A regular creative practice isn’t about “being an artist”. You don’t have to write a novel, paint a masterpiece or compose a symphony as a result, unless you want to.
Creativity is not just for “proper artists”. Or rather, we are all artists. We are all creators.
We are creative beings, on a creative planet. Just look at the variety of colours in nature, the intricate and unique details, the newness that is made and evolving every day. Creativity is in our nature. Maybe that’s why a wealth of research shows that creative activities improve our mental wellbeing, physical health and overall happiness. Creativity enables us to express ourselves, process our feelings and understand our deepest selves. It also helps us to connect to others by sharing our stories and hearing theirs.
A creative practice is self-care and self-nourishment. It is self-exploration and self-cultivation.
And if you want to write a novel, paint a masterpiece or compose a symphony, it’s a good habit to get into to build those artistic muscles.
So what is a creative practice?
A creative practice is simply a regular habit of taking creative actions, engaging in creative activities. Preferably daily, even if it’s only the smallest acts to stimulate creative thinking or feeling. It’s opening yourself up to the flow, and giving yourself regular prompts to express yourself and connect to the creative nature of the universe.
It’s giving yourself permission to make space, even small space, in your life for creativity.
So I’m going to give you seven prompts, one for each day of the week ahead, to inspire you to make that space and see where it takes you.
Creative sparks - week commencing 5th August
Saturday 5th August
Reflection prompt
This is an opportunity for some journalling, meditation or just general pondering. Ask yourself: what holds me back from regular creativity?
Is it time? Other people’s opinions? Self-doubt or judgement?
Is it really that thing that’s the issue, or is that an excuse?
What could you do to overcome those blockers?
Sunday 6th August
Try drawing or painting with your non-dominant hand (so if you’re right-handed, use your left hand, and vice versa). Maybe try closing your eyes while you do it.
Just keep your hand moving, allow yourself to select whatever colours you’re drawn to, and just let them flow.
When you’re not using your dominant hand, and you’re not even looking and what you’re doing, you can’t worry about “perfecting” what you produce. See what comes out when you’re not attached to making it look “good”.
Monday 7th August
Find some beautiful items from nature. Pick some flowers or leaves, find some pretty stones, look for shells, interesting twigs… look for different colours or shapes or textures, anything at all that interests you.
Take them home and make a display somewhere you’ll see it reguarly during your day.
Tuesday 8th August
Choose a colour. Maybe your favourite colour, or maybe just pick one at random.
Go for a walk and see how many examples of that colour you can find, and take photos of each one.
Wednesday 9th August
Reflection prompt.
Journal, meditate on or ponder this: who are the people you’re jealous of?
We all have those little niggles of envy that pop up around certain life events, achievements, possessions, etc. When you examine the things that set off feelings of envy in you, it will tell you a lot about the areas of yourself that you’re neglecting, the needs you’re not paying attention to and the dreams you’re not pursuing.
Thursday 10th August
Use this as a prompt to write / draw / paint / take photos / make a collage / whatever floats your boat:
Sun and rain
Friday 11th August
Free writing. This is where you write continuously, without stopping, letting whatever wants to come out spill on to the page. The key is to just keep your pen moving, even if you just write “I don’t know what to write, I don’t know what to write, I don’t know…” for a bit. Just keep going.
Use this as your first line:
The door opened slowly, and light flooded in.
Write that down, then keep going. Write for 10 minutes without stopping.
You might find it helpful to set a timer so you know when the 10 minutes are up. If you feel inspired to keep going after those 10 minutes, feel free to do so!
I’ll be back next Saturday for next week’s prompts. Make sure you’re subscribed so they land in your inbox.