Working with creatives, I’ve found that: a) many wish they had more time for creative activities b) it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind and forget why you started your business in the first place which is usually because you love to make stuff c) many daydream about finding time for creative hobbies unrelated to their business.
I’ve found that the best way to be more creative {and up your happiness} is to build habits. Pick your most favorite creative pursuits and do them regularly—daily, weekly or even monthly.
When you constantly practice being creative, you tend to explode with new ideas, find inspiration for your work and feel more fulfilled.
I know it’s easier said than done, but it’s a new year. It’s time to make changes and focus on what makes you feel giddy like you used to feel when you were five and you opened up a new box of crayons. Don’t you want more of that?
I do. That’s why I made a commitment to play in my art journal every day for the next year, and I can already tell it’s making a difference.
Want some ideas of creative habits you can build in 2014? I thought you might. Find 101 of them below! Now you don’t have anymore “but I’m not sure what to do” excuses.
1. Use your daily planner to art journal a little bit each day.
2. Follow this pattern, knitting one hexagon a day for a year and you’ll have a quilt at the end. {I’m gonna try this pattern and I can’t wait!}
3. Take one picture every day for 365 days. At the end, compile them in a book for a great memory.
4. For relaxation, Zentangle in the evening.
5. Try a new recipe every day. {Wanna invite me over for dinner?}
6. Publish a blog post every Tuesday {or Wednesday or Friday or Sunday…}.
7. Complete one home project {like painting your bathroom, re-arranging the furniture in your living room, constructing honeycomb shelves or custom stenciling a wall} every month.
8. Go somewhere new every week and take pictures or sketch your surroundings.
9. Create an artist trading card every day. {Remember to carry some with you at all times.}
10. Write in a journal for ten minutes in the morning while sipping tea or coffee.
11. Work on a piece of clothing with appliqué each evening.
12. If you keep a food journal, sketch the food each day.
13. Complete one knitted project every month.
14. Write one page of a novel every day for a year.
15. Find a good quote each day and keep a list of them. At the end, you’ll have a list of amazing quotes to pull from. {Maybe share them on Facebook or Twitter?}
16. While watching tv in the evening, knit or crochet.
17. Invent a new DIY project each month and publish step-by-step directions on your blog.
18. Film a video the same day each week for a year. {And share them on your blog!}
19. Write a short poem in bed when you first wake up.
20. Switch out the decorations in your living room every month.
21. Create a mini painting {like the size of a playing card} every day.
22. Write a note or send a card to someone every Friday. It’ll brighten up their Mondays.
23. Carefully select your outfits each and every day.
24. Create a weekly collage.
25. Listen to a TED talk every Monday morning to start your week inspired and motivated. {Some of my favorites: Simon Sinek, Brene Brown, Susan Cain, and Elizabeth Gilbert.}
26. Learn a new word each day.
27. Read one new book each week. If you picked one subject, you’d be an expert by the end of the year. Pretty cool.
28. Learn a new language by practicing for fifteen minutes each day.
29. Listen to podcasts on your daily walks.
30. Practice the piano each day for thirty minutes.
31. Sew something new every week.
32. Collect stuff on your daily walks and make monthly shadowboxes.
33. Make a batch of your own lip balm, facial toner, oil and cleanser and hair spray each month. Don’t forget to add fun labels.
34. Use washi tape in a new way every day. {I love black and white polka dot.}
35. Carve a rubber stamp every Tuesday.
36. Take a weekly ceramics class.
37. Make a sock monkey each week.
38. Try to recreate a famous artist’s piece of work every week for a year–just to learn, not to copycat.
39. Take a picture of your pet every day for the next year and combine them all into a book.
40. Create a new pattern each day.
41. Post a new illustration on your blog every day.
42. Practice calligraphy every day.
43. Take part in Project Life.
44. Spend $10 a week to put together a rocking outfit from your local thrift stores. {That’s 52 outfits for $520! Pretty rad. I’m not sure the last time I said the word, “rad.” Moving on…}
45. Give handmade cards for every holiday this year.
46. Cook a luxurious meal for your man every Saturday night.
47. Try out different types of image transfers every Wednesday afternoon.
48. Practice embroidery every evening while watching tv with your spouse.
49. Take a weekly sewing course.
51. Make your own gift wrapping.
52. Complete a DIY decorating project for your home every week.
53. Make one new piece of jewelry each week.
54. Work on a quilt for thirty minutes every day.
55. Create a new floral arrangement for your home every Friday, so you have a beautiful centerpiece to look at all weekend.
