There are moments when I don’t feel like writing. Not a single word. Lately, I’ve been better at meeting my daily word count, but there are days when I need motivation. Where I need something else that sparks my creativity. Instead of doing a writing prompt today, I want to give you a few other ideas of things you can do to inspire and ignite your creativity.
1. Painting– This can be on canvas, paper, ceramic. I recently purchased a ceramic owl and, together with my daughter E, we have been painting. I let myself flounder and experiment. I let myself be bad at it and just be creative. It’s releasing, especially durning this time when we are stuck at home.
2. Sewing/ Knitting– I never thought I would like sewing or knitting, but it’s very therapeutic. Something about the motion of sewing or knitting relaxes me. I like simple cross-stitch patterns for sewing and knitting needs to be pretty basic for me. I’m not an advanced knitter, but it’s fun to learn.
3. Play-Doh– Yeah, you read that right. I love Play-Doh. It can be especially fun if you make it from scratch. I typically do this with my kids, but anyone can do it at any time. No permission needed to make an awesome lopsided, purple snowman. Sometimes, I’ll craft my characters. It’s meant to be easy, creative fun.
4. Photography– I typically take this one outside. There’s something about being outdoors that stirs the creativity inside me. Maybe it’s the simple, complexity of the outdoors. The possibilities. I’ll snap photos of anything inspiring or anything that relates to the story I’m currently working on. Maybe a storefront or a sign. I’ll take a picture of anything that triggers a creative reflex. Except people. Don’t do that. It’s weird.
5. Anything Else You Love to Do– Do you like to fish? Work on car engines? Fix computers? Cook? Being creative isn’t limited to the arts. There are numerous tasks that can spark our creativity and joy. Writing is my passion, but I also find creativity in teaching and doing other things I enjoy. Look at your world, what brings you joy? What else do you love to do?
It’s okay to take a break from writing. I call them brain breaks. Do something else, think about your novel while you’re doing it or don’t. Either way, it is okay to expand your creativity by other avenues.
Be well and happy writing!
Photo by Yannis Papanastasopoulos on Unsplash