I think as creatives weavers all have those moments when we’re just not feeling it. Sometimes you need to push through and weave anyway. And sometimes you need to rest and let your brain recharge. If you’re feeling out of sorts or like you’ve lost your weaving mojo here are a few ideas to get out of a creative funk.
Photo Credit: Miriam Alonso
Just keep weaving
Some days you just need to sit yourself down at your loom and just keep weaving. This is one of the reasons I like to plan my weavings, so if I stop feeling motivated I have a plan I can follow until I feel motivated again. Maybe I don’t feel like sitting and weaving for hours today but I can sit for 15 minutes, follow my plan, and get some more yarn on my loom than the day before. And that’s progress.
Start a different project
If I'm feeling stalled out on a specific weaving sometimes I’ll just start another one. Usually a smaller project, maybe a small hoop or something on one of my lap looms, just something else to create in the meantime. Sometimes that’s all the creative boost I need to be motivated to finish my first project. This can definitely backfire though and end up with multiple unfinished projects but it can also be really helpful motivation to finish once you realize all your looms are full.
Try something else creative
Do you draw, paint, crochet, scrapbook? Try giving your brain a break from weaving and do something else creative that you love. You might end up with new and unexpected inspiration from working in another medium
Ask yourself, do I need to rest?
Sometimes you just need to show up and push through, and sometimes you need to rest. Our brains need a break from creativity sometimes. Take a nap, do something else, read a book. I love a good romance novel so sometimes I just let myself read something ridiculous and don’t think about weaving. Focusing on something else can be such a good break and helps me feel ready to tackle it again later.
Get out into nature
I like to get outside, I’ll take my dog to the dog park and play fetch with him and force myself not to look at my phone and only concentrate on the present. Look at the wind in the trees, notice the ground under your feet, pay attention to the here and now of nature. It helps me a lot.
Be understanding to yourself
It's hard to tell sometimes if you need to push through or to rest. Or maybe you need a combination. Listen to yourself and your body. It's so hard sometimes when all you want to do is create to have to stop and take a breather but ultimately that rest will be so good for your creativity. It's cliché but it's true. Rome wasn’t built in a day and creative practices like weaving take time. Weaving is not a fast craft, it's a marathon, not a sprint.