Being Creative

We all have creativity within us, along with confidence and inspiration - we ALL have the potential to create something amazing.

Finding the time in our day can be hard....long to-do lists both at work and home can make it difficult for us to envisage how you can actually incorporate being creative into our day to day routine. Here's the thing...creativity isn't just about arts and craft projects, and it can be easily included into your life.

How? I hear you ask...easy...here's a few suggestions to start you on your creative way.

Let’s lets start with saying 'no' to some of your commitments. I'm not saying you turn every single social offer down, but if you start saying “no” to every second or third offer, you’ll start creating the space you need in your life to learn, try, and be inspired by new things.

Why not switch up your play lists...it's so easy and comfortable to stick to your reliable and dependable tunes (after all, they've seen you through all the highs and lows of your life)..... but have you ever considered throwing caution into the wind and dare I say it...test out different genres and artists????? Now, I'm not suggesting you ditch trusty ol' Madonna for death metal, but why not ask friends or colleagues for recommendations or make a random selection on Spotify? Who knows what you may discover.

Or...you could branch out and try listening to podcasts? Instead of listening music during your daily commute or workout, tune into a podcast! There are so many options out there to choose from - so whether you’re interested in sci-fi, sports or real-life crime, you're bound to find a topic that will have you hooked. Fun fact...podcasts are also a great resource for learning new things from, so choose a random topic and see what you can discover!

Do you have an old pile of magazines sitting around...draw some inspiration from the pages. Take some time out of your day to flick through the pages and tear out any images and phrases that inspire you (you can even work on this while you're binge-watching your latest Netflix series...ahhh hello – look at you multi-tasking!!). Use the images to create a vision board, or simply hang on to them for use in a creative project down the road. Or, if you're like me, and hoard every single Better Homes and Gardens magazine for the recipes...why not cut out them out and make your own recipe book/s and commit to cooking something different each week (a la Julie and Julia move....please tell me you've seen this fabulous movie, which happens to coincide perfectly with the point I'm trying to make – if you've seen it, you'll know what I'm talking about, and if you haven't – do yourself a favour and watch it).

Keep a gratitude journal. Spend a few moments before you go to sleep writing down the things you really appreciated in your day. Keeping a diary isn’t for everyone...but by starting with something like a gratitude journal can be a great introduction into writing (you know, baby steps) – by documenting the special moments from life each day, may just get those wheels in your noggin turning about other ways you’d like to get creative.

How about re-arranging your furniture? Giving your home a bit of a spruce up is a great way to kick-start your creativity – by shifting around your furniture, putting your favourite photos or prints into new frames, or rearranging your book shelf can do wonders in helping the creative juices flow.

What interests you? Photography, drawing, pottery, dancing, learning a musical instrument? Why not step outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself. By taking up a hobby, it can help relieve stress and keeps you engaged in something you actually enjoy. Having a hobby can help create bonds with others and in some cases, help with your social life.

There are so many ways you can seek inspiration for creativity and by making a few conscious changes in our daily routine, the world can become your creative oyster – go on – put yourself out there and challenge yourself.