55 Ways to Renew Your Creative Spirit
Posted by Stampington & Company on Jul 27th 2020
Photo by Katrina Rodabaugh featured in In Her Studio Autumn 2019
Sometimes creative block is a symptom of a larger problem, like an all-together lack of motivation. Especially during difficult times, which we find ourselves in the midst of now, the simplest of activities can help renew your creative spirit and breathe new life into your everyday. We have collected some wonderful ideas from the pages of In Her Studio that will help you feel like yourself again and allow you to jump into your next project with a burst of creativity!
55 Ways to Renew Your Creative Spirit
1. Gaze upon the bright blue sky
2. Write some poetry
3. Go thrifting for vintage fabrics
4. Take a trip to the ocean
5. Drink a cup of steaming chai tea
6. Go for a walk outside in the sunshine
7. Enjoy the laughter of your children
8. Gather a bouquet of colorful flowers
9. Visit your favorite spot
10. Enjoy a different type of art form
11. Meet the dawn once a month
12. Visit a tourist destination out of season
13. Listen to new music
14. Love yourself — do not forget about your body and brain
15. Chat with new people
16. Make lists of ideas to reference when a creative block happens
17. Choose a new color palette
18. Go through Pinterest inspiration boards
19. Call a friend
20. Give yourself a pep talk and just start
21. Remove distractions
22. Play with a different medium
23. Get out for some fresh air by going for a walk or run
24. Browse boutiques and malls to study trends for inspiration
25. Explore somewhere new by traveling
26. Take photos of nature to capture shapes, colors, and textures
27. Rearrange your studio or home
28. Help artist friends in their studios
29. Walk around your neighborhood and take photos of textures and shadows
30. Clean out your social media
31. Meet up with friends and have some fun
32. Put on classical music and draw lines to the music
33. Revisit your past work that made you feel truly alive
34. Immerse yourself in that which inspires or has inspired you
35. Just make something, even if you don’t want to
36. Drink tea and eat a snack — teatime means break time
37. Clean and tidy up your work area
38. Zone out in Mother Nature
39. Rearrange furniture to create a new environment
40. Rearrange your collections — play with what you love most
41. Window-shop on Etsy
42. Finish your chores so you can focus in your studio
43. Take a break from social media
44. Play video games for the inspiring stories and graphics
45. Engage in exercise in beautiful surroundings so your mind can ponder
46. Go to an exhibition to marvel at an artist’s work up close
47. Connect with your peers — ask technical questions or opinions, or just chat and banter
48. Spend time with your pets
49. Sleep — being well-rested helps keep you positive
50. Draw in your garden using your non-dominant hand
51. Collaborate with a friend
52. Use found objects as untraditional painting tools
53. Dig out some old materials you haven’t used in a while
54. Slow down and pay attention to the beauty in everything
55. Embrace the unknown — let go of the need to control the outcome
These tips originally appeared in the following issues of In Her Studio:
- 1–8 by Meghan Pauley Nespeca (Spring 2020 Issue)
- 9–15 by Katerina Makogon (Spring 2020 Issue)
- 16–22 Lindsey Campbell (Summer 2019 Issue)
- 23–26 Corinne Haig (Spring 2019 Issue)
- 27–32 Charmaine Vegas (Autumn 2018 Issue)
- 33–35 Laura Niblack (Autumn 2019 Issue)
- 36–44 Caramelaw, aka Sheena Aw (Autumn 2019 Issue)
- 45–49 Flora Jamieson (Spring 2019 Issue)
- 50–52 Flora Bowley (Winter 2020 Issue)
- 53–55 Carmen Larsen (Winter 2020 Issue)