Simple, Gentle and Customizable Ways to Jump Start Your Creativity
As creatives, taking time to refill our own creative well can be anything from a bit of a challenge to a complete balancing act.
Speaking from my own experience, I can easily slip into consuming the creative expression of others cough “scrolling” to the point where I have firmly convinced myself I do not have a creative bone in my body.
As someone who loves many different mediums and can move from writing to sewing to painting to gardening to drawing in Procreate to hand embroidery I love that when I don’t feel interested in one creative project there are lots of others to choose from.
When I am in a creative rut however it can be easy to fall into overwhelm (ugh I have so much stuff in my creative space) or fall into watching other people being creative and realize it’s been quite a while since I exercised my own creative muscles. It’s really a bit of a balancing act, being really honest with myself and paying attention to whether I am recharging my creativity or just blindly consuming.
This past week has been a bit full on for me and I feel like I could use some time focusing just on little ‘ole me and maybe recharging my own creative well.
Which leads me to the theme of this week’s Letters: Planning a Creative Recharge.
I don’t know about you but one of my favorite things when I’m planning something is the research. I love getting inspired, making a page in my notebook, taking loads of notes and pretty much not actually doing any of those things.
I think the planning stage for things is fun. It’s a way to be inspired, to step into that realm of possibility where nothing has been made and yet anything is possible.
Recharging creatively of course looks different for everyone. We are all in different life stages, require different things and enjoy different things. I am hoping that my suggestions here are less to-do list and more of a spring board speaking from my creative spirit to yours and sparking ideas of your own.
I am also going to try and include ideas that work no matter where you live. A walk around a museum is lovely if you have one nearby but I am going to try and offer ideas that you can do where you are with what you already have. Here we go!
- Creative Space Reset: Alright this one might be less exciting since I am basically suggesting we clean but hear me out! So often I get into a creative rut and as someone who completely forgets I own something if it’s not in my direct eye line, going through and cleaning up my space can truly inspire me. I find just picking up a medium will spark an idea and before I know it, I have a clean (ish) space and lots of new ideas. Or I’m sitting in the middle of a pile of stuff making art-really a win either way.
- Creative Picnic: I wanted to include something that can be done even if you don’t have a full day to take or maybe if you have little ones that are in need of attending to. Take your creating to a blanket in a park or your backyard. Bad weather? Set up a picnic inside on the floor and grab your favorite medium. Enjoy some snacks and have a creative play.
- Glue Book: Sometimes I want to make something but I am at a loss for ideas. That’s when cutting and gluing can be so much fun. Grab a sketchbook, a magazine or some junk mail, a pair of scissors and a glue stick. Start cutting and gluing. If you really don’t know what to make just try and fill a page with images. Cut squares the same size and fill a page. Cut circles and space them evenly on the page. Fill a page with one color or play paper dolls and cut out a person and change up their outfit, hair, add a hat. This is another great one to do if you have little ones with you too.
- Make a Bed Bag: There is something I love about creating while sitting on my bed listening to music. I think it brings me back to my teen and pre-teen years where I would spend time adding to my New Kids on the Block scrapbook with images found in Teen Beat Magazine. Still there is something so not serious about sitting on your bed making something. You could really go old school and grab some embroidery floss and make yourself some friendship bracelets. String on some beads or maybe open up that embroidery kit you bought last year. Sketch, color whatever you want! Fill a canvas bag with some things you have been meaning to try out or are your favorite supplies and have a play. Finishing off with a nap earns you extra bonus points.
- Fill a Notebook: This one is a challenge and creative expression all in one. Plus it’s flexible enough to be done along with any of the tips above. Grab a small, cheap notebook. Spiral bound, lined whatever you have. Those mini composition notebooks would be great too and fill it! You can grab a sketchbook that only has a few pages in it and then just add stuff! Draw, color, watercolor each page with a different color. Use crayons and fill each page with rainbows. Doodle. Glue. Set a challenge for yourself to fill the notebook without worrying about what you make. In the end you can use the pages for collage or you can create over them but the only thing more exciting than starting a new sketchbook is finishing one.
So there are just a few easy ideas for you to refill your creative well. I tried to come up with some new ideas but please feel free to add your own in the comments I would love to hear how you recharge your creativity.
Until next time…
-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante
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