Whether your day job revolves around creativity or it’s more of a hobby for you right now, being creative is a part of who you are. If you’re someone who thrives off being creative, here are 30 things you should try doing at least once.
1. Do a Digital Detox
As technology continues infiltrating different parts of life, it can easily become overwhelming and even put you in a headspace to consume instead of create. A digital detox doesn’t have to be a month-long retreat into the woods, though if that’s your thing, go for it! A digital detox could also look like staying off screens for a weekend, deleting addictive apps from your phone, or reading instead of watching TV to wind down each evening.
2. Teach Someone Your Craft
Whatever your favorite creative outlet is, try teaching someone else what you’ve learned! This could be as simple as showing a family member how to do a few basics or as complex as putting on a class at your local library. Teaching your craft can help others learn more about your art form, but it also helps you understand it at a deeper level than you did before.
3. Take a Class About Other Art
On the flip side, learning more about other people’s favorite mediums can be a great way to broaden your horizons and explore the core theory behind other types of art! For example, you may not use music theory a lot if your main art form is fiber arts, but it can still grow your understanding of how nature’s sounds and created music function in the world around you.
4. Recreate Your Favorite Work
Think about your favorite work in a medium you use regularly. How can you recreate it and make it your own? What would your own unique interpretation look like? Try it out and see what you can make!
5. Attend an Open Mic
Part of being creative is seeing how other people create, and one of the best ways to see what other people are creating in your area is by attending an open mic. While these events are sometimes limited to a specific art form, like slam poetry or music, try to find something that’s open-ended. The more variety, the better!
6. Take a Photo Walk
Nearly any location is a good location for a photo walk! Whether you pick a nature preserve, urban streets, or anything in between, go for a nice walk and take pictures of whatever beautiful things you notice along the way.
7. Give Old Materials New Life
Gather some old materials that you haven’t looked at in a while, or pick up some bits and bobs from your local thrift store and see what you can create! Some methods that can be a great fit for repurposing old materials include collages, making a scrap yarn ball, and using dried-up paint to add texture to a mixed medium piece.
8. Host an Art Night with Friends
Getting creative with a group can help you break out of your comfort zone! You could try something structured, like a paint-and-sip, or simply invite some friends to bring their current projects over and enjoy some time together.
9. Make a Parody
You don’t have to be Weird Al to make a parody of something! Whether it’s a song you can’t get out of your head or a short story you’d like to flip the script of, try creating a humorous new version of something.
10. Try a Meditation Challenge
If you don’t have a meditation practice, try to create one for a bit and see how it feels. There are several apps and YouTube channels that can help to support your journey in this area. If you already have a meditation practice, try challenging yourself to a new level by meditating longer or trying a different style of meditation.
11. Join a Reading Challenge
Whether you’re a voracious reader or haven’t picked up a book in years, a reading challenge is a great way to get out of your comfort zone! Try setting a goal for yourself that is realistic but a change of pace from how many books you currently read.
12. Make Something Backwards
A few years ago, backwards makeup became a trend as people tried breaking commonly-used beauty “rules” like applying cream or liquid products before powder products. While not everyone who tried it made it a part of their daily routine, it’s fun to experiment and try doing things in reverse order to see what happens! Try starting a project with the last step and working your way back to the first and see what it teaches you.
13. Put a New Spin on an Old Story
Whether it’s a fairy tale or a nursery rhyme, pick an old story you grew up with and put your own creative spin on it somehow. You could turn prose into a poem, draw a still image it describes, or even tell it from a different perspective.
14. Take an Improv Class
It’s hard to take yourself too seriously when you take an improv class! Lean into the magic of “yes and” and see where the story can take you.
15. Write Morning Pages
Morning pages are a great way to get thoughts out of your head and down on paper. Simply fill three pages, stream-of-consciousness style, first thing in the morning each day for a week.
16. Play With Your Food
Yes, really! Try artistically presenting your food, whether for a dinner party or simply for yourself. A little bit of garnish and creative placement of sauce can make even a bare-bones meal into a new experience. If you have the skills of a graphic designer or photographer, you could even turn this quick project into a lasting art piece.
17. Dress Up Just Because
Bring out that statement jacket or black-tie attire that’s been collecting dust at the back of your closet, and do something fun in it! Go to the movies, take yourself out to dinner, or simply go for a walk in your own couture creation.
18. Make Small Items to Make People Smile
Whether you’re more of an encouraging note person or a painted rocks person, try making a few small items that you can leave around a local park or bustling coffee shop to make people’s day a bit brighter.
19. Throw a PowerPoint Party
Get ready to learn a lot about whatever interests the people around you! PowerPoint parties involve attendees and hosts making slide presentations about a topic of their choice. You can also create rules for everyone to follow, like sticking within a specific category or keeping their presentations within a certain time limit.
20. Volunteer
If you haven’t volunteered before, the best time to start is the present! Some great places to volunteer include your local food pantry, animal shelter, or community garden.
21. Complete a 30-Day Challenge
Start a creative 30-day challenge and commit to finishing it! Whether you want to write a novel during National Novel Writing Month or pick something a bit more bite-size, the sky is the limit.
Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
One of the most important things you can do to maintain your creativity is to get out of your comfort zone! What would you add to this list of things every creative person should do at least once?
