How to Be More Creative in Your Everyday Life

When you’re in your early twenties it can be really hard to figure out how to be more creative on a regular basis.

It’s easy to get swept away into watching Netflix for hours, or going to work and coming home without ever really exercising your creative spirit.

But here on Life as a Dare we’re all about taking life to the next level–it’s not enough to just sit back and let life just zoom on by. And taking time to be creative is such an important part of that! There’s something about being creative that helps center you like nothing else can.

So today I am so excited to let Elizabeth from Incidents of a Literary Nature chat with us about how to be creative as a daily part of our lives!

Love these points! Here’s Elizabeth:

One day, you’re a child and creativity is practically in the air you breathe. The next you wake up and creativity seems as distant as your retirement. Perhaps you’ve even forgotten about it–I know that I have before! We get so caught up in adulting: making sure that paper gets turned in on time, trying to keep the house clean, and oh, don’t forget to pick up the dry cleaning.

And in all of that, creativity gets pushed to the wayside, and often forgotten.  

If you’re reading this you’ve probably gotten to a point where you’re starting to miss it, and the humdrum of everyday life is getting to you in a way you always swore, as a child, would never happen.  Since you’re clearly a very busy person, I won’t take up any more of your time and get straight to it.  The bad news is, integrating creativity into your crazy life is going to take some hard work.  At least at first.  The good news is, once you start to make a habit of it, you’ll never want to go back. So, if you’re still reading after I told you the bad news, let’s jump into the 7 ways you can integrate creativity into your daily life.

Make Time for it

Here’s the hard part (don’t worry, the fun is yet to come). When you’re trying to get back into the swing of a creative lifestyle, especially if you’re a busy person, you’ve got to prioritize forming a new habit. Whether it be ten minutes, an hour, or even an entire day of your week, it’s important to consistently make time for your new hobby.  

At first it’s really fun, but after about a week or two, sometimes it’s tempting to push it aside. It’s important at this point to stick with it! Within a few more weeks, creativity will be just as much a part of your daily life as waking up at 6:35 A.M. or making sure you have your bag when you go to class. (Okay, I’ve forgotten that before.)  

While it may seem counterintuitive to schedule creativity, I find it to be one of the easiest ways to train your brain to be more creative.  Pretty soon it will integrate itself into other areas of your life.

Try things that scare you

If there are any rules for creativity, I’m pretty sure it’s against the rules to play it safe.

Creativity is having an idea that’s new and uncertain, or even a bit scary, and trying it anyway.  Maybe you’ve always wanted to act as a child, but you never got a chance.  Take an improv class or audition for a community play.  Maybe music or art is more of your thing. In that case, pick up your pencil or instrument and practice every day. Try a project that challenges you, perhaps even something you don’t think you’re good enough to do. You’ll be surprised by ability and potential.

Always Keep a Notebook Nearby

As a writer, I know from experience that inspiration can strike at the weirdest moments. Maybe you’re in line at the grocery store and you hear the most random sentence that would be the perfect writing prompt. Perhaps you see a dress you want to replicate. Whatever it is, you’ll be grateful you had somewhere to file it where it wouldn’t be lost or forgotten.

When you’re beginning to integrate creativity into your daily life, you may have to actively look for inspiration. After a while, it will start to come out of the woodwork and pop up everywhere you go. It happens in the most inconvenient situations, like when you’re not sitting at your desk staring at a blank piece of paper and a completely blank mind. For those of you who find the most inspiration in the shower, I am so sorry.  You may consider investing in bathtub markers or waterproof paper…

Join a support group

Whether you work better in a group or on your own, you need people with similar interest who will encourage you and won’t laugh at your enthusiasm. Whether it be joining a theatre, a writing group, or just finding a couple people who enjoy making art just as much as you do, it’s important to have a community that will support and challenge you.  I recently watched a TED talk that said that the five people you spend the most time with, shape you the most. So if you really want to integrate creativity into your life, hang out with people who are passionate about creativity.

Procrastinate?!?

This is probably some of the weirdest advice I could give, but according to another TED talk (yes, I know, I watch a lot of these) some of the most original and creative thinkers are procrastinators.  It’s just about finding the right balance.  If you procrastinate too little, you won’t have a lot of time to think about your project. If you procrastinate too much you either never do it, or barely meet the deadline with lots of potential unexplored.  The key is to (a) think about doing the project, (b) do something else for a bit, and then (c) come back and actually do it.  While you’ve been procrastinating, your subconscious will have been working on the project, and you’ll have a lot more ideas. 

Understand that being weird is OK, and it’s actually good! 

It’s hard to be original and creative without being called weird at least once or twice. But don’t worry, Einstine was ‘weird’, Mozart was ‘weird’.  If you’re weird because you’re original, creative, and unafraid to be yourself, then that’s a good weird.

Do it with love

And last, but most definitely not least, whatever it is you do, make sure you love it.  Creativity may be challenging at times, but it should never be something that you dread or don’t want to do.  Creativity is about taking a break from those terrible things.  There’s a lot I could say about what I believe creativity is, and what it isn’t. But I’ll just leave it at this: Creativity is magnifying the beauty in the world and sharing it with others. It’s a work of love.

Elizabeth Dannenbrink is an INFP writer, student and amature thespian.  When she’s not writing, blogging, or procrastinating from homework, she can be found eating six meals a day at her family’s bakery and singing show tunes in the shower.

How to be more creative can be difficult! What are some of your tips and tricks to maintain a creative spirit? 

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