We Survived the Ice Storm
How Creators Can Stay Productive When Nature Says "Absolutely Not".
First of all, if you survived the ice storm, congratulations. You are stronger than your driveway, braver than your front steps, and emotionally changed by the sound of ice hitting your window at 3 a.m.
Natural disasters have a way of immediately humbling creators. Carefully planned content calendars? Frozen. Internet stability? A rumor. Motivation? Trapped somewhere under three blankets and a sense of dread. And sure, the worst of the storm may be behind us, but on the East Coast, it still feels less like recovery and more like we’ve soft-launched a second Ice Age. Whether it’s an ice storm or a hurricane, creativity doesn’t completely shut down just because nature decided to throw a tantrum; it just… gets weird.
And honestly? Weird can still be productive.
Step One: Accept That This Is Not a “Big Goals” Day
This is not the day to write the novel, launch the brand, or reinvent your creative identity. This is a “do something small and call it a win” day. Editing counts. Brain dumping counts. Opening a document and staring at it thoughtfully absolutely counts.
Lowering your expectations doesn’t mean giving up; it means adapting. And adapting is kind of a creator’s whole thing.
When the Power Is Questionable, Go Low-Energy on Purpose
Snow days are perfect for the kind of creativity that doesn’t demand much from you or your devices.
Think:
- jotting down half-baked ideas
- recording voice notes that future-you will either love or fear
- sketching, outlining, or making messy lists
Some of the best ideas show up when your brain is bored and mildly annoyed. Something about chaos really gets the creativity flowing.
The Storm Is the Content Now
If your plans are ruined, congrats, you’ve just been handed a new angle. Creators thrive on honesty, and nothing says “relatable” like “I had goals today, and then the weather said no.”
Share the disruption. Talk about the frustration. Post the behind-the-scenes chaos. People love seeing the human side of creativity, especially when everyone is experiencing the same icy nonsense at the same time.
Use Any Burst of Productivity Like a Survival Skill
- The Wi-Fi comes back.
- The power stabilizes.
- If motivation suddenly hits for 20 whole minutes.
That’s your moment.
Batch what you can, schedule ahead, or dump ideas into a doc for later. You’re not failing if you can’t maintain your normal workflow—you’re just creatively storm-prepping.
Rest Is Still Doing Something
Sometimes, the most productive thing you can do when faced with an unexpected complication is stop forcing it. Rest lets your brain recharge, your ideas settle, and your creativity come back online when conditions improve. Burnout during a natural disaster is not a badge of honor.
You’re allowed to slow down. Even the internet understands this one.
Creativity Bends. It Doesn’t Break.
Natural disasters disrupt routines, but they don’t erase creativity. They simply ask it to show up differently. Maybe that means less rigid goals, messier ideas, or content that looks a little more human than usual.
There’s also something oddly comforting about bad weather when it stretches on long enough to slow everything else down. When the roads are unsafe, and plans are canceled, the rest of life quietly powers down with it; day jobs pause, parties disappear, distractions fall away. It’s an ordered shutdown, whether you asked for one or not. And in that stillness, creativity sometimes has more room to breathe than it does on a perfectly scheduled day.
At Wallafan, we believe creativity survives storms, sometimes literally. So stay warm, stay safe, and create what you can, when you can.
The ice will melt. The ideas will come back. And your driveway will probably still be terrifying.
About the Author
Ashley is a busy wife and mother who can often be found listening to an audiobook while driving the mom taxi in a desperate attempt to cling to her sanity through the joy of escapism. Her love of reading inspired her to return to school, and she is currently finishing her bachelor’s degree in creative writing at Southern New Hampshire University. Being a mother does not mean you have to give up your dreams; her story is still being written.
