Last Updated on October 13, 2022 by Hollie Giglietti
Creativity is a special, magical thing. It’s the ability to look at the same thing as everyone else, see something different, and capture that in your mind or on paper.
Creativity is also a fleeting muse. With the stress of these past few years, maybe you have stopped doing the creative things you once adored. Creativity went away right when you needed it the most and it’s been really hard to get it back.
Today is DAY 4 of our Reignite Your Creative Life And Business Challenge and it’s time to start thinking about how we can get back to our creativity.
If you haven’t joined the challenge yet, click the image below.
But you’ve probably heard creativity calling to you again…
But you’re just not sure how to get it back in to your life…
The good news is that creativity is a skill you can hone to make it more accessible for you in your life. Creativity isn’t just about finding brilliant ideas when you need them. It’s also about being able to recognize opportunities for creative expression and add vibrancy and life back into the activities of your everyday life.
TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Choose one activity today, choosing from the list below, to start intentionally adding a bit of creativity back into your day. When you’ve chosen the activity, decide on 15 minutes, an hour or two to commit to the activity and set a timer.
Commit to your art/craft for 30 days
For extra bonus points on our challenge, commit to a creative practice for at least 30 days. This can be anything from making time for regular journaling, to making art with your hands, to creating a podcast.
When you commit to a creative practice on a regular basis, you’ll start to remember how much you love it. A daily practice will also build your confidence back up to pursue your creative endeavors in everyday life.
Here are 10 ideas to reignite The creative spark in your life:
Commit to something you’re passionate about
Finding out what inspires you and remembering what you used to feel passionate about can really help to reignite your creative spark. When you’re passionate about something, you naturally want to create. Creative endeavors are inherently rewarding, and they can be a great way to help you to reignite your spark.
If you’re not sure what you’re passionate about, you may want to try some new things to get in touch with your creative side. This can help you to find out what truly inspires you, and what you want to commit to pursuing.
Try taking a creative class, joining a social group, or immersing yourself in a creative project. Try a CreativeLive class! I got a new camera this past year and I’m going through a CreativeLive course for the Canon EOS R and loving it! There are so many fun classes to choose from and would be a great start to getting back to your creativity.
Watch a movie you adore
Creativity comes from inspiration – but it can also come from imitation and nostalgia. Nothing breeds nostalgia and familiarity like a good, old-fashioned movie.
Pick a movie that makes you feel nostalgic or inspires you. Watch the movie and then visualize yourself creating something similar. What would you do differently? What could you take from that movie and apply it to your own creative endeavors? What would you like to see more of in the world? These are all questions you can ask yourself while watching a movie.
Do something you loved when you were a child
Build a fort, ride your bike, make a mud pie or get out that coloring book (or buy a new one!) There are so many amazing coloring books made just for adults.
Flood your life with that magical child-like wonder you used to have. Be spontaneous! Have fun, laugh again, feel alive in the fact that you don’t have to be perfect or curate a sophisticated art piece.
Go for a walk
Taking a walk is one of the best ways to unplug from the things that stress you out and boost your creative energy. A walk in nature is particularly beneficial to creative flow since it can help us to get out of our heads and into our bodies. This can help you to get in touch with your natural flow of creativity and come up with some great ideas.
When you walk, your brain doesn’t have to focus on anything else because it doesn’t have to process information from your environment. This gives you the opportunity to free flow ideas. Many artists and writers take walks when they need to get creative work done. Even if you don’t have a specific project or task to work on, taking a walk will help to boost your creativity.
Walking can also be a great way to come up with new ideas. All you need to do is put your brain in the right mindset. To get the most out of your walk, you need to be open-minded and willing to let your creativity flow naturally. You may be surprised at what ideas come to you when you’re not actively trying to find them!
Go on a digital fast
I know we hate this one. But in our online world we’re constantly bombarded with new information and stimuli. This can be extremely helpful and beneficial, but it can also be paralyzing.
How do we know when we’ve received enough information? How do we know when to say no? How do we know when to turn it off completely?
All of these questions can be answered by going on a digital fast. You can do it for 24 hours, a week, or even longer if you feel the need. No matter how long you decide, it will be worth it. Imagine all the new ideas YOU could come up with during this time.
Try something new and risk failure
If you are feeling creatively depleted, try taking on a project that’s outside your comfort zone. Trying something new that stimulates your creativity and helps you to learn new skills can help to reignite your creative spark.
This can be anything from learning a new language, painting for the first time, or even building or hand making something.
When you take on a creative project that you don’t know how to do, you don’t have the option of falling back on what you know. You have to use your creative skills and think outside the box to succeed, even if you fail. This can help to reignite your creativity and give you the motivation and confidence to explore your creative side further in the future.
Network with other creators
Regularly interacting with other creators and people who are passionate about what they do can be a great way to help reignite your creative spark. When you regularly interact with other artists and creators, it can help you to get in touch with your own creativity. It can also inspire new ideas, and help you to get more in touch with your creative side.
You can network with other creators in a number of ways, such as joining a creative meetup or social group, or even just connecting with artists online. You may want to consider joining our Discord server called “The Lonely Artist’s Guild”, which is a group of like-minded artists who you can regularly connect with. This can be a great way to reignite your creative spark and help you to stay motivated and inspired as you work on creative projects alongside others.
Doodle and scribble to unblock your creativity
Artists and creatives often hit a wall in their creative process called “the block.” This happens when you feel creatively blocked and unable to get your ideas down on paper, or to move forward with your art project.
You may feel like you have nothing to say, or that your work is boring. This can be incredibly frustrating! But luckily, there are some simple things that you can do to unblock your creativity.
One way to unblock your creative flow is to scribble and doodle. This doesn’t have to be anything special, in fact, you don’t even have to show it to anyone. What’s important is that you get your ideas and thoughts out. This can help to clear your head, and will even help to get you in the mood to work on your project again!
Write a Creative Confidence Mantra
Sometimes, it can be easy to get stuck in a negative mindset when you’re trying to reignite your creative spark. You might find that you’re doubting your ability to come up with new ideas, or that you’re feeling inadequate or uninspired.
When these types of thoughts creep into your head, you may find that it interferes with your creative flow. But you don’t have to let these thoughts win. Instead, try writing a creative confidence mantra that you can look back on again and again.
This can be anything from a few positive mantras that inspire you, to a few quotes from your favorite creative people. Have you read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, Big Magic, yet?? You have to check it out!
Commit to a Creative Practice Daily
Finally, you can help to reignite your creative spark by committing to this daily practice today, for the next 30 days and beyond! This can be anything from intentionally scheduling time for creative work on your calendar, to adding a bit of creativity to your magical morning ritual, or creating a creative space or small corner, just for yourself.
All of these practices can help you to get in the mood for creative work and give you the confidence to regularly tap into your creative side.
When you commit to small practices to build your creative habit, you’ll find that it becomes easier to come up with ideas, and to reignite your creative spark.
Tell us in the comments which one you’re going to start with? Do you have any fun ideas to add to the list?
I like what the article said about doing things you liked to do as a child. Like making mudpies! This article really motivated me to be consistent with doing creative things daily even if it’s just having fun doodling!!