How to Get the Creative Juices Flowing

One question that people often ask is how do you stay creative all time? Most people probably assume artists, designers, and makers never have a problem with creativity. This is so not the case. I often struggle with creativity and not just in my work but in daily life. Remember, creativity isn't just about artwork or crafts, it's needed in every area of our lives. Creativity is essential for growth and forward movement - we all need new ideas and new ways of thinking. New ideas fuel hope, possibility, and growth. Without new ideas we'd all stay exactly where we are, doing the exact same thing forever, and nothing new would ever be created. Imagine if people hadn't been creative with ideas like air conditioning, cell phones, or pizza delivery. We'd all be sitting in our crazy hot houses, with no cell phones, without the possibility of having dinner arrive on our doorstep when we decide we just cannot handle cooking tonight. 😉

I know I feel most happy and energized when I can be creative in one way or another. Sometimes for me that means being creative with new ways to set up a website, being creative with various strategies for different responsibilities, or just being creative with dinner when I forgot two of the ingredients on my last grocery shopping trip. If I lose creativity and get stuck in routine and monotony for long periods of time without taking time to brainstorm new ideas, and to try new things, then I start to feel a little more like climbing back into bed, rather than being excited about possibilities, new ideas, and new goals.

If you feel like you're feeling a little low on creativity, have no fear, I've put together a list of my favorite ways to get the creative juices flowing!

1. Listen to music
My favorite way to boost my creativity is to put my earbuds in, turn the volume allllll the way up (I know, I know...), and play my favorite music. Sometimes I'll put on a station and just let it play, but sometimes I go straight to my favorite songs, and I may even sing them. Loudly. It works though! Music is my very favorite way to get the creative juices moving.

2. Change up your routine
I work from home, so it's very easy for me to be home all week with my only outside-the-house things being taking my kids to and from school. If I occasionally take a morning or afternoon and actually leave the house and break up the daily routine, it helps so much.

For you, your routine may look different but look for a little thing that you can change up sometimes. The change is good!

3. Exercise
I know there's some science to it. I'm sure it's endorphins or something like that 😁 I especially like to workout with my earbuds in. I feel like there's such a difference when the music is in my ears versus when I workout with just music playing somewhere in the background. The combo is a winning one.

I also like taking walks. The fresh air is good for the soul and walks always get ideas flowing for me.

4. Read something new and/or listen to new podcasts
Reading new things can really get some ideas moving. I know I can get stuck in my own head a lot. Reading opens you up to other ways of thinking and new ideas, and those new ideas can get your own creativity flowing. Same with podcasts. Sometimes just hearing someone say something different than you would say it yourself can spark creativity in you, and there are SO many great podcasts out there on so many different topics. Find what inspires you.

5. Take a break
This one is a bit trickier than the others, because you are an adult, and can't just drop life to take a break, but breaks are so important for creativity. If you are always going, and never get to just stop the train, you will burn out, and creativity will disappear.

A break could be a bigger thing like a week-long vacation, but it could also be simpler things like taking a day off work to give yourself a 3-day weekend. If you struggle with checking your email and working over the weekend, your break could be that you log out of your email for the weekend, put the phone and computer away and actually give yourself a weekend completely off.

If you're a stay-at-home parent, your break could be a kid-free night out. Schedule a babysitter, and take the night off! If you're not comfortable being gone at night, then find a chunk of hours during the day to schedule a sitter, and do it then. I used to have a babysitter come over one time a week for 3-5 hours during the summer, and it was everything to me. Just having that time to be with my thoughts, doing my own thing without requests for snacks and band-aids for boo-boos allowed me to have the space to get my creativity charged up each week.

What are your favorite ways to get your creative juices going?