I recently updated a post called Can Creativity Help in a Time of Crisis and Uncertainty? which was originally posted last year.

Very little has changed for many of us since then; we are still battling the same virus, still enduring lockdowns, still living through unprecedented times when we are prevented from doing many of the things which we formerly took for granted.

At the time of writing, none of us knows for how long these conditions will endure or what the eventual outcome of this pandemic will be.

Neither do we know what the eventual return to some sort of normality will look like.

In the meantime we need to survive as best as we can, look after ourselves and our loved ones, and mind our physical and mental health. We need to make use of all the resources at our disposal to do that.

Each of these posts offers some ideas about how to support ourselves through this time.

I hope you find them useful.

In the absence of travelling for photography I tried to capture beauty in the remains of last year's hydrangea in my garden

1. https://www.wildwillowways.com/post/creativity-challenges

We all need to keep negativity at bay during these challenging times. Taking on a creative challenge, however small, can help to do this and, as well as developing our creativity, these challenges are a boost to our mental and emotional health. Have a look at what's available and find a creative challenge to suit you.

2. https://www.wildwillowways.com/post/6-ways-to-reignite-your-creative-spark

If you are having difficulty harnessing your creativity at the moment, for whatever reason, these tips are for you. Hopefully they will help you to rekindle that creative spark and to get in touch with your inner artist once more.

3. https://www.wildwillowways.com/post/how-to-get-out-of-a-creative-rut-and-into-flow

This blog is a sort of follow up to the previous blog in which I gave my six tips for releasing our creative energy when it gets smothered in all the day to day busyness or when we just can’t find our ‘mojo’. There are other times, though, when you find yourself in a real creative rut, when nothing you create excites you, when the creative energy is low or even non-existent. How do you get out of that rut and back to a 'flow' state, fully absorbed in what you are doing?

4. https://www.wildwillowways.com/post/how-to-stay-motivated-in-these-uncertain-times

I have recently updated this post, which may be of relevance to anyone who is having difficulty with motivation at the moment. This post might be particularly pertinent now that most of us are in the middle of a strict lockdown. I offer 7 tips that have helped me stay motivated and some resources that might interest you.

5. https://www.wildwillowways.com/post/how-do-we-keep-our-blogs-relevant-in-this-time-of-crisis-and-uncertainty

In this blog I discussed what the world needs from bloggers right now, and, more importantly, what the world does not need from bloggers right now. Read my post and see if you agree with my views.

Re-reading these posts has given me the motivation to keep creating, to keep positive and active, to keep doing something each day which is uplifting and which supports my mental and physical health.

I hope you find something here which will motivate you in the same way. If you do, please share the post.