I use my creativity often in my college life (I’m a visual media major with a job as a marketer), and I’m the first to tell you that burnout is real when it comes to creativity. But every time I think I’m spent, something little reminds me that there’s so much to be inspired by if you just look a little harder.

A recent example: is this article. I’ve suffered writer’s block and the words haven’t come easy to me. But sitting outside in the breeze, I started writing about how hard it is to write, and it’s turned into this. My article was supposed to be about getting out of your comfort zone—funny enough, I had to turn to a place I felt comfortable to be able to put pen to paper. Creativity doesn’t live exclusively in spontaneity, nor does it thrive in the unknown. True creativity comes from the expression of self and that can take place anytime or anyplace.

I’ve found that my most inspired moments come from the times when I’m not thinking about being creative. The photos I take when I think the subject is worth capturing are the ones I like more than any other. In the middle of the night, when I can’t sleep because of an idea, I write it down and revisit it—they almost always yield something positive.

The little moments of quiet that life slips in are the moments in which I find myself inspired. Sitting by a tree, walking the track at the Rec, driving by flowers, sipping my coffee—the tiny moments in between are the ones you can’t miss out on.

Be well, Auburn.