6 Ways To Boost Your Creativity

I’m a very creative person. I love having ideas and producing works of art out of those ideas whether that’s through writing, drawing, journaling, etc.

However, the struggle that comes with being a creative person is having to deal with burnout. If I don’t find new ways to boost my creativity, I find my content can become stale or I get bored. Or Artists block hits. Then, slowly, my creativity is being further and further deprioritized in exchange for more YouTube.

Does this sound like you? Well, in today’s blog post, I’m going to show you Six Ways To Boost Your Creativity. AKA: What to do when you need to be more creative/inspired. Let’s get right into it!

How To Boost Your Creativity

Surround Yourself With Other Creative People:

How do you expect to be creative if you aren’t around other people who are also creative? As much as we artists like to think we can do everything in our rooms wrapped up in blankets drinking hot tea for eternity, that’s just not healthy.

It’s important you communicate with other artists. Maybe that’s through a local group at your library, or through people, you follow on your Instagram, or friends you’ve made over the years who are also creative. Either way, it’s important to make sure you’re getting that healthy dose of interaction. I find when I spend time with creative people, I’m more likely to want to create more afterward.

Keep Lists Of Your Ideas: 

Oh, lists. How I love thee. The amount of comfort and therapy they bring to me. (Haha that rhymed XD) I make lists for everything. Books I want to read. Character names. Quotes I like. I find it’s important to capture any and every idea I have, no matter how big or small. If that idea is not written down somewhere, it could easily be lost.

My favorite places to take notes are handwritten in journals, Evernote, or my new favorite, Notion. (I plan on making more than one blog post in the future on my love for this website and how to use it. Keep your eyes peeled!)

Take Breaks: 

Guys. Guys. Please listen to me when I say it is essential to take breaks. Trust me. If anyone knows the feeling of not getting any work done, it’s me. But it’s so important to set boundaries for ourselves because if we don’t, we’re going to burnout wayy faster.

To give you an example of this…I’ve been working hard since the start of 2020. I work 2 to 3 days a week–primarily 3–at a local health food store. I am a homeschooled junior in High school who also has a Co-op once a week. Plus, I am a part of two life groups for my church: one hosted at my house, and one at my Youth Pastor’s house (AKA my second home) twice a month. Then I have Church and Youth Group on Sundays. On top of all of this, I write and am trying to start up an online business that generates a steady income.

I haven’t had much time to rest. The result of all this is that I am writing this post while I’m down sick with a cold that I woke up with yesterday. Rest is so important and there can be some severe consequences physically, mentally, and emotionally if you don’t take time off to take care of yourself.

Fill Your Creative Fuel

Immerse yourself in art. Read lots of books. Watch movies/TV shows. Listen to music. Scroll through Pinterest for some inspirational drawings. For me personally, I find that some of my best creativity is based on other people’s art. Maybe I’ll find inspiration for a character through another character or the lyric of a song will become the theme of the book. (I know I’m mainly discussing novel writing here but I do use other forms of art and they are also applicable to them.)

I know not everyone wants to read/watch/listen to art forms in their own genre so if that’s not your vibe, then, of course, do your thing. I’m not here to micromanage. However, I find that reading other fantasy novels makes me want to work on my own more.

Try Something New

If your art is feeling stale, switch it up a bit. If you’re used to drawing, maybe color in a coloring book or try your hand at watercolors. If you always write books in first person, write a chapter in third person. Maybe you even need to take a complete break from your usual creativity to try something new. When I had Writer’s Block, I started practicing playing guitar as a way to be creative without overwhelming myself. It actually helped me get back into writing a lot.

Have A Creative Outlet

THIS. This is probably my favorite and most beneficial of all the tips offered today. At least for myself, that is. I’ve found that starting a bullet journal and art journal in 2020 has actually boosted my motivation to write. For some reason, the idea of being able to create with no pressure from anyone is super helpful for me. Plus, scrapbooking and doodling things in my journals is super therapeutic for me and I have a friend who loves to come over and work on her own journal with me as well! (See tip #1)

Here are some ideas for your own Creative Outlet (this is not an exclusive list)

Learning A Musical Instrument
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