Creativity is often a slippery, fickle friend. It seems to come and go as it pleases, and the harder I work to catch it and hold it, the more elusive it becomes. At times it’s shy and is scared away easily, and at other times it’s strong-willed and monopolizes my attention whenever it pleases, regardless of the time, and whether or not I have something to write on and must fervently start taking notes on napkins. Here is my list of advice on how to deal with working creatively:

1. Approach creativity with too many negatives, and it will run away. You cannot expect to find your creative current if you are worried about the outcome of your endeavor or project, or if the voices in your head say, “you can’t do this,” or “this is stupid,” etc. Having faith and belief in yourself are key elements; creativity cannot thrive fully if you do not trust yourself.

2. Like most things in life, creativity comes when you are not forcing it, which is a paradoxical situation if creativity is given a deadline in school or work. The second you stop trying too hard to be creative, you will find your inspiration and imagination.

3. When you hit walls and dead-ends, step back, take a break, or change your perspective. Working creatively is not linear and straightforward (if it were, it wouldn’t be creative). The way you work on a project should be just as unconventional, unique, and personal as the project itself.

4. Like dating, creativity needs to be wooed in order to bait it, but not to the point that you are working too hard. You need to wait for creativity to call you, no matter how long it takes, because you don’t want to scare it away by being desperate.

5. Once creativity strikes, it should feel surprisingly natural, and incredibly fulfilling. It will feel like you were always meant to express yourself in this way, whatever your outlet is and whatever your project is. If you get caught in a creative flow, you might find that you lose track of time, forget to eat, or forget to go to bed—you’re on the right track! (But remember to take breaks to eat and sleep. Food and sleep deprivation will eventually take you out of the creative flow and start holding you back).

6. Understand that your creativity will never “run out.” Whenever you feel stuck or lost, this can be an indication that you need to take a break, and it can lead to other unexpected facets or realizations.

7. Go with your gut instincts, and never, never talk yourself out of something. Immediately question the impulse to talk yourself out of things—this is either laziness, or more commonly, fear and resistance. Feeling resistant to your creative impulses is human and very natural. But don’t let that be the end of the road.

8. It may seem like a good idea to save your good ideas and dole out creativity bit by bit, but actually it’s better to act on your creative impulses as soon as you can and as much as you can. Why wait? Sometimes ideas go sour if they get shelved away in your head, and any amount of creative work is helpful and productive. Success is not the end-goal, expression is. So what if all you do is write your ideas down, draw pictures, or talk it out with a friend? If you take any step at all beyond simply having ideas, it is impressive progress. Most people never get past that first step.

It’s hard to clear the mind of frustration and doubt, but the more you are able to do this, the easier it will be for you to slip into being creative. Follow these guidelines and you will be well on your way, but remember that no matter what happens in your personal creative journey, always be patient with yourself.