Last year, I realized I had lost my spark. I was going through old photos and, while some of them were pretty cringe, I couldn’t help but feel like my younger self had something my current self didn’t. It wasn’t about my energy levels—thankfully, my wellness journey years prior had cured my early-twenties sluggishness—or even about how I looked. It was about a certain vibe I had in my early twenties—some might call it a spark.
After a lot of journaling, I realized I felt more interesting because I felt more interested—in my life, in myself, and in the world around me. On a mission to reclaim my spark, I came across an innocuous source of inspiration that, ultimately, changed my life: a tweet by the inimitable Swamp Princess herself, Doechii.
“I felt more interesting because I felt more interested.”
Doechii’s Advice
Like many creative people, Doechii is inspiring not just because of her music but also her work ethic and creativity. She’s become our generation’s bard of the creative process (see: Doechii has a whole new generation reading The Artist’s Way), so when I saw a Tweet of hers going viral, I didn’t underestimate the creative goldmine it could be. Thankfully, I was right:
“It becomes easier to socialize when you actually have things to talk about and you gain things to talk about when you actually have hobbies and experience. You get cooler by trying new things. Your taste develops with isolated pursuit of what YOU desire. Basically, go outside.”
I recognized so much of my old self in the type of person that Doechii was describing. Simple as the sentiment was, I felt like Doechii looked into my life and articulated what was missing. Bogged down by daily responsibilities and the mounting pressures of getting older, I had stopped making time for my hobbies, carving out intentional time to learn and create, and even meaningful time with my friends. The result? My life felt underwhelming, and so did all my conversations.
This tweet hit me hard. And I took it to heart.
As a Capricorn, I love a list. So instead of just saving this tweet as others might, I broke it down into bite-sized pieces and decided to put them into action.
How I Got My Spark Back
Step 1: Have hobbies
Have you ever felt a lull in a conversation? Or maybe you blank when someone asks what you’ve been up to. Doechii’s answer: develop hobbies. The first step to getting my spark back was auditing my current days. The results were… eye-opening. I realized that most of my time was spent either working or doomscrolling, so this call to cultivate more hobbies resonated deeply. To be intentional about the hobbies I chose, I thought carefully about what I wanted from them. In the past, I’ve become hyperfixated on potential new hobbies and bought equipment that eventually ended up languishing in the corner before being re-homed on Facebook Marketplace.
My criteria were simple: my hobbies had to be low-lift (read: no expensive equipment) and align with my existing interests. If they fit into my life, there was more chance I’d stick to them. I also hoped that my hobbies would be the doorway to new friendships. So I took this one step further: take my hobbies, and make them social. By attending poetry readings and scrapbooking sessions, walking clubs and salsa dancing classes, I met new people, expanded my interests, and, most importantly, gave myself something to be excited about—an excitement that carried over into all my interactions and my vibe.
READ: 20 Outdoor Hobbies to Try Now That It’s Nice Out Again
Step 2: Have new experiences
Looking back at my early twenties, especially my college years, most of my best memories happened by accident. Spontaneous decisions, letting a friend drag me into a bad idea–when was the last time I did anything like that? While I’m not as reckless as I was when I was younger, Doechii’s advice pushed me to seek new experiences. Social hobbies were the first step, but the next was to increase my surface area for luck. From seeking out local events to telling my friends I was open for adventure, I found that, no matter how dull your life seems on the outside, you might just have to open the door to find excitement and novelty. My best tip for finding new experiences: say yes. Seemingly innocuous invitations transformed into unpredictable adventures—which always make for the best stories.
Step 3: Try new things
In the same vein, I wanted to open myself up to new things on a smaller scale. As part of Doechii’s gospel, trying new things is the gateway to creativity and taste (which we’ll get to). So for this one, I balanced my embrace of spontaneity with a more structured approach. You guessed it: I made another list. I kept a running list of all the things I’d been meaning to try, all the new openings and events I heard about, and some events or experiences outside of my comfort zone that I could embrace. Keeping a list held me accountable. Every week, I resolved to check one off.
Sometimes it was something small, like trying a new cafe. But some of those spots have become my new regular hangouts where I’ve met like-minded people and found creative inspiration. I’ve also been introduced to new favorite artists, recommendations, and more by putting myself out there.
“I unlocked a version of my life that felt brand new, but was waiting for me the whole time.”
Step 4: Develop taste
As Doechii predicted, all of these new experiences have helped sharpen my taste. Specifically, they’ve taught me what I don’t like anymore. When I was first pursuing hobbies and experiences, I went back to that old version of myself and asked what she would do. However, my mission stalled when I realized I had outgrown certain activities. For example, when I resolved to take ceramics lessons—something I’ve always wanted to do since I first watched Ghost—I had fun for a few sessions, but found that it didn’t invigorate me as much as I thought.
Through trial and error, I’ve made major strides in developing my own taste. The key: following my rabbit holes of curiosity when something sparks joy. Broadening my horizons was the first step to being more inspired. Getting deep into the niche subjects you discover is taste.
Step 5: Pursue what YOU desire
While I learned it’s important to step out of your comfort zone, when I discovered new passions, I switched gears to follow them wholeheartedly. Instead of feeling obligated to a past version of myself—even if it was me from a week ago—I gave myself permission to go where the passion was.
No, this was not just an excuse to be fickle and give up on commitments. But I never wanted to get stuck in a rut. Instead, I wanted to find my groove. I realized that this was the core of Doechii’s advice: being more interesting, more cool, and finding your spark is about having the courage not just to be yourself, but to be the most realized version of yourself. That version doesn’t let its passions die on the vine. It goes after them. And that naturally attracts aligned energy and aligned people.
Step 6: Go outside
Poetic as always, Doechii’s advice ended with something all of our screen-addled brains needed to hear: go outside. Basically, the internet’s favorite phrase: “touch grass.” But she’s not the first to give that advice to creatives or people looking for a personal rebrand. In her video “How to be cooler overnight,” Toni Bravo said: “I’ve become the most inspired when I’ve put my phone down and touched grass outside.” Toni Bravo.
It makes sense that getting outside is a cheat code for being inspired and more interesting. But sometimes we trick ourselves into thinking that the next video we watch will unlock the key to transforming us overnight. It won’t. We can watch countless videos or read countless tweets. The only way to test what works is to try it out in the real world.
Key Takeaways
During this experiment, I realized that inspiration is one thing, but integration is another. While I love Doechii and think this is great advice, what really moved the needle was that last piece: getting outside. By actually putting these tips into practice in the real world, instead of sitting in my room moodboarding and journaling—though I did a lot of that, too—I unlocked a version of my life that felt brand new, but was waiting for me the whole time.
I feel brand new—but not in the way I expected. While I thought I would feel like my younger self, I realized how much I have outgrown her. As Doechii said, this exercise helped me develop my own taste and, in doing so, showed me how much I’ve changed in the last few years. Putting my ideas and creative energy into practice through hobbies and new experiences helped alchemize those changes into something I could see.
To anyone feeling uninspired, I’d recommend trying this process to jumpstart your creativity and get your spark back.
Langa Chinyoka, Contributing Writer
Langa is a Los Angeles-based writer and strategist. She is currently an editor and content strategist at a marketing agency. Her work has appeared in The Paris Review, British Vogue, Highsnobiety, Eyeswoon, Camille Styles, The Good Trade, and more.
