. It had been hard to put the project down and not kick myself, but when I did the solution came to me!
Creativity Comes From Blank Space
I dare you to try it? If you have read this, now go do something completely un business related for the next 30 minutes. Put everything you have been working on to the side and know full well that it will still be there in exactly the same position when you come back.
Tip: Headphones in and a walk around the block is quite alright right now!
Surrender to your thought process and allow something else in. I promise you will thank yourself for it and your project / business will take you on a really unexpected path!
If you’re about to go and take 30 mins time out, then please come back in the comments section below and tell me what happened. My experience took about 24 hours of time out, so don’t worry if something doesn’t come to immediately. And if you have another way of building your own creativity then I would love to hear about it again write it in the comments section below, I would love to try!
NC
