- Two ways to overcome creative blocks: According to Leo Gura, there are two ways to handle creative and writer's block. The first, not ideal way, is to brute force your way through it, pushing yourself to just start working, even if you don't feel like it. This approach may sometimes spark creativity, but its effectiveness in the long-run is questionable. The second, preferable way is to pace yourself and reconnect with your original sources of motivation.
- Problems with procrastination and rushing: When a person procrastinates on important tasks until the last minute, it often results in a compromise on the quality of the work. Neglecting important but non-urgent tasks until it's too late is an indicator of poor time management. The problem is intensified if the person has to deliver under tight deadlines. This forces them to rush their work, reducing its overall quality.
- Importance of recommitment to your craft: It's expected for creators to experience ups and downs in their creative pursuits. The key is to remain committed to your craft, especially during periods of stagnation or self-doubt. When you find yourself at a low point, take some time to recommit to your craft and reconnect with the initial motivation that led you to pursue it.
- Differentiation between being productive and being creative: There is a distinction between being productive, which is focused more on output, and being creative, which involves generating original, inspired content. One method to help tap into your creativity is through a guided visualization exercise, where you recall the original inspiration and passion that led you to your craft. This way, it's easier to tap into your creative energy and produce more inspired work.
- Visualization exercise for reconnecting with creativity: Leo Gura guides the viewer through a visualization exercise where the viewer connects with their present moment sensations, visualizes falling into a rut of depression and lack of motivation, and then shifts to visualize their most creative and inspired state. This exercise serves as a practical tool to assist in reconnecting with one's creativity and passion.
- Recommitment to your craft during low points: Leo emphasizes on the crucial necessity of an artist to recommit to their craft during their low points or plateaus. This act helps them stay persistent and resist the urge to quit during difficult times. By constantly reconnecting with their source motivations, they assure maintaining their passion and creativity in their work.
- Reconnection with source motivation: Gura deduces the importance of reconnection to the source motivation, the primary reasons why an individual engaged in a creative field. It often requires revisiting the times when they were first influenced and inspired by their art or craft. This reconnection with the past assists in sustaining creativity during challenging periods and goes beyond mere productivity to achieve creativity.
- Practical guided visualization exercise: Gura takes the viewers through a brief guided visualization exercise instructing them to relax, close their eyes, and follow his instructions. The goal of the visualization is to make the listeners contemplate their connection to their craft to reignite their passion and creativity.
- Technique 1 - Reconnecting with Creativity Through Present Moment Sensations: Leo provides a meditation/visualization exercise in which viewers are directed to tap into their present moment feelings and sensations. He guides viewers to first immerse themselves in a state of being depressed, lazy, unmotivated, and uncreative, and then shift to visualizing themselves in their most creative and inspired state. This exercise highlights the idea that creativity can be 'engineered'a state which can be consciously induced rather than something that just happens. Leo underscores that creativity can be harnessed at will, thus enabling creators to overcome creative blocks more effectively.
- Technique 2 - Slowing Down the Pace of Work: He advises creators to slow down the pace of their work. Instead of constantly striving for more productivity, they should take time to engage in additional research, reading, or rejuvenation activities. By slowing down, creators allow themselves more space for creativity to flourish.
- Technique 3 - Exploring Fresh Mediums and Sources: Leo encourages creators to refresh their inspiration by engaging with new mediums and sources outside of their field. These could range from reading graphic novels for writers, visiting gardens, or entrepreneurs drawing inspiration from art museums. This exploration nurtures creativity by exposing creators to diverse influences that they may not initially consider related to their work.
- Technique 4 - Perfecting Technique: Instead of fixating on producing next big masterpiece, creators should concentrate on improving the technical aspects of their craft. This could involve enhancing painting skills, sentence structure in writing, or any other technical skills related to their field.
- Improving creative technique: Leo Gura advises creators to spend dedicated time improving their technique, removing the pressure of output. For instance, writers can focus on improving sentence structure, usage of metaphors, and enriching their vocabulary.
- Creating a sandbox: Leo introduces the concept of a 'creative sandbox', a space separate from one's main work field to experiment and explore new ideas, free from the expectation of a direct output. Using the example of a web designer, he explains that reserving time to experiment with new designs or ideas outside of professional projects can prove beneficial.
- Implementing the cataloging technique: Leo's fifth technique for enhancing creativity is to make a catalog or collection of inspiring ideas, applicable to any field. This catalog could be a physical or digital file containing anything that inspires you - photographs, videos, music, excerpts from favorite books, etc. This procedure offers inspiration when feeling unwired or low.
- Blend of discipline and inspiration: Leo emphasizes that effective creators operate on both discipline and inspiration. Gaining and implementing inspirations but also maintaining discipline in one's work are integral parts of effective creation.
- Resources on overcoming creative issues : Leo mentions his other videos that tackle common issues faced by creators, like procrastination, lack of motivation, etc., and urges viewers to watch these as well.
- The Life Purpose Course: For ultimate creative realization, Leo emphasizes the importance of understanding one's life purpose. He promotes his 'Life Purpose Course' which he claims will help creators align better with their authentic selves and discover their most meaningful work.
- Promotion of Actualized.org: Leo invites viewers to his website, Actualized.org, where he releases weekly videos on mastering self-actualization and offers a free newsletter. He believes psychology mastering is vital for consistency in creative output and intends to help creators achieve that through his website resources.
- Personal struggles with creativity: Leo ends the section by discussing his struggles with being a consistent creator and how his study of psychology aided him in overcoming these issues. He encourages viewers to leverage his experiences and resources to master life purposes, passions, and become more effective creators.