In this relaxed and chatty episode, Keita talks about her experience with feeling unmotivated with painting and creativity in real-time and what helps to get you back into your motivated groove again.

In This Episode Keita Discusses:

·       How Feeling unmotivated is usually a sign of tiredness and fatigue

·       Asking for help when you feel unmotivated

·       How reminding yourself of your bigger “why” can re-motivate you

Mentioned in this Episode:

DM Keita, @artbykeita on instagram to chat when you feel creatively unmotivated - She’ll be there to pep you up!

Don’t forget to leave a review and share with a friend if you found this episode helpful - that way we can reach more painty mamas who would benefit from what we talk about here on the podcast!

Hello, and welcome to the painty mama podcast. We're taught that artists are poor. Throw kids in the mix, and it seems impossible to thrive. While balancing motherhood, creative projects, and building a business along with everything else is hard. I believe the universe gave you your unique talents and children. So you could live a full inspiring, creative, beautiful life together. Join me for conversations about creativity, motherhood, business, and finding calm in the chaos. I'm Keita Thomas, and this is the Painty mama podcast. Hello, lovely, how are you? This is a bit of an impromptu recording of the podcast, it's going to be super casual, I've got my cup of tea here, I just wanted to come and sit and chat to you to be honest. You know, usually I make a bunch of notes. And, and I really, I mean, I genuinely do put a lot of thought into this podcast, and about what we're going to talk about. But this one just came into my mind. And I just felt like I wanted to talk about this with you. Because sometimes it can be really hard to find motivation to keep painting when you're just a tired Mommy, you're just tired, you're exhausted. And if you're anything like me, you'll beat yourself up till you're black and blue over the productivity levels that you do, or do not have access to you to right now.

01:37

Sometimes I'm really productive. And other times I'm not. And sometimes it can feel impossible to find that motivation. But I also just want to ask you and remind you really just get you to think about: all of the "impossible" things that you've achieved in your life already. And I also want this episode (as short and sweet, and rambling as it might be), to be a little bit of permission for you to have a little rest. If this is how you're feeling. unmotivated usually means tired, and it's okay to be tired. And it's okay to just not wanna for right now. And it's okay to put down and it's okay to move on to the next thing. And it's okay to let the laundry sit and it's okay to do anything that is going to help you to feel better. Especially if you are just tired. And tiredness can come from sleep deprivation. And it can come from just life. And it's okay. Sometimes it can be the change of the season. No, right now, as I'm recording this episode, we've recently changed from winter to spring. And there were there was like a week there a solid week where I was feeling so lethargic. And then it wasn't until I read that book and found out that that was a thing. But I also wanted to say to you, "hey, it could be a thing like that". It could be for no reason. It could be because your digestion is a bit sluggish. It could be anything. And it doesn't matter what it is. It's okay to be tired. Sometimes it's okay to feel unmotivated sometimes.

03:30

So now that you're comfy with the fact that you feel like that. And then I don't know about you once I am like "Oh I'm tired". And I admit that I am properly tired. I'm not just winning. There's this sense of guilt that like bubbles up in me. So there's something that I do and like I try to do more. And that is ask for help. And I'm lucky I know. I have friends and family around that sometimes can help me by also have objects around that can help me. I keep joking that my new boyfriend is the robo vac that I bought. It is the best purchase that I've ever made because it alleviates the guilt when it's on and it's sweeping around and it's doing all of the things that I want to do. It feels like I have like a team member who is helping me out just to clear up the crumbs after dinner or whatever it's on for. So I guess tip for this feeling would be if there's something that you can delegate or ask for help with. Then just do it, just do it. Maybe there's a friend that's offered to help you a million times and you're like "no, no, it's fine. It's fine". Why don't you take her up on that? Or why don't you do a tradeoff and offer to help a friend on a day when she feels tired, and you can exchange like that.

05:07

You know, women, we have to support each other, we really do we need each other. And we can all function so much better when we know we're not alone. And when we feel supported, even if you don't end up calling on that support, it can be amazing just to know that the option is there, if you do need to reach for it.

