Hey everyone! Today I wanted to give you my top ten tips for creativity! I’m sure everyone has had moments when they have felt less creative than they’ve wanted, particularly if you do something like blogging that demands so much creativity to begin with! Honestly it is natural to have lulls in your creativity fountain, and I get that, but when I need to write for my blog or take photos, or want to come up with a new idea to get excited about, here are some tips for helping creativity flow. These tips are blogging/writing focused as that’s my latest mindset, but you could find ways to apply it for other hobbies I’m sure!

1. Do something relaxing!

For me, I can come up with really creative ideas when I sleep or out of the blue. But of course those ideas then need to be fleshed out or planned out. I find that I can really figure it out when I am in the shower. Showering is a great time to think your ideas through and make a plan to mold your idea into what you are envisioning for it.

2. Get your heart pumping!

So now do a complete 180 and go workout! I don’t like running with music or anything playing because I like to use that time to think. Same if I just go for a walk although walking is more boring for me than anything else. I know lots of people who can’t workout without music but after years of being a swimmer (where you can’t have music) and running cross country/track and field in school (where for safety reasons you aren’t allowed to listen to music) I’m perfectly okay with it and use that time to think up of some new great ideas.

3. Surround yourself with other creative people!

This is something that I need to get better at but has really worked for me in the past. Having other creative people around can help inspire, push, or encourage your creative side to come out. In terms of writing, which I do a lot about, it can help to talk out your problem if you encounter writer’s block.

4. Do something else!

Literally anything else to get your mind off whatever it is you’re focused on. One of my less creative hobbies is horseback riding, and focusing on the connection with the horse takes a lot of concentration. I also like to just put the project from my mind every so often in order to just step back and be able to look at it more critically when I come back.

5. Organize!

When I started my blog I was constantly feeling uncreative and uninspired because I literally did not plan what I was going to write until I sat down to write it the night before it was meant to go up. Later I was planning them out the week in advance and I had themes for each day, but that still wasn’t working for me. Now I have my posts pretty much planned a month in advance, and I have it all written down in my monthly two year planner. This has been working well for me so far so while maybe a month may not be right for you, planning is something that you should think about and try to find something that works for you.

6. Try something new!

Whether it be reading something you normally wouldn’t, trying a different skill, or seeing a movie you wouldn’t normally go see, doing something new can be really inspiring. I find that for me exploring new musicals, movies, and stories can really help come up with new ideas or flesh out something new that you’ve come up with recently.

7. Go somewhere new!

Exploring a new place can also help. Coming at it from a writer’s perspective, and an amateur photographer, being in a new environment can really get that creative spirit moving! When I was taking a photography class in college I kept going to places that I already knew, and I wish I had taken the time to go somewhere new, but I just didn’t have time as I was taking three summer courses. Still learning a new skill helped me keep the photo potential when I’m exploring new places.

8. Set up a “creative corner” in your house.

This is something I’m looking forward to trying in my newly done home office. A lot of writers that have talked about their writing routine have stated they have a place that they go to write and whenever they go there their brain knows that it’s time to get creative to get the job done. I like that and I can’t wait to see if that works for me when I sit at my desk. I do face the wall in order to try to limit any distractions but I might change my set up, we shall see!

9. Have a list of ideas to consult when you need it later.

One thing that’s really helped me when I am scrambling to get a schedule together is having a list of topics that I am interested in writing about. Because I have to come up with a full month’s schedule at once, and I write three posts a week, that’s about ten to fifteen posts depending on how the month falls and any extra posts I’ll put up for holidays, that I need to plan. I keep a list of posts that I want to write on my phone notes app in order to both remember them later and to use them when I need ideas. I’m sure this will be especially useful for Blogmas in December!

10. Be flexible!

If inspiration strikes, try to write it down! I am always trying to come up with ways to say something better and when I think of something I like I try to jot it down somewhere. Also, since I plan out my blog posts for a whole month at a time, by the time it comes to write about that, I may be in a different mindset, and want to write about something else. In that case I write about what is inspiring me at the moment and table the original idea for later. In fact, I almost tabled this post because I originally came up with the idea when I was feeling uninspired when planning this month, but I haven’t been feeling that way lately. Still, I figured it would be good to write in case anyone else is feeling a lack of creativity or in case I need it myself later!

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Let me know if you have any tips for overcoming any uncreative feelings! I’d love to hear them!

Thanks for reading!