What if I told you that this week, I had to suffer through a creative dry spell?

It’s true.  I could not come up with a pupcake story no matter how hard I tried.  I spent so much time racking my pup brain and worrying about the fact that I had no idea for a story whatsoever.

Every idea that I came up with, I hated.  I even tried to pull inspiration from others and it didn’t work.

For a few moments, I actually worried that my creativity was gone forever.  That the pupcake story magic had completely disappeared.  I worried that my pupcake portfolio was done growing and journey to building my wealth was halted.

However, after a few minutes of panic, I realized how ridiculous I actually sounded.  The magic wasn’t gone.  It was just on hiatus.  And, I wasn’t out of fresh ideas.  They were simply buried under unnecessary worry.  Then I realized that this creative dry spell was exactly what I needed.  It was an excuse to give my puppy brain a break.

So, in that moment I decided to take one.  NO PUPCAKES.  NO PORTFOLIOS.  NO STORIES.  And most importantly, no pressures of meeting a deadline.

During my break, I gained some extra hours of laying in the sun.  I gained some more snuggle time with Mom.  I even got a chance to experience the joys of a little mindless behavior.  And, for a pup who’s always on the go and whose brain is constantly working, that’s a total blessing.

Creative dry spells are often a blessing in disguise.  Even though we hate to admit, especially when there’s a deadline to meet. However, “creative dry spells are like white space.  They help your artistic life to breathe and refocus.”

However, there is a trick to conquering those creative dry spells that’s simple, yet complex.

Sometimes creative ideas flow like water.  There’s no stopping them.  Other times we can struggle for a simple idea and no matter how hard we try…nothing.  However, trusting our creative process shows that we have faith in our abilities.  It helps us relax into a project, which usually helps ideas flow more freely.

Everyone’s creative process is different.  So, make it a mission to fall in love with yours.  Honestly, trusting my own creative process is something I continue to work on.  And with each new pupcake story I create or struggle to come up with, I keep working on it.

Learning to trust my creative process is how I eventually overcame my creative dry spell.  There was no secret formula.  Essentially, I trusted myself enough to come up with the answer.  And, at its core, that’s what trusting your creative process is all about.  That’s why…

These Starbucks Inspired Pumpkin “Puppuccino” Pupcakes are trusting your creative process even when that idea you’ve been searching for hasn’t hit you yet.

And of course, we believe that every pupcake has a love story.  So, while your favorite pup is PUPPY LOVIN’ on these pupcakes, we’d love to hear from you.

How do you handle a creative dry spell?  Where do you look for inspiration?

Please share your pupcake story in the box below.

And, after you’ve tried this recipe please share it with us @pupcakesugar on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or all three.  We’d love to see how they turned out for you.

Ingredients

Starbucks Inspired Pumpkin “Puppuccino” Pupcakes

• ½ Cup Brown Rice Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• ⅓ Cup Pumpkin Puree
• ⅓ Cup Plain Yogurt
• 1 Egg

Coconut Cream Frosting

• ½ Cup Coconut Cream

Instructions

Yields: 12 Mini Pupcakes

For Starbucks Inspired Pumpkin “Puppuccino” Pupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.  Line 12 1.75-inch mini-muffin pan with paper bake cups and set aside.
2. In small bowl mix together flour, baking powder and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl add olive oil, pumpkin puree, yogurt and egg. Beat on medium speed about 2 minutes or until combined.
4. Add dry ingredients into the mixture and blend for approximately 2 minutes until well mixed.
5. Fill each cupcake liner with 1 tablespoon of pupcake mix.
6. Bake pupcakes for 12 minutes. Pupcakes are done when you can stick a toothpick into the cake and it comes out clean.  Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
7. Spread or pipe coconut cream frosting onto the pupcakes.

For Coconut Cream Frosting

1. Refrigerate coconut cream over night to allow it to get hard.
2. In large mixing bowl beat coconut cream for 45 to 60 seconds until it is light and fluffy.
3. Spread or pipe coconut cream frosting onto pupcakes

Notes

• This recipe is for a fun treat ONLY. It should not replace your dog’s regular meals.  Please consult with your vet on the best plan for your dog’s diet.