One of the hardest things for me as a teacher of young children was hearing them say “I can’t” or “I don’t know how” in response to a request to draw yourself or draw something you love or draw anything! And the adult equivalent to that is “I’m not creative” or “I’ve never been the creative type.” I believe that everyone has the capacity to be creative in some aspect. Even though you may not have the gift to make a living as an artist, you can create if you nurture your creative self. In this post you can take a quick quiz to determine if your creative self is being nourished or starved and then use the simple creative activities to jumpstart your creativity provided at the end.
Are you entering a new life stage?
Maybe you are in a life stage where you have more free time. Are you an empty nester or a retiree? Perhaps you recently relocated and don’t know quite what to do with yourself in this new place. I wonder if you are feeling a bit restless or discontent about your current situation. Have you ever considered this might be because there is a creative side to you that is itching to be uncovered? Perhaps you have a dream in your heart to create something, but you just can’t see what in the world it could be. This is the perfect time to discover what your heart has been telling you for a long time, but it has been lost in the noise and activity of raising children and working a demanding job.
How long has it been since you did something to nurture your creativity? Umm, yeah, that is way too long. I know what you are thinking: I don’t have time, I am not creative, I can’t do that, I don’t have any art supplies, yada yada……yada. It is time to start changing that mindset, retrain your brain and claim the creative life you were meant to live.
I have a creative goal of writing a children’s book and I have been waiting for YEARS for THE perfect idea, but not taking any steps to make this goal a reality. I highly doubt I am going to get anywhere with this goal until I start nurturing the idea and taking steps to develop a story. Inspiration isn’t going to just drop down out of the sky and hit me on the head! I sure wish it would though! You may not have a creative goal whatsoever and that is perfectly fine. Today, I am just encouraging you to take a look at your daily life and see if you are starving or nurturing your creative self and I am providing you with a list of simple activities to jumpstart your creativity. Take this little quiz to see where you stand.
Take the quiz!
- Do you look for inspiration around you? (flowers, trees, art, music, movement, books, movies)
- Do you spend time in quiet reflection?
- Do you have a comfortable space to do something creative? (table, corner desk, caddy or bin with your supplies handy)
- Do you make room in your schedule for some free time?
- Do you take time away from social media? (It can be a huge time suck and comparison trap)
- Do you look for creative resources to expand your thinking? (museums, classes, books)
Are you nourishing or starving your creative self?
If you answered “no” to one or two of those questions your creative cup is pretty full, and you are reaping the benefits of that. Perhaps you spend some time on a regular basis following through on your creative ideas. The more “no” answers you gave the more you are starving your creative self.
These things may seem like simple, common sense ideas and that would be an accurate assessment. You may have heard them all before. But sometimes it takes someone else to point out the obvious and get you to move off “high center”. Are you waiting for affirmation or a push to take action? Do you need some encouragement to be intentional about nurturing your creative self? Well, this is me, telling you, that it is time to dust off that journal or pick up that brush or pen and start something. Once you take that first step, you will be surprised how quickly your creative side feels nurtured and starts thriving. Sure, there will be times when you go through a creative desert, but you will come out of it if you use these activities to jumpstart your creativity.
Now I bet you are wondering…..what is my first step? I’m way ahead of you on that. I have a list of more than 20 things you can do to nurture your creativity that don’t require any specialized supplies or skills. Get into a routine of doing one or more of these things and you will see your creativity soar!
20+ Simple Activities to Jumpstart your Creativity
- Go for a walk – preferably in nature.
- Journal – try stream of consciousness journaling where you just write your thoughts.
- Listen to instrumental music.
- Go to a museum
- Take a scenic drive
- Spend time in quiet reflection or meditation.
- Create a collage with magazines
- Write out a story that happened when you were young.
- Read classic literature or poetry.
- Thumb through a magazine that inspires you
- Create a mind map
- Do a brain dump of all of the ideas swirling in your head so you can quiet your mind.
- Bake something special or make a meal with your own flair.
- Make a list of your favorite things.
- Start a gratitude journal.
- List things you are good at.
- Do yoga.
- Do a craft with kids.
- Write a letter to a friend.
- Doodle
- Dance
- Carry a notebook around for keeping thoughts and ideas in.
- Start a list of things you want to try (new classes, new art media)
- Create a list of things that make you happy.
Which one of these ideas appeals to you today? Let me know which ones you try and how it nourishes your creativity.
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