Five easy, free 'Rut-Busters' to produce your best 2024
Getting out of a rut can seem incredibly difficult when time, money, and energy are in short supply. But there are ways to do it that don't break the bank nor wear a person down and can easily be done in less than 5 minutes. 

By Tom Jakob | 1/15/24

A new year has broken and with it comes a tide of feeling a need to make some changes. But the season of resolutions is often either a short or underwhelming one. It is just far too easy to slip back into one’s old habits in a hyper-stimulating world full of glowing screens, gluttonous foods, and steep interest rates. 

Change is hard. It’s an unsubstantiated promise we have no real choice but to believe in until it either proves to work or we prove to adapt to it. Change is always happening around us though. Practically all of the laws of nature and physics hinge on the very concept of change as a continuous circumstance. The more we fight against it, the less likely we are to succeed at our goals or appreciate our successes, and as creatives, our work especially suffers in the wake.

The implicity of being creative is being open to new ideas when they hit you, so much so that you simply must find a way to express them in your own unique way. Negative headspaces impinge on our ability to accept new ideas––changes––when they occur. But it can be hard to pick oneself back up from the gully of refusing change when the things that must change seem truly monumental. And that is what makes this season of the year so hard. It’s not about committing to our goals but instead is about committing to our processes. 

Like change, being an artist is hard too, especially in the modern world. Whether an artist in job title or not, it can be very hard to stay creative when so many things must change, or when too many things seem to be changing at once. But whether it be a constriction on one’s availability of time, money, or energy if not all three, solutions surely exist for everyone. So, here are five easy and completely free solutions––or as we like to call them, “Rut Busters”––that we believe can help ensure your 2024 is one of growth and change.

#1 - Socialize your interests

One of the most creatively inspiring sources in life is found in other people. But it can be hard to make new acquaintances as one grows older and gains additional responsibilities, settles into a routine, or recedes within oneself in times of hardship. In order to ensure life doesn’t fall into a dull routine that embezzles our creativity, it is important to meet people outside of our usual environments. 

This is what can make things like clubs, classes, and social events so fulfilling for many people––they get us out of our usual headspaces by replacing our usual influences with new ones. Interacting with strangers, especially over a shared interest such as birdwatching, painting, or yoga, literally forces us to adopt a new approach and mindset, if only until the next time you both meet, perhaps then as friends or collaborators.

There are tons of classes and clubs out there that are completely free to join. I particularly suggest investigating your local library for classes, or your town’s Chamber of Commerce website for local events and mixers. These are more than likely to be free or fairly affordable and are a great way to shake up a random weeknight. 

#2 - See the sun every day (or at least as much as you can)  

I have been extremely lucky to work jobs in some pretty scenic places––country clubs, lakeside summer camps, and massive urban parks. And only a few years ago did I finally realize just how lucky I was to have that opportunity. Nowadays, I make it a daily priority to take at least 30 minutes out of my lunch break at work to go on a walk. While this is obviously not a solution to all of my problems, it has helped in some pretty amazing ways.

Going outside on my lunch break every day led to me bringing my camera with me on those walks, which then led to me having some significant ideas about the photos I was taking and the ultimate body of work I was building. I didn’t even realize it for a while, but I had a great photography project brewing up right inside of my camera the whole time! And before long, this led to me making new decisions about the work I was doing not only as a photographer but in my day job and other pursuits as well. All this from a simple walk.

Not everyone has the same luxury that I have been able to enjoy. Perhaps you work in a dreary downtown area of your city with no public greenspaces. Perhaps you have such an immense workload that you don’t even truly get a lunch break. I’m not saying my solution works perfectly for everybody. But I do believe the idea of spending even just a little bit of time outside every day is good for the body, mind, and soul. And there is plenty of science to back up this claim.

So, if can be afforded, find a time in your daily routine to get outside. Or find one day off a month to go for a long hike. If you do this often enough, you might just stumble upon something that inspires you to do amazing things.

#3 - Take the risk and share your work. Share the process if it’s not complete.

We’re all about sharing your work at Art Grove Newsletter, but we also know how scary that can be to do. Like change, putting ourselves out there is an unsubstantiated promise we make with ourselves to accept until it works out for us. But unlike change, our existence is not steamrolled over when we fail at catching someone’s attention and admiration.

The problem comes from the fact that so much of what we consider “sharing work” in the modern world is poisoned by how most of us can afford to do it. It takes time, money, and a preexisting body of work to usually get the attention of those who can change an artist’s life the most. And because social media is (for now) mostly free to use for everyone, it is thought to be a ubiquitous solution for sharing one’s art and passions. But it comes with some strings attached, namely toxic compulsions to compare ourselves with others and the godless behavior that others undertake when hiding behind the anonymity of a keyboard. And these things make it even scarier to call oneself an artist in the modern world.

But labels are just that. What matters is that you are doing it. Many are hindered from sharing their work by a list of common fears, namely not being taken seriously, being ridiculed, failing to follow through on one’s advertised projects, or not being heard at all. But so long as you are making art, you are an artist and that is still worth a damn. You deserve to feel proud of that and share it however you are most comfortable, whether that means making an Instagram post or setting up a table on the sidewalk to sell prints. And if you don’t have anything to show for your work yet, your process is worth a damn too, especially to others who might be even further behind than you.

#4 - Apply to one thing each month

An extension of the previous rut buster, this one takes things a step further. Once you begin calling yourself an artist, it becomes far easier to convince yourself of the value of applying for opportunities. Because even if you fail, by now you should know that a job title or spot in a program isn’t what makes you an artist.

There are plenty of opportunities out there that are free to apply for. The caveat is that it takes some work, and seldom is it very fun. But not everything about being an artist should necessarily be free from the less-enjoyable truths of life––it takes some level of discipline to hone an interest or skill, and an equal amount to use it for productive means. 

The payoff, of course, is that new opportunities arise more frequently when one takes on more of this risk. But as previously stated, that notion of risk is a false one if you already believe in yourself as an artist.

#5 - Lay on the floor, turn off all the lights, and listen to music

I’ve recommended meditation as an aid for anxiety to more people than I can keep track of at this point. Few, if any of them have taken me up on the idea. Usually because it’s “just not their cup of tea,” which is… fair enough.

We’re all different. Duh. Our brains are wired based on our own unique life experiences and genetic material. Heavy breathing and mindfulness might be a godsend for some, but for others, it solves little if anything at all. But if there is one thing that all humans share in common (except for Jeff Bezos) it is that we simply cannot resist some good music (except for Jeff Bezos… seriously, look it up).

Music’s effect on the human body and mind is simply incredible. Tons of research has been conducted that shows music can lower blood pressure, reduce pain, improve memory, and combat sleep issues. Listening to music has even been shown to increase blood flow to the brain and limbic system, which controls emotional regulation, resulting in a heightened mood. 

So, next time you come home from a long and stressful day of work or school, and want to veg out on the couch until bedtime, try adding this simple, pleasureful practice in between: Find a dark, quiet place in your home, turn off all the lights, and listen to your favorite relaxing album from start to finish––my favorite lately has been “Songs from the Valley” by John Vincent III. 

And after it’s done, then you can go veg out on the couch.