Do you find yourself missing your old hobbies? Do you feel like you’re in a creative slump? Are you ready for a change? In this post, you will find ways to add more creativity to your life and get back on your creative journey.
Do you feel like you’re in a creative slump?
Picture this for a moment: you’re scrolling through Instagram, and you see pictures of handmade pottery, hand-sewn dresses, and beautiful artwork. Every post seems to be bursting with creativity! You’re a creative person, and you have the skills to make these items you scroll past on social media. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but there seems to be something that’s holding you back from starting a new project.
Do you feel like you don’t have enough time or energy to add more to your busy schedule? Or, has it been so long since you have done anything creative, you find yourself doubting your creative talents? Whatever the reason, you scroll past those bits of inspiration, and make up reasons why you shouldn’t make that craft that caught your eye. Does this sound familiar to you?
Are You Ready to Make a Change?
If you feel like you’re ready to add more creativity back into your life, you’re in the right place! Here in this post, you will find some tips to help get you out of your creative slump. Eventually, these tips will be expanded further in future posts. So please stay tuned! But for today, we’re going to start with a little soul searching and see how you’re currently spending your spare time. Then, we will take a look at some simple ways to reintroduce creative habits back into your life. Are you ready? Let’s get started!
What happened?
As we get started, let’s take a look back to see how you found yourself here in the first place. Grab a notebook so that you can write everything down. This way you can keep all your thoughts organized and visible. Try not to play the blame game, instead just be honest with yourself. Ask yourself, what happened? What things have changed in your life, and what things have remained the same?
First, think back to when you were younger. How did you spend your spare time then? Were you always drawing and trying out new crafts? Did you like to play around with your camera to take pictures of your family and friends? Or were you daydreaming of becoming a famous artist or fashion designer? Write down all the hobbies you used to enjoy!
Now, let’s take a look at how you’re currently spending your time. Do you have a job, a family, or both? What are the non-negotiable things that need to be done everyday? Take a look at how you spend your spare time on weekends. Write it all down, and then take some time to reflect on what you wrote. What changes can you make so that you can do more of what you want to do?
How to Rediscover Your Inner Creativity
Once you have everything written down, you may be wondering what to do next? Or maybe you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed? That’s perfectly ok! It can feel overwhelming when you’re making changes to your schedule. So, let’s discuss some simple ways to help you get back on your creative journey.
Tips to Help Get You Started:
- Start small. Keep it simple and start with easy crafts or activities, such as a coloring book. You could start a journal or sketchbook. Are you into photography? Take some pictures of your family or friends. Ready to get back into sewing? Then find a beginners sewing pattern. The key here is to have fun, not to create your masterpiece!
- Make a space to create. You will be more inspired to create when you’re in a place that makes you feel comfortable, relaxed, and have your craft tools handy. This doesn’t need to be a fancy art studio! You can make this space in a spare bedroom or in a corner of your living room. Or you can go outside if you prefer!
- Find inspiration. Pinterest and Instagram are full of ideas! Flip through some magazines and make a mood board. Check out a few art books from the library. Go to a craft store, go outside, or go wherever you feel the most inspired.
- Take a class. This a great way to try something new or refresh your skills! There’s plenty of classes online through Udemy, Skillshare or even at your local community college. Don’t forget all of the free tutorials on YouTube too! You can never learn too much!
- Make time! Last but not least, if you truly want to get out of your creative slump you MUST MAKE TIME! It doesn’t matter what time of day, or how much time you make, but you must make time.
Yes, It Will Take Time
At first, try not to expect too much from yourself right away. It will take some time to get back to where you once were. Instead, try to look at yourself as though you’re a beginner again. Take it slow and have fun! Take everything in with a fresh set of eyes. Start with simple projects to refresh your skills and boost your confidence. If you find yourself getting frustrated, then stop and take a break. Don’t get down on yourself! Eventually, your efforts will pay off and you’ll find yourself back to where you once were. So until then, try to enjoy the process of relearning!
Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
It’s easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to other people’s talents. Please, be careful with this! The more you compare yourself to others, you will more likely lose confidence and want to give up. Remember, you don’t know where that person may be in their creative journey, so don’t give into that negative self talk! Instead of comparing, be inspired by them. By doing this, you’ll be in the mindset to make new goals for yourself. These goals will help you to move yourself forward, rather than hold yourself back.
Remember, we all had to start from somewhere… and sometimes we had to restart from somewhere again! In reality, it’s all just practice and the practice never really ends! So, keep with it and don’t forget to have fun. This is about you and your goals. In the end, everything you learn (and relearn) will benefit your overall well-being!
You’re Worth the Time
I hope this will inspire you to add more creativity back into your life. Yes, it will take time. And yes, there will be moments where you might want to give up. Please don’t give up! You’re doing this for yourself, and that is important enough to keep going.
If you want to learn more about how to add more creativity to your life, I hope you will read along with the following posts in this series! As we go, I will discuss more in depth about each of the tips that are listed above. If you’re ready for more, go grab yourself a cup of coffee and prepare to reward yourself to a more creative life!
Are you ready for more? Stay tuned to read the next part of this series!
