I’ve mentioned lately that my Mojo has been missing. I’ve been in a bit of a Slump, and haven’t felt like doing much of anything.

Granted, having both of my arms partially disabled, and having fought the pain of it all for over nine months now, I’m sorta due for a slump (My Cowboy has started calling me T. Rex — haha!). But pity parties are not generally my thing, and I usually like to stay busy. I often wonder what people with no hobbies do with their lives!

If you Love quilting, and you like to sew all the time, a creative slump can be aggravating. If you are self-employed as a quilter for hire, a slump can be downright detrimental to your business. Customers expect their quilts back, especially if they have deadlines; and if you’re like me, you need to keep making money because you like to eat and live indoors!

In my book, Quilting for Hire, in Chapter 5, I talk about ways to keep your motivation going, and some ways to get it back if you’ve lost it. For myself, I use games, rewards, a timer, and various focus techniques to keep myself going. Especially games (and if you know me well, you already know this!).

For my book, I also interviewed some of my fellow longarming friends, and here are some of their suggestions for keeping or getting back your motivation:

When I’ve completely lost my mojo as I have lately, there’s a bit of self-care info that might help bring it back. I’m trying not to beat myself up for having a slow period and taking a bit of time off.

Along with all these suggestions, I asked the question: “What are some other ways you can keep yourself motivated?”

So, I’d like to hear from you.

This is for all you quilters, not just those who quilt for hire — it’s for anyone who loves to sew and quilt and sometimes hits a wall in their creativity. Anyone who is sometimes missing their mojo, feeling uninspired or unimaginative, or feels like they’re in a rut or a slump.

What do you do to keep yourself motivated?

What do you do to pull yourself out of a slump?

What are some self-care things you do to help you out of a slump?

I think we can all learn from each other here, and get some good ideas we can use to keep our creativity flowing. Please leave a comment, share your ideas, or ask any specific questions you have. Let’s discuss! I’ll try to compile all our suggestions into a future post that we can use for reference any time we’re headed down that slippery slump slope.

I’ll start: I’m a huge fan of naps, so when I feel the need for one, I take it, and try not to feel even one bit guilty about it. I usually make up the work time later on, anyway, simply because I love my job.

Your turn!