There was a stretch of time when every new project felt like a checklist, not a creative opportunity. I was showing up, doing the work, but I couldn’t remember the last time I felt inspired – and I love this work.
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering where your spark went, you’re not alone. Creative fatigue doesn’t mean you’re broken, it means you’re human. And sometimes, what we need most isn’t to push through it, but to make space to feel curious again.
After months (or years) of holding the weight of client demands, team management, and endless decisions, it’s easy to forget that you started your firm because you loved the work itself. You loved the sketching, the brainstorming, the dreaming, the designing – the spark.
This month’s Ratio Reads is an invitation to do just that: to return to yourself, rekindle your creative joy, and rediscover what lights you up – even if only for 10 minutes at a time.
March was about learning to run your business so it doesn’t run you. April is about remembering why you chose this path in the first place – and giving yourself permission to create with joy again.
Signs You Might Need to Reignite Your Spark
- You’re going through the motions but feel creatively flat
- You avoid new ideas because they feel like more work, not fun
- Your creativity feels performative — for clients, not yourself
- You haven’t created just for you in a long time
- You’re craving color, music, light — something different
If any of these made you nod your head… this month’s books are here to meet you where you are.
Here are four books to help you reconnect with your creative energy, shake off perfectionism, and remember that your ideas matter just as much as your spreadsheets.
📖 Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
This book feels like a love letter to the creative spirit in all of us. Gilbert invites us to approach creativity with curiosity instead of fear – to follow what feels interesting without worrying about the end result.
When I first read Big Magic, I realized how often I’d been holding back ideas because I wanted them to be “good” or “perfect.” This book reminded me that the act of creating itself is the reward.
What you can implement:
Pick one small creative idea you’ve been avoiding – a new service concept, a different marketing approach, or even a personal hobby – and take one tiny step toward it this week, with zero expectation of outcome. Just play.
Why We Lose the Spark (and Why That’s Okay)
It’s easy to think something’s wrong when the spark dims. But in reality? It’s often a sign that your mind and body are asking for something different – space, slowness, input instead of output.
Creative people aren’t machines. We can’t expect to constantly produce without pause. We need moments of stillness, even boredom, to make room for what’s next. Losing your spark isn’t failure – it’s feedback.
📖 The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
Legendary music producer Rick Rubin shares that creativity isn’t just about making things — it’s a way of moving through the world.
His reflections encourage us to notice more, slow down, and create space for unexpected ideas to show up. For business owners constantly in “output” mode, this book is a beautiful reminder to also allow time for input and stillness.
What you can implement:
Block one morning this month for “creative wandering.” No calls, no emails, no deliverables — just journaling, sketching, or exploring ideas that excite you. Notice what comes up when you step away from productivity for a moment.
📖 The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Resistance – that sneaky force that stops us from pursuing big ideas – shows up for all of us. The War of Art is a kick-in-the-pants manifesto on pushing through that resistance and doing the work anyway.
Whether it’s launching a new service, pitching a big client, or sharing your story publicly, this book offers practical and inspiring encouragement to get out of your own way.
What you can implement:
Identify one project or idea you’ve been procrastinating on (we all have at least one). Commit to working on it for just 15 minutes tomorrow. Often, starting is the hardest part — and 15 minutes can be the momentum you need.
📖 Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
A quick, fun, and deeply liberating read, this book reminds us that nothing is truly original — and that’s not a bad thing!
Kleon gives you permission to be inspired by everything around you, remix ideas, and create from a place of freedom rather than fear. For women leaders and designers who feel pressure to be constantly groundbreaking, this book feels like a deep exhale.
What you can implement:
Create an “inspiration swipe file”! A folder or notebook where you collect colors, quotes, images, project ideas, or even lines from conversations that spark something inside you. Let this be your creative playground.
Why these books matter (and why now)
Your business is an extension of your creativity – but it can’t thrive on systems and strategy alone. It needs your energy, your ideas, your spark.
When you reconnect with your creative self, you show up more powerfully as a leader, a designer, and a human. You remember that building a business isn’t just about crossing things off a to-do list — it’s about creating something meaningful that reflects who you are.
Creativity isn’t a switch you flip. It’s a rhythm – one you’re allowed to lose and return to again and again.
You don’t need a five-day retreat or a blank calendar to begin again. Just a little space, a little curiosity, and a reminder that your spark is still there – waiting to be invited back in.
So if you’re craving more joy, more color, and a little less pressure… let these reads be your permission slip to return to what lights you up.
Tell me: what’s lighting you up lately?
Have you read any of these? What’s one small way you’re inviting creativity back into your business (and life) this season? Hit reply or drop a comment — I’d love to hear what’s sparking for you.
Missed one of our other Ratio Reads? You can find the previous ones here:
P.S. Some links are affiliate links, which means if you buy a book, I get a few extra cents to fuel my next iced coffee purchase. Win-win! I only recommend books I truly love and use in my own business and with my clients.
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