You might be wondering why creativity is an important part of our daily life, or why it needs to be implemented. Put simply – art, creativity and design work to make life increasingly more interesting, fulfilling and fun!
Life can sometimes become rather monotonous and mundane, and that’s where creativity comes in. Creativity works to create meaning out of seemingly meaningless things, forming unique, previously disregarded connections between concepts and ideas. Essentially, by instilling creativity in your daily life, you’ll be able to transform the ordinary, into something extraordinary!
Although we often assume that creativity is the act of making something, it is in fact about growing or transforming. The by-products of creativity are some of the greatest achievements in civilization – from the lightbulb, to the wheel, to Mozart’s classics! Like all other skills, creativity is a skill that should be learned, practised, as well as developed. The more you implement creativity into your daily life, the more it will grow! It can be challenging to figure out how to do this, as the fast past nature of life can get the best of us at times.
As we learnt about in our article on the importance of creativity in childhood development, in order to ensure that creativity continuously holds an important part of your family’s life, it is crucial to foster it from a young age. By carrying out regular creative practises, children can develop artistic motivation, stimulate their imagination and become increasingly inventive!
The same is true for adults – creativity should be nurtured in daily life in order to maximize its potential benefits. With the right kind of practice, creativity can be developed as a skill by any and every one.
What biological mechanisms are responsible for creativity?
Biologically speaking, there are 3 main networks within our brain that are responsible for creativity. Namely, the executive attention network, the imagination network and the salience network. The executive attention network is primarily responsible for holding attention and focus. The imagination network is rather self-explanatory – it is responsible for imagination and magic/daydream related thinking. Lastly, the salience network is responsible for forming connections between internal and external stimuli. For example, prior knowledge already present in our memory, and stimuli in the environment around us. In order for creativity to flourish and reach its greatest potential – all 3 of these networks should be stimulated and engaged with.
7 tips and tricks to implement creativity in your daily life
Like becoming a skilled runner – there are a number of different ways to get there. When aiming to increase the creativity in your everyday life, there are a number of different techniques, tips and tricks that you can use to get you to your desired outcome. Let’s dive in!
1. Connect with creatives around you
One of the best ways to ensure that creativity remains constant in your day to day life is to surround yourself with creative individuals! Treasure your creative friends – artists musicians, writers, poets and designers.
Creatives exist in a particular state of mind that is crucial when looking to lead a more creative lifestyle – so make sure to surround yourself with this as much as possible. If you feel as though you don’t have many creative friends or family members – seek them out at local art exhibits, book fairs or design seminars. You’ll be sure to make some long lasting, creative friendships!
2. Buy local and handmade
Although buying local or handmade items is usually associated with eco-friendly related intentions – they can in fact have further reaching implications. When shopping for produce, household items or clothing, try and buy from local stores and businesses as these can work to inspire creativity too. Styling your home, work space and closet with such items can spark creative ideas and thoughts vicariously.
3. Give handmade gifts
Throughout the year, its likely you’ll be buying gifts for your family and friends on their birthday or around particular holidays. To maximize your creativity throughout the year, why not consider making handmade gifts.
Gifts that are handmade are almost always of a much higher sentimental value – so essentially, it’s a win-win situation! If you’re short on time, you can also support local creatives and purchase their pieces to gift to your loved ones.
What’s important is that you’re around creativity and are actively putting it out into the world.
Pinterest is a great start for inspiration, you can also visit Craftstash for inspiration and supplies.
4. Add something creative to your daily schedule
This might be a daunting thought – but don’t worry, it’s a lot easier than you think.
Creativity exists in a number of different forms, so making sure to do something creative doesn’t necessarily mean crating a sculpture or painting a canvas. Art and creativity exist in many media forms – books, poetry, art and music.
Set aside at least 15 minutes a day to immerse yourself in something creative. Whether that be listening to your favorite album on the way to work, doodling a picture while you have a break between meetings, or reading some poetry before bed.
Luckily creativity can be nurtured in a number of ways, you just need to find what works for you! Try and explore and experiment with different types of creative activities to find what you enjoy most.
5. Take on a 30 day Instagram challenge
One of the most crucial components when creating a new habit – which in this case is daily creativity – is accountability. Consider taking on an Instagram/social media challenge in which you post something creative or that inspires you every day.
It can be a painting of your favorite artist, a poem you came across online, a piece of street art you saw on the way home from work, or a song you heard in a movie. By holding yourself accountable within the public eye, you’re likely to remain dedicated and facilitate building a creative habit.
6. Reduce your daily screen time
It’s no secret that over exposure to unproductive and underestimating screen time has a negative effect on one’s creativity.
The expansion in technology and digital advancements has had an increasingly large impact on the lives of both children and adults today. However, media that is directly intended to stimulate creativity is an exception.
Apps, games and programs that allow users to either draw, paint or simply create works to stimulate the same cognitive pathways and encourage creativity! However, this does not mean that all creativity should be stimulated using devices – traditional media is still preferred.
7. Take part in art challenges
Art challenges are challenges that take place throughout a particular moth of the year and are usually based on a particular theme. Art challenges help you to tap into your creative side and serve as a great outlet for stress and anxiety.
Essentially, art challenges inspire creativity and allow you to create art in a fun and stress-free way. In addition to this, art challenges can exercise your imagination and act as a form of catharsis from your daily life stresses – which we all need from time to time.
Consider putting some time aside at least once a year to create a unique piece of art every day, develop your art skills and maybe form a new, positive and productive habit. Luckily, we’ve put together lists of all the different art challenges running in each month of the year.
Check out our full art challenge calendar for all art-challenges we know of. It doesn’t only show a huge list of all the art challenges that take place each month, but you can also click on it for more details about the challenge! If you are looking for drawing ideas, then make sure to check out the drawing ideas generator!
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