When it comes to being creative, we all know the feelings of being tired, uninspired and 'not in the mood' to get down to creating.

Sometimes we can easily overcome these kind of feelings. The motivation to create, and the positive effects we know we'll produce by being creative, are greater than the negative feelings holding us back, and so we simply get on with it.

But other times this seems almost impossible, that whatever we do we're stuck in this defeated mood and mindset and there's no way we can haul ourselves out of it.

We feel powerless, not in control, and may even begin to wonder whether we'll ever feel inspired to take up our creative tools again.

This sense of powerlessness, and the fear that the feelings have come from some mysterious place without warning and overwhelmed us, are what's most dangerous.

What we may lose sight of in these kind of situations is that we can positively influence our outlook at any time, and in a instant. Forgetting that this is the case, is the first step to those feelings of helplessness and loss of control.

So here's 5 ways you can alter your mood and shine a little sunshine down on your creativity ?C

1. Return to a favourite Creative Space. It may be a home studio, a particular room in your house, a favourite chair or beneath a certain tree. Find somewhere that you feel comfortable and happy to create and with surroundings that are inspiring and conducive to you freely creating.

2. Use Creative Inspiration Cards. Many creative people use a form of Creative Inspiration Cards, a set of cards each with a phrase, picture or idea designed to prompt your creativity and imagination and to use as a starting point for a new creative work. Shuffle the deck and pick a card at random or choose one that takes your interest at the time. You can seek out other people's or create a set of your own.

3. Create your own Greatest Hits file. Go through some of your past creative work and pick out the parts you're most happy with. It can be whole pieces of work or just snapshots, like a line from a poem, a sketch in a notebook or a particular photo. Think about what it is that you enjoy about each piece and the circumstances you created it under at the time, and draw on this source for a new piece of work.

4. Play creatively inspiring music. What music do you enjoy when you create? Maybe it's something calm and gentle that relaxes you into a calmer state and prepares you to create. Or maybe it's fast, loud, energetic music that gets you pumped up and motivated? Try different types of music and see what works for you.

5. Use Creative Affirmations. Affirmations are simple statements of how you'd like to be in your creative life. For example'I am overflowing with new ideas' and 'I find it easy to create'. Write out a series of these for yourself, your wish list of positive feelings if you like, then when you feel uninspired take these out and recite them out loud at least 20 times. Even if you don't believe them at first, the more you say them over, the more you'll start to feel them and live them.

Experiment with each of these methods and see what works for you and what has the best effect on your creativity. Sometimes it will take a few attempts to see what's most effective so be open minded and persistent.

Using 2 or 3 or more in combination is an additional way to increase your creativity, again try different things and learn what helps you and your creativity most.

So, when you're next feeling creatively stuck, de-motivated and under a black cloud, make a little of your own sunshine and watch your creativity flourish!

? Copyright 2006 Dan Goodwin