Finding ways to fire up your creativity can be just as important to our health as proper food and exercise. It’s no secret that creativity is an important part of all ages and stages in a person’s life. It certainly is in mine.
I don’t feel like myself if I’m not creating something every day, and if you’ve been a part of my community for any length of time, you’ll likely have noticed that my creativity has definitely taken a hit this year. But, I spent the weekend creating new patterns and designs, and woke up this morning feeling like a whole new person. It’s almost like how when you get an oil change for your car, it runs better… I’ve had a creative energy change and I’m running on all cylinders now!
Here are 3 tips to fire up your creativity:
Tip #1 – Allow yourself to be creative
One of the biggest barriers to creativity is making it a part of your everyday life. It’s important to give yourself, and those around you, permission to be creative.
It’s also important to recognize that creativity takes time, might involve some risks and failures, and may take financial investment. It can be a challenge, but when you fire up your creativity, it’s oh so worth it!
Give yourself permission to take time for creativity, no matter where your interest lies. Whether you want to write, paint, sew, knit, or do any other type of creative endeavor, you deserve the time for your creative outlet. Allow yourself the opportunity to try and see what happens. If it doesn’t work out, try something else!
Embrace the learning curve and realize that the more you practice your creativity the better you’ll get at it too. If you need to, buy the supplies or take the classes you need. Investing in your creativity is investing in yourself, and giving yourself the gift of doing something that makes your heart happy.
Tip #2 – Try new things to find your happy spot
When you first think about being creative you may not know where your creative fire lies. Give yourself permission to try lots of different things, and see what fires up your creativity the most.
Don’t assume that just because someone else you know is a huge fan of certain creative pursuits, that you will be too. For example, my mother was a huge crafty type person and loved kntting and sewing and doing all types of crafts. But as hard as she tried to get me involved with her, none of that spoke to my heart. I was a musician through and through, and my creative time was mostly spent practicing the piano or playing in a band.
Finding something to fire up your creativity can also be a bit like going down a rabbit hole. Sometimes one creative activity leads to a new one. For example, if you love gardening and digging in the dirt, that could lead to creative cooking of the foods you grow, or creating beautiful arrangements from the flowers in in your garden.
And realize that your creativity can also change over time. I don’t play in a band anymore, and my favorite creative pursuit right now is creating printables and digital papers. It uses a whole different part of my creative muscles than I’ve ever used before, and is something that truly does make my heart happy these days.
Tip #3 – Make time for creativity in your schedule
This is huge. I look at my creativity as an important piece of my self-care. And I’ve found that if you don’t make it a priority, like the rest of your self-care routine, it can easily fall to the bottom of the list.
It’s also a huge part of my business as a creative soulpreneur. So, when I’m not creating, not only does my health suffer for it, my business and my income suffer too.
Creativity has to be more than just something to do in your “spare” time. It’s an important part of your life, and that means it deserves its own place on your schedule, in the same way that going to the gym, or cleaning your house does.
Final Thoughts
It’s not always easy to fire up your creativity when you want to. Life does tend to get in the way sometimes, and we have to be flexible enough to allow for that. But if you want to have more creative time and energy in your life, these three tips should give you a starting point to make your creativity a priority.
