The importance of your creative practice
Curious if you're practicing creativity?
Are you dedicating time to use your imagination and express yourself?
Maybe it's in the form of cooking or baking?
Or that dance sesh you just did while cleaning the house?
These are vital questions. Why? Because creativity is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. It doesn't matter if you are or aren't an artist. You're a human being with a brain that's good enough to give yourself the gift of creativity time. It's also super important for those of us in the creative field to let loose and get our creativity on. Why? Because of no deadlines. No approval process, just free flowin', body movin' creation station of pure freedom.
But what if you don't have time to dedicate to creativity? Here are a couple of my quick hacks:
Look at where you are pissing away time. We all do it, so let go of the guilt and take action to change it. I didn't realize how much of it I was doing until I prioritize to fill the need for meditation and creativity. Maybe these suggestions will help: Trade Netflix time for 20 mins of coloring, dancing, or get your kids some play-doh and start a tradition of creative practice vs. sitting in front of the boob tube.
Took a look at your time and still have no space for it? What's routine for you? Maybe you take the same way to the grocery store every time you go? How about switching it up and take a different route? Still having that same protein shake for breakfast? Switch out those bananas for some frozen avocados. Get out of the rut of your routine. Trust me, this one works. I tested it out and found myself getting a new perspective on my neighborhood. Who knew there was a candle shop right down the street? Bonus for me. Plus, I found that adding cocoa nibs to my smoothie added an extra crunch. Yum.
This one is a must: blast your favorite tune while getting ready in the morning and just dance your heart out like Elaine Benes style. Really move and wiggle. Twist and shout. Afterward, it's as if the creativity muscle drank a Red Bull. You'll have wings and ready to fly into your imagination. It doesn't mean you'll be painting a canvas before work. Still, it does mean your conceptual thinking will be more amped and ready to go for what's ahead, like those meetings scheduled for the day or handling the kids' schedules.
How do I get into my creative groove? My go-to's are switching up my routine with 20 minutes of creative exercises, like drawing some weird faces with my opposite hand. Yes, it's awkward, but it's also hilarious. Or my fave is putting on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack and dancing around the house, snapping my fingers like Johnny and Baby. Haha. Embarrassing but true, ask my husband. On weekends I get outdoors, workout, and then treat myself to some good quality nature + people watching. In Los Angeles, there's always something entertaining or magical happening. Like a gaggle of geese singing in the reservoir or the woman channeling Iris Apfel. Rock on, lady!
Yes, there are sometimes I don't want to do any creative practice. Like long weeks in the office where I have to be creative. Secret: that's where the discipline comes in. I kick laziness aside with 30-day challenges for myself. Currently, it's practicing collage, as you can see here. Sometimes that work will be complete shit but sometimes it won't. Not everything has to be a masterpiece. Some of the greatest artists in history still created crap work because it teaches you how to make the next one better. Now set some time aside to just be free and have some creative fun. Play again and get others involved too. It can be the perfect therapy for battling those 2020 blues.
