Last weekend, Mr. F and I took a little backpacking trip up into the Trinity Alps, a mountain range about two hours east of Eureka.  As we were hiking, I got to thinking about the parallels between the creative process and adventuring. The act of being creative, whether as an artist, writer, musician or however you stretch those muscles, is a daring endeavor– you can plan and prepare, but the real joy is in the unknown path ahead.

Want to know how to be a creative adventurer?  Here are a few simple steps to venture into the unknown!

1 | set some goals and make a plan.  Think about where you’d like to end up and what you think you’ll need to achieve to get there.  The trail might be smooth or you may end up doing some bush-whacking to find your way, or you may change course altogether, but setting out with a vision of the finish line will help keep you focused when you feel like giving up.

2 | find yourself a partner.  Whether it’s a spouse, friend, or fellow creative, tell someone your plan.  It’s never smart to go out into the wild on your own and having some company along the way will help to keep you on the right track and keep your perspective in check.

3 | work your plan, one step at a time. We all want to race to the finish line, to skip the grueling climb and reach the peak.  Prepare to feel overwhelmed, discouraged, to want to turn around and head back down the mountain.  But keep on keepin’ on and before you know it, you’ve turned the next corner.

 4 | know when to veer off the plan and take a risk.  Just because you have a plan doesn’t mean you must stick to it if things aren’t working.  Maybe the path isn’t what you thought it would be or you just need to liven things up a little.  Take a risk and you may find that you end up in a place even better than you imagined.

 5 | let yourself take a break.  If you’re finding yourself discouraged or disillusioned with where you’re going, give it a rest for a while.  Do something else, something fun and completely different, then come back refreshed and rejuvenated.

6 | celebrate your successes!  It’s easy to get so caught up into heading for the next goal that we forget to take the time to celebrate our achievements.  Take a moment, a day, an evening, and dedicate it to treating yourself and reveling in a mission accomplished!

7 | evaluate & recalibrate  Now that you’ve reached the pinnacle, look back at what you’ve done and how you got there.  What would you change?  How can you be better prepared for next time?  Mr. F and I do this after each backpacking trip and we always find things we can improve for next time.. I mean, did we really need all this trail mix?

Once you can see objectively where you’ve been and how you’ve got there, you’ll have a clearer idea of where you’d like to go next.  And a sense of assurance that you can do what it takes to get there.

Are you headed out on a creative adventure or find yourself in the midst of a journey?  How’s your progress?

All images by Artsy Forager.