6 Tips for making creativity a regular habit.

The Joyful Creative

DESCRIPTION:

I get it, you’re super busy with life, job, kids, parents, all the things…. and you think “there’s NO WAY I can make my creative practice a regular priority!”

Well, I’ve been there and I can tell you there are ways to help make this a reality and bring the joy and wellbeing benefits of creativity into your life… yes, every day!

Here are my tips:

1. Start Small - even a little bit every day counts
2. Set a Routine - scheduling a regular time for your creative session means you don’t have to plan it every single day, and it’s more likely to happen.
3. Create In the cracks - not the ideal situation, but doing your creativity in lunch breaks, in waiting rooms on public transport might mean the difference between getting something done or not.
4. Create A Space - designate a space in your home where you can have your materials and tools ready to go at all times.
5. Stay Inspired - Surround yourself with visual cues to keep you inspired and connected to your practice.
6. Be kind to yourself - take the pressure off the outcome and practice creativity regularly simply for the joy of it.

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TRANSCRIPT:

Hi there and welcome back to the joyful creative. I'm Deborah O'Toole. And in episode one, I talked about why creativity is important. So in this episode, as promised, I'll share some tips on how to make your creative practice, a regular part of your busy life.

So tip number one, start small. In the last episode, I talked about my daily creativity streak inspired by the book streaking by Jeffrey Downs and Jamie Downs. So their version of streaking is not what we Australians know it to be, which is running publicly across a sports field nude. No. The book streaking is about committing to an activity, and that could be running meditating, reading, whatever. And doing that activity every single day or a frequency you set for yourself. And the result is that you create life-changing habits. Now in one of the chapters, they talk about making the commitment laughably simple. And the reason is so that there is absolutely no barrier to your success in the streak. So you might have a super busy day or be unwell or have some emergency come up. And if you have set your task as laughably simple then you would still be able to complete your activity for the day and to maintain your streak. Personally, I dedicate a minimum of just five minutes a day to my creative practice. It usually ends up being more than five minutes, much more actually, normally once I sit down and get going. But there have been times recently when I have literally set a timer for five minutes and just done the bare minimum because it was one of those days. But I still maintained my streak. Now you might wonder what's the point of only doing such a small amount? And the answer is that having the streak going means my creative practice is in the forefront of my mind. Otherwise, I would allow a busy period; Holidays, Travel, Having house guests or any other disruption to my routine to derail my practice.

And I would find that I had neglected it for weeks once I thought about it again. So, whether you go all in and commit to a streak is up to you. But I do recommend committing a small amount of time on a regular, if not daily basis. And you'll soon find that your creative time is as much part of your routine as other daily activities.

Which brings me to tip two. Set a routine. Incorporate your creativity into your daily routine, just like you would with exercise or meal times. Doing things at the same time, every day, consolidates the habit and makes it automatic and less of a drag than having to think about when it's going to happen every day.

So choose a time you know you're likely to be able to keep, and you're less likely to be derailed or ambushed by other factors in your life. For example earlier in the day might work better for you if you know, you're likely to be brain dead at the end of the day. Or nighttime when the kids are asleep, might be better for you than when they're awake. Or first thing when you get home from work while you're still in doing mode before you get into vege mode.

I know that if I take off my bra and put on my slippers and sit down on the couch, then things are not likely to happen after that. It's just too hard to get motivated. So if you do your creativity while you're still feeling a little motivated, then you can get it done and relax later. But if your life has no routine, and your days are completely unpredictable. Look to tip three, which is create in the cracks.

And by this, I mean, Look for the minor incidental moments where you can get at least something done. It's not ideal, but it's better than doing nothing at all.

So here's some examples.

If your creative thing is portable, such as drawing, colouring, doodling, or writing, could you do it on public transport during your commute? Could you bring it to work and do a little on your lunch break? Could you bring it in the car and do a little while waiting for your kids, music lesson, or while waiting for an appointment? If it's something not portable, such as painting or sewing, could you do it alongside your kid doing homework, or when they're reading a loud? Or during the ad breaks, if you're watching TV. Also consider that other related activities, which are portable, like sketching or brainstorming or taking artistic photos on your phone, all count as daily creativity.

Yes, I acknowledge that these are not the ideal circumstances for prime creative output. But at the very least, they keep creativity at the forefront of your mind, which helps you keep up your creative momentum. And that's important with daily habits.

The next tip is create a space. Designate a specific area in your home for your creative activities, because this can help you get into the right mindset. And if possible, have your supplies ready to go because there's no greater excuse for not doing something than having to set things up. If it's there and you can sit right down to it, then you're more likely to do it. Ideally you'd have a studio or a room where you can lock yourself away and be figuratively and literally in the zone when creating, but I realize that's not possible for everyone.

And of course the type and size was space you need would differ depending on your craft. But I've seen creatives set up at the end of dining tables, on a small desk and a hallway, a converted linen closet sunrooms, garden sheds. There’s many other options and with a little imagination and a few storage solutions, you should be able to come up with some sort of permanent creative setup. If you search creative spaces on Pinterest, you'll find heaps of ideas.

And also if you have little kids and no room that you can close the door on, and if you're worried about them getting into your project, consider having supplies on a tray or in a basket that you can put out of their way and bring out when you're ready to get creative. And then you might even be able to take your creativity to wherever they are like in their room or playing outside, et cetera.

Next. Stay inspired. It can be hard to maintain a creative practice when you're very busy and creativity is the last thing on your mind. So surround yourself with inspiration… books, music, art supplies. Anything that sparks your creativity. If you can gather them together on a shelf or a Pinboard next to your creative space, all the better. But also go out and get amongst inspiration at art galleries exhibitions, live show, urban architecture and of course, nature.

And lastly, be kind to yourself.

Remember that creativity isn't about perfection or even finishing anything. It's about expression and enjoyment of the process. So allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them. Follow your curiosity and try new mediums if they interest you. No matter what you do creatively, you still reap all the benefits every time you sit down to it.

So it's worth continuing for that reason alone.

So there you are just a few tips to hopefully inspire you to make creativity a regular habit. If you have any other ideas that have worked for you do send me a message. I'd love to hear from you. I'll leave my details in the show notes.

Until next time, keep creative. And bye for now.