I am asked this a lot and to be honest I really do not have a solid answer for this question.  I try really hard to continue forward; writing about things that matter to me.  I try very hard to continue to create artwork that illuminates a beauty that I seen in the world.  Like every other writer or artist, I too have my down days.  I have my days that appear my emotions are a wreck, or my creativity has shut down and I go around wearing a blindfold where I cannot see the beauty I usually always do.  How do you become motivated to write during these days, how do you become motivated to create a picture during these days?  Sometimes, it is during these days you can pull something up and out of the darkness that actually can turn a very unique piece.  

No matter how much we would like to believe that life is full of fluffy puppy dogs and cuddly blankets, it’s not.  There are days that are gray and gloomy and it is during these days that sometimes we just need to sit back and endeavor in its existence.  Often I am told that many people, especially women go through a down time, something like a depression during the colder months, and when spring and summer time arrive, they become bright and vibrant; loaded with a tremendous amount of energy. I am not sure if our zodiac sign has something to do with that or the season we were born in, but most of the time I experience things just the opposite of others.   I feel like my energy sleeps during the summer and begins to awaken during the fall and winter.

I honestly believe in order to stay motivated in your endeavors you must make sure that your niche is exactly what is in your heart. If your personality forms around being multi-faceted, then you have a wider range of things of you can write about or different arts and crafts you can do. Since I bore easily, I have several different areas I can work in.  My motivation in my endeavors is linked to my independence.  I have been this way all of my life and no matter what my situation is, it all comes back to keeping my independence and setting my goals to meet that.  

I am not one that has a strong sense of patience, I suppose that is why I am linked in so many different networks, trying to figure out where I can fit that will meet my goals.  Often it feels like being caught up in a whirlwind.  You read a hundred different pages recommending other sites where you can make good money, so you try to give each place a shot.  But on the other hand that is often what causes the whirlwind, because you begin to lose a certain focus on your niche, being multi-faceted or not. 

I agree with pgrundy here at HubPage, when she said you must continue to write, write some more and keep writing.  Even if you just do some journal writing during your down days, continue to write.  I have tried working on art during my off days and have spent all day working on it, just to delete or throw it out at the end of the day.  Some would think I wasted the whole day, often I think that too, until I create my next picture and it turns out to be one of my best pieces.  Or I will write all day and end up deleting that piece and eventually write a keeper.  Believe it or not, every writer and every artist has their days when they just sit back and do nothing.  Those days need to be honored just as well.  

Making a living at writing and doing art online is one of the biggest challenges for me and although sometimes I just want to stop and go back to work an outside job, that challenging bug keeps me going. I will add something new to my online store, or write a new piece or create a new picture that will get good feedback and that rekindles the creativity flame deep inside. Everybody whether they admit it or not, needs feedback.  It either, rekindles something inside of them, or discourages them for a while and that makes their adrenaline simmer up again and they try harder or do better on their next project. 

So as I said earlier, there may not be a solid answer for how to stay motivated in your goals, but it begins with honoring you.  If you have down days, honor that.  If you have days you are overflowing with creativity, honor that.  Set your goals, find your motivational key and feed from that.  I know I have chosen to work online writing, doing artwork and running a small online business.  Since I chose this path, I will do everything in my power to make it work, as should you if you chose this.  You cannot just put things out there and expect them to get noticed without promoting them.  It is never ending and to this very day I learn this more and more.

I have always known what my niche was, and unfortunately I have not found the right social network for my niche (yet) but that does not stop me.  I do not play games when it comes to my career, I know that the two pennies I make today will eventually turn into the income I need.  With the economy the way it is that makes generating an income online even harder.  Learning to use all of the tools that are available can help a lot if you learn to use them at their full capacity.

In closing, remain true to who you are, even if you are not running in front or not following the pack, always remember you are unique, you are an individual, and never give up on your dreams.   One of my biggest dreams has been to have my artwork seen for the “Spirituality” I try so hard to put in each picture. One day, I received an email from a publication company who seen one of my pictures and wanted to use it on a card that was being made into an Inspirational Card Deck by a fantastic author.  These cards will be published worldwide and one of these cards will have my picture on it! If I would have given up on my dream and my goals for working online, chances are I would have never gotten this opportunity.  So my motivation is this: I do believe in myself and I do honor myself even on off days.  Believe in yourself, work hard at it, never give up and always remember….dreams really can come true!