Creativity should be something you harness everyday. As they say, use it or lose it. Refreshing your creative well should be an enjoyable, regular activity. Neglect it? It may run dry.
Don’t settle for creative rough patches and tend your mental garden like you would a patch of sprouting vegetables — water it, weed it and it’ll grow. These daily creativity exercises are quick, painless and can prevent your creative rivers from running dry.
- Draw for 15 minutes. Even if you aren’t an artist, take the time to draw something for 15 minutes out of the day. This can keep your mind sharp and your perception honed, which is great advice for any type of creative — not just the kind who’s good with sketching and drawing.
- Carry around a small notepad or sketchbook and write down a word or draw a doodle every hour. It doesn’t have to be extravagant…just a sort of free association exercise that paints a picture of your day.
- Buy a new creative supply and use it daily. This could be a new fountain pen or a set of colored pencils. When you invest in your creativity, you’re more inclined to use your supplies so they don’t go to waste.
- Write 100 words a day. If your creativity lies in writing or other forms of literature, it’s important to keep your pipes unclogged. Writing 100 words a day both proves to yourself you can write and gets your ideas onto paper, no matter how fledgling they might be.
- Look up a word everyday, or subscribe to a “word a day” website. Then write, draw or create something based on this word. Again, it can be simple — the success is in the accomplishment, not the complexity.
- Listen to different music. Music apps like Spotify have amazing playlist features that can turn you on to new artists and get your brain waves flowing in a new, innovative direction.
- Visit someplace new every day. Whether it’s taking a different route to work or going someplace different for lunch, take the scenic routes and try to let them inspire you to create.
- Create a creativity jar. Write down something simple, like an idea, word or memory, every day. Put the slip of paper you’ve written this on into a jar. At the end of the month, take out one slip of paper and create something based on what you pulled out.
- Step outside of your creative zone. Are you good at sketching? Write something every day. Are you a wordsmith? Doodle a picture every day. This forces your brain to think outside the box.
- Cook more. Creativity is more than just the traditional fine arts. Branch out into different hobbies — try cooking at least one meal every day.
- Look for online resources daily. Bookmark at least one site that inspires you every day, whether it’s a gallery of flower images or a list of writing prompts.
Creativity is very individualistic. What do you do to reignite your own creative spark? How do you express your creativity? Share your own tips with us and others so they too can utilize this important information.
Let’s spread some creativity today, shall we?
