Inspiring ourselves through 2026
2026 has hit like a freight train — and if you’re wondering how you’re going to find a way through, I’m here to tell you that your creativity can help.
This week I’m thinking about how our creativity can help us stay inspired.
Inspired to keep going, inspired to act, inspired to move through fear and to meet whatever’s coming with a sense of hope, possibility and optimism.
What is inspiration?
You’d be forgiven for feeling like inspiration as a goal is overly-ambitious right now. Times are wild and tough. And most of us have also been told that inspiration is a pipe dream — a lightning bolt from the gods that we should just forget about.
I’ve soaked enough of that messaging in, that inspiration almost feels like a dirty word.
But inspiration is achievable, it’s available to us all — and I think we have a responsibility to access it if we can, so that we can exercise our agency in the world and make good things happen.
The Oxford dictionary defines inspiration as “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.”
I like this definition, because it brings things down to earth. It reminds us that inspiration isn’t a fixed state bestowed upon a rare genius. It’s a process that we can all work our way into.
And we work our way into it by engaging with our creativity. Playing, exploring, developing, refining, testing, struggling, wondering. You can really start anywhere. Anywhere except scrolling on your phone, waiting for inspiration to strike (speaking to us all, myself included).
My inspiration game plan for 2026
So, to get the ball rolling — here are the things I’m doing for myself in 2026 to get engaged and open myself to inspiration.
Small acts of creativity everyday
This is about engaging my creativity in small ways while I go about the business of life — making little doodles while I drink my coffee, exploring my senses while I’m out walking, putting music on and dancing while I make dinner.
This feels important because I have lots of big ‘C’ creative projects on the go this year. And that means I’m prone to burnout and letting the pressure rise in other parts of my life. So I’m going to take my medicine and engage my creativity in small ways, lower the stakes for myself, and allow inspiration to flow.
Exercise
I need to be moving energy through my system everyday and keeping the channel open and clear. Long term, it’s about making sure I’m fit and able to build things and, of course, rock out on stage well into my old age. But day-to-day, exercise is also one of the best ways I know of harnessing the power of indirectness - that phenomena of turning away from a problem, so that the answer (or you could say, the inspiration) can appear in your peripheral vision.
Showing up
I want to be showing up in person for things I care about this year. It’s easy to underestimate the importance of showing up — both for ourselves and our communities. But I want to stop doing that, and just start showing up. Music things, art things, business things, activism things, community things. Engaging in the process of being with other humans, face to face, and trusting inspiration will find me there.
Inspiring ourselves so we can inspire others
For all you leaders out there, it’s worth remembering too that inspiring ourselves is really the best and only way we can inspire others. More than ever, we need inspirational leaders who feel connected to their own creativity, with the energy and steadiness to help their teams and organisations respond to the challenges coming toward us this year. So if that’s you — I believe in you and I’m sending big, creative, inspirational energy your way! Sing out if I can help.
Doodle Cafe — Launching 24 February
If the inspiration game plan struck a chord, you could dive into activities 1. and 3. above by coming along to Doodle Cafe on 24 Feb in Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington. And if you walk or bike there, you’d tick off activity 2. as well — the trifecta!
Doodle Cafe is a monthly event where professionals gather to explore our creativity. We get together, talk creativity and then we doodle around. You are warmly welcome and you can sign up here.
Keep an eye out for more dates, including online options later in the year.
And I’ll leave you with this little video of my January doodles, to get us in the mood.
Creative power to you,
Kate x
Want to learn more about my leadership coaching practice grounded in creativity, or interested in working together? Get in touch at hello@kateyesberg.com