25 Ways to Stay Creative

I believe everyone is creative. To be productive in your creativity takes some work and maybe a little magic. But what is that magic?

For many years my job was to find the magic every single day. I was an advertising copywriter with an emphasis in food writing. The agency liked to move us around a lot, so I don't think I ever sat in the same spot, or even the same building for very long. But there was a time when they grouped all the graphic artists together, and all the writers together. For me, that was a magical time because the writers really understood each other, shared our ideas, thoughts and experiences, and grew so much. One thing I remember about that time is how we talked about the importance of feeling happy and relaxed to be at our most creative. Therefore, we did get irritated when we felt like the account service people were trying to stress us out with deadlines and client issues.

Hello! Divas! Well...maybe we could be divas at times (and that's probably why they separated us later), but I knew we had hit on something important, and now I understand it a lot better. The key is in this quote from Depak Chopra.

"Gratitude is the open door to the power, the wisdom, the creativity of the universe. You open the door through gratitude."

When we realized how much more creative we could be when simply being happy and relaxed, we were focusing on the outcome of what happens when you are filled with gratitude and thankfulness. It really does free you, lighten you, and let your creativity flow.

After that there are some other things you can do to stay inspired, keep your creative energy, and move forward. Here's my brainstorm on that subject! Twenty-five ways to stay creative.


1-Choose happiness and gratitude on a regular basis.
2-Draw and color. It doesn't matter if you use $100 markers or a 5-cent box of crayons.
3- Unplug from technology, unless it's part of your process.
4-Sing.
5-Dance.
6-Stop saying you can't sing or dance and stop editing yourself.  You can rehire your inner editor when the work is done.
7-Love your own art. (It's like loving yourself.)
8-Do a cartwheel (or your own signature move).
9-Always get your beauty sleep--it's for your beauty and the beauty of your art.
10-Have a good time!

11-Look at a cool art book. If you're stitching, look at an awesome stitching book. Visit the bookstore--the magazine racks are full of creative genre journals.
12-Go to an art museum or an art show or a craft fair.
13-Hang out with creative people.
14-Practice your creativity everyday--even if it's just five minutes in your art journal.
15-Enjoy a cuppa (coffee, herbal tea, hot chocolate). There is something about the slow sipping and the thoughtfulness it provokes.
16-Be thankful every day for your gifts and talents.
17-If you're not feeling it, take a break--don't be too hard on yourself.
18-Tidy up your workspace and stay organized--it helps to know where your supplies are, but also

there is something about starting fresh in a clean space.
19-Don't let too many UFO's invade your space (that is, UnFinishedObjects). Finish something!
20-Color outside the lines...leave the rough edges...use any color you want...show the hand of the artist.
21-Exercise every day.
22-Keep your idea list going. It's there to look at when you need it.
23-Smell some fresh herbs for energy (like rosemary or lemon thyme) or light a candle. It is your creative aromatherapy.
24-Go look at a garden. It doesn't matter if it's your garden, your neighbor's, or at a park. Even when I'm on vacation, I always find a garden to look upon. It is very zen.
25-Just color it, write it, stitch it, glue it, do it! If you need to take a class to make that happen, it's easy to find one. Then you'll be filled with more gratitude and more creativity.

Now, I bet you can think of 25 more great ideas. 

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch, Inspire