How to Live a More Creative Life

Creativity isn’t just for people who study or work in creative fields. In fact, we all can enhance our personal and professional lives by adding more creativity throughout our day. If you’re interested in living a more creative life, start by incorporating different types of creativity and being more intentional about making creativity a priority.

Embrace Your Inner Child Again

If you loved putting together puzzles or coloring as a child, try your hand at these favorite pastimes again. As adults, soothing activities like these can help reduce stress, which in turn creates more room for fun and play—or creativity. If you have children or grandchildren, start up a fun game of make-believe. Putting both your heads together to create make-believe situations isn’t unlike writing a novel.

Schedule Creative Time

Prioritizing creative time is the best way to ensure you actually allow yourself to be creative. If you don’t schedule the time with yourself, you’re less likely to allow yourself to enjoy it. Without planned creative time, you’ll always find a reason to put household chores, work, or something else ahead of it.

Surround Yourself with Other Creative People

Much like having a team of people at work to bounce ideas off of in order to find new and creative solutions, the same can be said for surrounding yourself with creative people in your personal life. These people can help you stay committed to the creative life, they can creatively brainstorm with you, and they can provide a different point of view when you’re feeling stuck.

Turn Off Your Phone (or at least set it to DND)

Spending too much time tethered to technology can put a drain on your creativity. The constant nag of notifications, endless scrolling through other people’s highlight reels on social media, and pouring over information can have a negative effect on creativity. Instead, take time away from your phone or computer to give yourself a rest.

Let Go of the Idea of Perfection

One of the biggest roadblocks to creativity is believing everything you do has to be perfect in order for you to do it. Once you’re able to let go of the need to be perfect in your creativity, the more you’ll enjoy your creative time.

Slow Down, and Pay Attention to What’s Around You

Rushing from place to place and task to task doesn’t leave much room to experience the goings-on around you. Next time you go for a walk, take your phone and snap photos of flowers, buildings, or something else that inspires you along your walk. Instead of packing your day full of errands, allow some room for a picnic in the park or something else that helps you relax and enjoy the moment.

Start a New Hobby

A new hobby is a great way to trick yourself into being more creative. Try baking new recipes on Saturday mornings or learn embroidery or start playing a new musical instrument. The more you continue to learn, the more you open yourself up to being creative.

Know That You Won’t Always Feel Creative or Inspired

You’ll still experience a day every now and then when you don’t feel particularly creative, and that’s okay. If you aren’t getting paid for your creativity, you don’t have to force yourself to be creative when you aren’t feeling it. Some days, the brain just needs to recharge.