05:32

Another thing that helps me when I'm feeling a bit unmotivated is to remember why I'm doing what I'm doing in the first place. So for me, I've been a little unmotivated recently with drawing and painting. I just feel a little bit... I don't feel stuck, I feel like I'm out a little bit of a crossroads, I need to make some decisions about which direction I want to move in artistically. And I'm afraid of committing to one road or one style or the other. And maybe that's just a thing that's going on internally and isn't a thing at all! But it's how I've been feeling lately. And it's actually causing me to feel unmotivated when it comes to like what I'm going to draw and paint next. I don't often come up against feeling unmotivated. But I do occasionally. And that's why I wanted to hop on today. Just to talk to you about it. So yeah, what I do is I try to remember why I'm doing it in the first place. And for me, that's modeling a life for my children where they see me working, trying, loving them, caring about them, while also living out my creative passions in the hope that they won't fear pursuing their dreams and the life that makes them happy too. And whenever I stop and think about that, and I really let myself have a moment and sink into what is it that I'm doing this for. That is really the reason I'm doing it. I'm doing it for them. And I'm doing it for me too. I'm doing it for me because I enjoy it. It's something that I've always dreamed of doing ever since I was a little girl. And I'd watch my grandmother in her studio, playing with her charcoals and her pastels. And just in that room with all of those nicotine-stained papers, it was so cool in there. I loved it so much. I always wanted to be in there with her. And I just thought she was so inspiring. And I want to have my children be inspired in that way too. I want them to just want to reach for the pencils. And I want to I want to capture that feeling that I used to have when I was a little girl as well. So I think it's important to remember why you are doing it. Because if you don't really have a good solid, deeper reason why you are drawing, painting, or trying to make a career if that's what you're doing as well. Or even just trying to get better at an aspect of your creative skill set. If you don't have a big reason why you're doing it, and it doesn't mean much to you that you probably won't get to it anyway, and fair dues if you are feeling unmotivated, because without the why you will feel unmotivated, sometimes we just needed a little bit of a reminder about what that is. The other thing I'd like to add as well is something that makes me feel unmotivated. And I've heard other people talk about this before and it's I think sometimes it stems from comparison on social media and looking at what other people are doing and thinking about how, where you think you should be, or want to be or any of those things, it just ends up being a little bit of a comparison sometimes. And I think that's natural. I mean, I try my best not to do that. But it still affects you know; I think it affects everybody if you're a human and you're on social media. But what I try to do is I try to also accept my limitations. I have a lot going on in life and as I'm sure you do, and you're not a machine so you can lower yourself imposed expectations you don't have to do it all right now. And I am saying this to you, (as I'm sure you can tell) as much to myself as I am saying it to you.

09:38

And I wanted to catch myself in one of these moments in one of these moods where I'm feeling uncertain and I'm feeling unsure because I want to share that with you. I don't want to just share the stuff when I feel like I'm on top of the world and I've got everything figured out because it’s a mixture of moments. I don't ever feel like I do always have it figured out. I have moments where I've got it figured out. I've moments where I doubt myself, I've got moments where I'm completely unmotivated, I've got moments where I'm second guessing every decision I've ever made in my creative, you know, pursuits, whether that's painting or like anything to do with my business or life. I wanted to capture this in real time. Because I think it's important to see and hear when somebody is feeling uncertain because I don't ever want you to listen to me or look at me and think, "Oh, she just, you know, she knows all this stuff, or she can do it" because I don't always. Sometimes I do. Most of the time, I'm absolutely riddled with self-doubt. And I need these talks. And that's why I'm here on the podcast is because I wanted to create a podcast for the past me who didn't believe as much. And she still comes to visit every now and then, and she's here right now. So social media can easily make us feel like we're behind with so many things, but your life is unique, my life is unique. And that is what makes our lives individually so beautiful.

11:19

Sometimes we just need to take a minute to allow ourselves to be a human being just a human in the world who needs food, rest, nature, connection, laughter. However, you get that filling-your-tank-feeling just go and do it. If you're feeling unmotivated, go do that. It doesn't have to be related to your creativity. Maybe it is and maybe it isn't, just depends on you, what fills you up? Go do that. And then I bet you will find, maybe not immediately. But within the next few hours, perhaps or the next day, you'll be rejuvenated again, because as I say, I find un-motivation is often just maybe you're a bit tired. So go take a nap. Go take a rest, go have a change of scenery or a change of environment or now we can even see people change if social circle, whatever it is that you need, change it up, rest up. And I'm sure you'll find your motivation again. Wishing you so much love for this week. And I hope you find that motivation.

Let me know if this episode has helped you. You can let me know through Dm @artbykeita over on Instagram. I'm always hanging out there. Ready to chat. I love a good DM chat. So please, please talk to me. It’d be really nice. I don't know who I'm talking to. I feel like I'm just talking to myself in a microphone when I'm on here most of the time. So it's really nice when I hear conversation coming back the other way too. And if you're interested in anything else Art by Keita you can find that at www.artbykeita.com That's right- Got that new domain going! Thank you so much for being here. I hope you found this helpful and catch you next time. Have a magical week.