Whatever you do in life, stay creative

One of the single most important aspects of my life is the ability to stay creative. It brings meaning to an otherwise dreary existence. No, I’m just kidding. I’m not a dark gothic teenager and life isn’t dreadful. However, it can become dull and mundane with the hustle and bustle of everyday activities.

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However, it can become dull and mundane with the hustle and bustle of everyday activities. That’s where partaking in activities that open the creative mind comes into play, it helps with balance. To me being creative means having freedom, being self-aware, building on the faith and confidence in our instincts, and developing problem solving skills. It’s also a great stress reliever.

Some may say that being creative is an act of rebellion and I agree whole heartedly. It demands being courageous and sadly for most of us, it’s something that declines as we go through life. We encourage creativity in children but as we mature something happens to most of us that stifles creativity. I believe that something is fear. We fear failure, we fear fitting in, we fear being ridiculed, and most of all we fear being judged. Unfortunately, we end up judging and censoring ourselves. That’s where being strong and having the courage to not be influenced by other people’s negative opinions. We should embrace our own creativity and develop those things that bring passion in our lives.
 
Ok, so what can I do to open my creativity?
 
There are two parts to creativity, that which inspires us and the activities that we engage in. Here are two lists that offer inspiration and activities to help you realize your creative potential.
 
Things that inspire creativity.

1. Listen to music – this is an easy one, there is so much music out there and you can get it anywhere
2. Visit a museum – if you live near a metropolitan area then you must have access to a museum of some sort; science, art, music,
3. Read a book – again books are easy to come by and the subject matters are plentiful
4. Daydream – mowing or raking the lawn, walking, hiking, or even just sitting in one place, just let your mind wonder
5. Brainstorm -  get with your friends and just spitball some ideas
6. Watch a movie – a good deep movie can help unlock some ideas
7. Pinterest – peruse this website/app, I spend hours here just looking at what everyone else is doing
8. Youtube – how to videos are the best but even simple amateur documentaries can unlock ideas
9. New dish at a new restaurant – try something new, something you’ve never even though about trying
10. Travel – visit a new place, especially one with a different culture than yours

 
Activity to be creative.

1. Creative writing – start writing anything, short story, poetry, a song, blog article (wink wink)
2. Drawing/Painting – draw or paint anything, people, objects, animals, scenery, monsters, dragons, whatever
3. Play an instrument – learn an instrument, play an instrument then learn a new one or just free play
4. Photography – shoot everything, large or small, near or far
5. Dancing – I’m not much of a dancer but I know those who do it just for the fun
6. Cooking – try different recipes and change it up, make it your own
7. Sculpting – use clay, legos, rock cairns, wood carving
8. Coding – learn how to code and create a game, app, or just experiment
9. Automotive project – build a car using random parts or start a project of altering a current car, have you ever seen a rat rod
10. Furniture making – build benches, tables and chairs out of just pallets

 
These two lists are quick ideas but are by no means the only things that bring about creativity. Can you think of any other ways of inspiring your creative side or are there any activities that you indulge in that brings passion to your life?
 
Whatever you do in life, stay creative and don’t judge or censor yourself.