Summit Success’ guest blog written by Dean Burgess
Somewhere along the winding road of adulthood, you probably misplaced a bit of your creative fire. Maybe it got buried under deadlines, numbed by streaming platforms, or diluted by a thousand micro-distractions. You used to sketch, write, or brainstorm like it was nothing—but now even the thought of trying feels exhausting. The good news is that creativity isn’t a finite resource. It’s not a fuel tank that empties without refilling. It’s more like a muscle—and you can bring it back to life.
Walk Until Your Brain Gets Bored
When was the last time you walked with no purpose? Not to the store, not while listening to a podcast—just walked. When your brain doesn’t have input to chew on, it starts inventing. That’s why so many of your best ideas come in the shower or while driving a familiar route. Walking in silence forces your thoughts to stretch and roam. You’ll start hearing your own inner narrator again—the one who got drowned out by your inbox. If your creativity’s rusted shut, start walking. Give your mind a little boredom and a lot of room.
Get Curious About Unfamiliar Things
Nothing sparks fresh thought like seeing the world sideways. You might think creativity comes from within, but often it’s pulled from what you take in. Pick up a book in a genre you’d normally ignore, like speculative fiction or historical biographies. Take a class in something absurdly non-relevant to your career. Learn how kimchi is made or how to build a terrarium. The goal isn’t productivity—it’s novelty. Your brain thrives on connections, and nothing breeds connections like learning something outside your comfort zone. You don’t need a new passion; you need new input.
Switch Up Your Career Path
Switching careers can often be the catalyst your creativity needs, especially when your current path feels more like a loop than a launchpad. Pursuing a new direction challenges your thinking, redefines your goals, and surrounds you with unfamiliar problems that demand original solutions. A flexible online MBA program makes it easy to manage full-time work while staying committed to your studies. Earning a master’s in business administration, for instance, equips you with skills in leadership, strategic planning, financial management, and data-driven decision-making to thrive in diverse environments.
Change the Way You Work, Not Just What You Do
It’s easy to blame your burnout on what you’re creating, but sometimes the issue lies in how you’re doing it. If you always work in the same spot, move. If you type, try dictating. If you always brainstorm solo, call someone instead. Change the method, not just the material. Creativity thrives on new dynamics. Rearranging the process shakes things loose, even when the goal remains the same. You don’t need a new career—just a new rhythm.
Unplug From the Metrics
Social media quietly rewires your creativity to seek validation instead of expression. You might not even notice it happening until you’re tweaking ideas based on what might “perform.” Stop. Creativity that chases applause runs in circles. Create things that don’t go anywhere—no posts, no shares, no likes. Make a private blog. Keep a sketchbook that never leaves your drawer. Let the work live for you alone. When you’re not performing, you’re exploring. That’s where your real ideas have space to breathe.
Collaborate With People Who Don’t Do What You Do
Find someone who speaks a different creative language. If you’re a writer, talk to a potter. If you’re a photographer, sit down with a playwright. Cross-pollination is creative fertilizer. You’ll hear how they solve problems, what inspires them, and how they deal with doubt. Their tools and metaphors will feel fresh. Collaborating outside your silo opens mental doors you didn’t even know were locked. You don’t need to copy their process—just watch how it works. It will light something up in you.
Revisit the Work You Loved Before You Were “Good”
You once made things without knowing any better. Before the training, before the industry lingo, before the audience—you made stuff just because it felt good. Go find that early work. Reread those stories or look at those cringy photos. Don’t laugh them off. Instead, pay attention to what made you excited then. There’s probably still a spark in there. Not everything old is immature; some of it is pure. Reconnecting with that spirit can wake up your voice in surprising ways.
You don’t have to wait for inspiration like it’s some rare, weather-dependent phenomenon. You have to invite it in. When you show up with curiosity and patience, your ideas come back. Not because you forced them—but because you made space for them to exist again.
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