{The Daily Creative is a regular-ish series of blog posts that explore finding creative inspiration in the everyday.}

Lately I’ve been walking around in a creative funk.  Cranking out the work for clients, but letting my own creative projects and interests fall by the too busy, too stressed, too responsible, too insert-your-affliction-of-choice-here wayside.

It’s creative malaise; I’m feeling uninspired.

Is it just me who suffers from this malady, or does the same thing happen to you?

If you’re a creative who makes a living providing creative services to others, do you become so uber-focused on client projects that your creative capital is spent by the time you’re ready to let your freak flag fly on your own projects?

For me those projects are photography and non-client-related writing.  But lately, not so much.

So I’ve been thinking about what it would take to liberate myself from this impasse and get my creative mojo back.  And I think I’ve found the answer:

“You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” – Jack London

The answer is finding creative inspiration in the everyday.  In the circadian rhythm of “normal” days. In the mundane, even. Because creativity is everywhere, sometimes you just have to remove the veil from your eyes to see it.

So my promise to myself is to actively seek out creative inspiration in my immediate surroundings, daily. In what I read, what I see, and what I experience.  And to find it in the far off yonder too.  I’ll look for it with a vengeance.  I’ll peek around corners for it. I’ll disappear down long hallways trying to find it. I’ll meditate on it.  I’ll ask the gods to visit it upon me.

And I’ll chronicle it here, in this new category on the blog called “The Daily Creative.”

I have no idea what this will end up looking like, could be boring as hell or wildly exciting, who knows?  But I won’t judge it, I’ll just be the conduit for whatever shows up and let it look like it wants to.

And you?

To all you creatives out there spinning your web of mad genius for clients during the day and finding the inspiration and the time for your own projects at night and on weekends (or wherever and whenever you find it), please weigh in here. Share your daily rituals, tips for staying in the creative flow, where and how you find inspiration, and especially, how you make the commitment to practicing your creative craft daily, even when there’s no one to invoice for it.

Please share in the comments below!