Creative Ruts and Creators Killing the Game!

a glance at some really amazing creators...

So I don’t know about you, but I cannot stand the month of November. Everyone goes through seasons of being super creatively inspired, and pushing out so much content, and then on the other hand, there are periods of time where as creatives we feel incredibly stuck.

For me, November is definitely that month. It gets dark so early, it’s starting to get cold enough that you need a jacket but not quite to the point that you need to be fully bundled up in all your winter gear (at least for those of us in Canada). I’ve been trying to find inspiration in a few different places and have managed to find enough to keep projects going but I think it’s then caused me to create content that I’m not totally happy with.

I’m working for a new company that has an incredible space that’s super conducive for creative inspiration. However, I find that even though the space has perfect lighting, amazing areas to take photos and create content, somehow I’m still not happy with the way that things turn out. I’ve tried to take time to listen to some other creators that have podcasts, videos, blog posts etc. about creative burnout and have been able to find a number that are incredibly helpful.

I guess after all that rambling, what I am trying to tell you is I’ve cultivated a list of podcasts and other things that have sparked some inspiration and maybe given me some peace of mind knowing that all creators go through periods of time like this.

Let’s talk about podcasts first. Podcasts are honestly a great medium. I find creators are much more candid, not necessarily as filtered as Youtube, or some other mediums of delivering information. One of my favourite things that some podcasts have been doing is filming their episodes, so you end up being able to watch an episode. I wanted to talk about a couple pods in particular.

Making Moves w TK (@makingmovespod_)

Taylor King is honestly an underrated creator. Quickly making a name for herself through her new podcast, I’ve found all of her episodes deliver insight into the creative industry that no one else has seemed to crack open. A mix of solo episodes and interview style episodes this podcast has quickly become one of my favourites. Her most recent episode (while I’m writing this) How to Network Like a Beast has given me a new sense of what networking can look like, and why it’s so important.

Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain (@emmachamberlain)

Something about the way that Emma engages on her podcast is intriguing. I was listening to an episode the other day that really stuck out to me. Competition is the thief of creativity was the title of the episode and had me hooked the entire time. Emma brings up the idea that creative competitions are not great as they encourage judgement on one person's creativity based on the opinion of another. I think this take on the idea is fascinating because despite a judge being able to be unbiased, I think they’re always going to have some bias towards creativity.

Grow & Grind by Laura Medley (@bymedley)

This podcast definitely takes the cake for me. Laura Medley is a UK based creator who runs her own Etsy shop, works as a freelancer and creates content for her audience. I find her insight fascinating. Her episodes are engaging, and well structured. The content she is putting out is helpful and often a very interesting perspective on the creative industry. Her episode titled can we balance authenticity with aesthetics online? Has definitely become one of my favourite podcasts I’ve ever listened to.

The next medium that I’ve been using a lot to find inspiration has been Youtube. Of course, when I can I use Youtube to watch podcasts that are filmed, but there are definitely some Youtubers that I’ve been watching a lot to find inspiration and often as something I can throw on in the background while I’m creating content of my own. Some of these Youtubers have popped up on my blog before, but some of them are new.

Jess Conte (@jess)

Jess’s content has evolved over the past year, and her videos are shot in a very relaxing home-y way (if that makes sense). I find her content a great source of inspiration just in the way she’s started editing her videos/the way they are filmed. For any creators out there that are looking for something to put on in the background, I would HIGHLY recommend these videos.

Carter Sullivan (@cartersully)

Carter is a youtuber based out of Ottawa which is always super cool to find other local creators! I love the fact that she works a 9 to 5 but also finds time for content creation. I’ve been watching her videos A LOT recently and have fallen in love with their simplistic style.

Allie C. (@allie.cui)

Another local creator, creating content mainly in the study-tube side of Youtube, her content is also something I find myself frequently playing in the background while doing content creating of my own. I’ve had the lovely opportunity of messaging Allie a bit and she is the sweetest person ever! Allie if you read this, I really hope we’re able to meet in-person sometime soon!

Ashley Nichole (@ashnichole)

Ashley’s content will ALWAYS be on these lists because her content is fucking incredible. So simple, clean and again home-y feeling to all her videos, they provide a great source of inspiration when I’m looking for something simple to watch.

These lists could go on forever but I figure I’d cap it here. I would definitely recommend checking out all of these creators as they’re all KILLING the game right now! I’ll be back next week with a gift guide for your holiday shopping because next week is BLACK FRIDAY!!!

-K