Another year passes and the projects on your to-do list are still not completed? Looking for ways to unleash your creativity to create more in 2023? Take a deep breath, make yourself a coffee or tea and see how to be a more creative person in the new year.
Table of Contents
- Change your schedule
- Organize your workspace
- Save all ideas
- No idea is a bad idea!
- Develop your creative skills
- Reach for inspiring content
- Find time for boredom
- Deadline is a great motivation
- Search for creative communities
Change your schedule
Do you set aside a few hours a day in the afternoon or evening when you indulge in creative pursuits? Do you sit down with a piece of paper, a tablet or a piece of cloth and your mind goes blank? Change the time when you try to be creative. It’s hard to put creativity on a strict timeframe. Perhaps you have a fantastic idea for a dress while enjoying a cup of morning coffee? Or when you’re preparing dinner, the vegetables on the chopping board line up so beautifully that you want to draw a picture or seamless pattern inspired by them? Allow yourself a moment of creativity when the inspiring vision is at its freshest.
Organize your workspace
Clutter and chaos in our surroundings can be overwhelming. It’s hard to focus on being creative when it’s hard to find a place to put a notebook on your desk. Paint-stained brushes need to be cleaned first, and your desire to create completely disappears while you clean them up’re trying to get rid of the crusty paint. The space to create must be inspiring but also organized. Remove unnecessary clutter and items that only take up the space needed for work.
Save all ideas
Creative minds are usually filled with a million ideas for new projects. Very often we let such visions live only in our imagination, without giving them any shape. All you need is a quick photo, an inspiring image, a quote or a slogan written on a list in a notebook. Perhaps the idea for a new project will pop into your head on your way to work, during your lunch break or in the evening while watching a movie. Don’t let them escape! Be sure to keep it. Make a quick sketch or write down a two-sentence description of your idea. It will be easier for you to come back to an idea when you have some trace of it on paper.
No idea is a bad idea!
Do not negate any idea that comes to your mind. You don’t have to implement every idea on your list. Some of them may be unattainable, absurd or not at all your style. It is essential to look at such ideas because even the craziest, creative visions can inspire action and eventually turn into a tangible project. You can create mind maps where you can place different associations and ideas.
Develop your creative skills
Set yourself new challenges. If you draw or take pictures, it’s easy to fall into a routine that totally kills your creativity. Look at the world and your hobbies from a different angle. Try out a painting technique you don’t know yet, or photograph subjects you haven’t focused on before. Sew something that has never been created before – go crazy with the form, colour or pattern. Discover new possibilities, and new trends and let yourself be inspired. You don’t have to be an oil painting master to try it. Opening up to new, creative experiences is a great way to awaken the desire to create.
Reach for inspiring content
Watch a documentary about a famous musician or painter. Go to a museum or an art gallery. Browse glossy magazines or find an interesting podcast. Surrounding yourself with inspiring content will help you get in the mood to create. Cut aesthetic photos and graphics, or save pictures on your phone. You can even create an inspiring mood board where you can collect all the photos, graphics, slogans and ideas that will help you realize your planned projects.
Find time for boredom
Do you often find yourself lying in bed, just before falling asleep, having a million ideas in your head that you want to delve into? On the other hand, when you set a time when you want to do something creative, you have a complete blank in your head. Allow yourself to get bored. Very often, when we are not focused on any task, our thoughts begin to wander unknowingly. It is in such conditions that inspiration can strike you, and a vision of a new, creative project can arise in your head.
Deadline is a great motivation
Maybe few people associate the deadline with something pleasant, but setting yourself, even an estimated date for completing the project, will help you focus on a specific task. With a specific deadline, you force yourself to look for inspiration in your surroundings, thanks to which you will get to the stage of completing your work faster. Deadlines are a great motivator because completing the project on time gives a lot of satisfaction and shows us that we are able to achieve the set goals.
Search for creative communities
Surround yourself with creative people. Follow the profiles of your favorite artists and share your work online. This way you can find people who are inspired and interested in the same things. Look for inspiration in the works of other artists, or look for opportunities for workshop meetings where you can create surrounded by other creative people.
The end of the year is the perfect time to sum up what has been achieved and write down an action plan for the next 12 months. Be sure to add items related to taking care of your creativity to your list of New Year’s resolutions.
