Increase Your Creativity
From LoveToKnow Crafts
Did you know that it’s possible to increase your creativity? Everyone is creative, but everyone could also use a little help to increase their creativity, especially when they’ve been doing the same creative activities for a long time.
Taking a Creative Break
Sometimes we all just need a break from our day-to-day activities. Even people who consider themselves creative can occasionally get burned out on the creative pastimes that they enjoy.
The good news is it can be easy, and certainly fun, to get back in the creative spirit by going on a play date with your muse. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time or cost a lot (or any) money, but it can do wonders for your creative fire and your attitude in general.
How to Increase Your Creativity
The first step for you may be considering your creativity as a thing that needs to be nurtured and given appropriate stimuli. If you don’t consider yourself a creative person or are new to creativity, this may be a leap. Think of your creativity as a five-year-old child. It likes to be entertained, to try new things, and has a short attention span. Sometimes you just have to let it run around and play.
So what do you do to let your creativity play? Julia Cameron calls her play dates “artist dates” and says that every week you should take time to do something new or engaging and fun, just you and your artist. But I don’t think creativity likes anything regimented, including regimented play. Just do something fun when you have time, or when you need a creative pick-me-up. Don’t stress about it.
Playing with your artist can be something as simple as doodling on a big sheet of paper or rustling in the leaves in your backyard. You can surf the Internet for something you always wanted to know about (How do you get noticed on the national hog-calling circuit? How much wood would a woodchuck chuck? How much would it cost for you to take your family on a scrapbooking cruise?) or go on a virtual vacation and then write about it, draw it or dance it.
More Ideas for Increasing Your Creativity
Some other activities you can try include going to a museum or the library and wandering around (check out books that strike your fancy, not anything that seems like something you “should” read), taking your kids (or dog) to the park and actually playing with them, trying an art project that is different from what you normally do (like writing a story if you normally paint or working with fabric if you normally work with beads) or stealing your kids’ coloring books and coloring wild colors and outside the lines. Basically anything you think sounds like fun your muse will think is fun, too. Be creative and try new things. You don’t have to develop a new hobby out of your play time, but you should enjoy it and learn new things about yourself and your creativity.
If you’re really pressed for ideas, check out LoveToKnow’s kids section. Don’t limit yourself with the idea that grown-ups shouldn’t do crafts designed for kids!
One of my favorite playtime activities is a trip to the dollar store. You can load up on markers, crayons, stickers, coloring books, silly toys and fun journals. Search the toy section for an artistic “mascot” you can keep in your workspace to cheer you up and on as you create. Stock up on cheap picture books that you can cut up for collages, and don’t forget fun paper goods (tissue and wrapping paper). Give yourself permission to buy anything that strikes your fancy. Take $10 every month or so and go all out on fun things just for you to play with.
Have fun, be frivolous and then go home and use your new treasures. Color in the coloring books, make a sculpture from modeling clay, write a poem in fuchsia marker in your new journal. Just play. Have fun. Your creative spirit will thank you.
The Importance of Increasing Your Creativity
Going on a regular play date with your muse will make you feel more creative and more in touch with your creative side. As you work more with these kind of fun projects, you will see that you don’t just have a creative side, you are actually a creative being who lives in creativity all the time and is filled with fun ideas of ways to express yourself. You’ll probably also find yourself less stressed and more excited about daily life when you approach life in a more playful, creative way. You’ve got nothing to lose and whole new angles of creativity and passion to gain.
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