5 Tips for a Consistent Creative Practice
In life, there are those of us who are creatively gifted, and those of us who just aren’t. Or so we have been told.
Creativity, however, is a crucial component of being human. It’s the reason humanity has made it to where it is today — sheer innovation that stems from this undying desire to create. In terms of its benefits, it can help reduce anxiety and depression, and generally make us feel happier as individuals.Whether you identify as an artist or an accountant, you could probably do with some daily practices to get your creative juices flowing — if for no other reason than to keep that inner spark alive. Here are some tips for a consistent creative practice in your day-to-day.
Make space for inspiration.
Save beautiful photographs on Instagram that inspire you to go out and shoot film. Create a Pinterest board solely dedicated to portraits for you to sketch in moments of creative limbo. Curate a playlist that makes you feel like pulling out your old harmonica, or writing a poem. Little practices like these will always keep that part of your brain fired and inspired.
Set up a designated space.
Working from home has led to many people working from their beds, and proceeding to do everything from that space. But this isn’t always healthy — it can, in fact, make us lazier.There is value in having a special space dedicated to your creative practice. Whether that’s a small comfortable chair near your window for your guitar practice, or a well-lit spot on your kitchen table for you to sketch on. Make space for yourself and make it intentional.
Get on YouTube.
Sometimes, you just need to see someone do something amazing to inspire the same action in you.Watch painting timelapses by art YouTubers, piano covers by child prodigies, travel films, anything! Soon a little buzzer will go off in your brain that says, ‘hey, I wanna make that!’
Set small goals.
Sometimes we don’t know what our creative direction is. What is for sure though, is that we love feeling accomplished. It could be committing to drawing everyday for a week, or learning a song from start to finish, or writing 3 articles in 3 days — go ahead and give yourself something to feel accomplished about. It doesn’t have to be big or dramatic. Just be specific and again, be intentional.
Don’t think too much.
Take the pressure off yourself to produce something brilliant every time. Remember, the process is everything. It’s the lights that go off when you make a particularly beautiful stroke, or formulate the perfect sentence in your story. It’s the learning that comes from it all.
Making time and space for creativity never has to take away from the rest of your life and responsibilities. If anything, it will make your everyday even richer.