56. Work on a craft with your child every Sunday afternoon.
57. Learn a new Illustrator technique each day and practice it.
58. Learn a new Photoshop technique each day and practice it.
59. Sketch something you come across on your daily walks.
60. Take up needle felting.
61. Make your own art journals.
62. Take a weekly watercolor class.
63. Learn about printmaking.
64. Work your way through an entire book of recipes ala Julie an Julia.
65. Draw a flower every day.
66. Draw an animal every day.
67. Paint a memory from your week every Sunday.
68. Take yourself on an artist’s date every week.
69. Make a card every day.
70. Use stamps every day.
71. Practice creative lettering every day.
72. Bake a different type of cupcakes every week. {Just make sure you keep your gym membership, too!}
73. Bake a different batch of cookies every week.
74. Bake a different type of pie every week.
75. Work your way through this book or this book.
76. Learn how to make candles and make a batch every month to give to friends and family. {They’ll love you.}
77. Post a picture on Facebook every day.
78. Post a picture on Instagram every day.
79. Color in a grownup coloring book every evening.
80. Go to a museum every month.
81. Scour the fabric store every Tuesday. Look for inspiring patterns and color combinations that you love.
82. Get the latest edition of this magazine and pick twelve projects to complete–one for each month of the year.
83. Subscribe to this magazine for regular blogging inspiration.
84. Read one blog post on copywriting every day and practice the technique or use the idea.
85. Crochet a doll every month.
86. Learn a new hairstyle every Saturday morning.
87. Knit a scarf every week.
88. Learn to make soap and make a new batch for your family every month.
89. Take a weekly photography class.
90. Make one Christmas present every week over the next year and you won’t have any shopping to do!
91. Make a DIY project every month for your kids–like this one and this one.
92. Write one chapter of your book each month {or week if you’re super ambitious!}.
93. Upcycle something every week.
94. Turn on the radio and sketch while three songs play.
95. Try a new recipe from Pinterest every weekend.
96. Create a piece of jewelry for a friend’s birthday every month.
97. Sew something made of tulle every month.
98. Paint {or decorate} every package that you send to friends and family.
99. Sketch the weather every day in your planner.
100. Take a picture of your baby every day for the year. Combine them into a book for all the grandparents for Christmas.
101. Create your own creative habit!
This is a great list, I love love love it and there are so many things on here I wouldn’t have thought of. Randy Pausch has a TED talk that is amazing and everyone should check it out.
Thanks! I had a ton of fun writing it. I second Randy’s TED talk! 🙂
I have a personal mantra, “Creative, Spiritual, Joyful” but lately I’ve been so stressed that it is hard to focus on creativity. Seeing this post in my e-mail today was like a well-timed push from the universe.
Yay!!! I can relate. I think we all fall into those traps of stress and day-to-day stuff. Injecting some creativity can definitely help alleviate some of that stress.
This is a great list! I love it. 🙂
Thanks Leah!
I love this list. I’m feeling more creative just reading through it. Thanks so much!
Thanks Jeanne! It made me feel more creative when writing it! 😉
Wow! that is one list and a half! Every single item makes my heart beat a little faster and i get excited! Thank you for reminding me that even though I am still only really starting out, I need to keep hold of my crayon box in my little chubby five year old hand and always keep my soul happy. I need to create just for me sometimes not just for my business. 🙂 Thank you April!
I reeeeeally want to feel more creative this year, so this list was as much for me as it is for everyone else. Doesn’t it feel good to read through it?
Awesome list!! I would really love to take a photo a day! My goal is to improve my photo taking skills and the best way to do it is just to get out there and do it! 🙂
Lovin’ the hairstyle idea, too! I’ve grown too accustomed to the bun!
Thanks for the inspiration. I’ll definitely bookmark this post when I need a spark of creativity.
Thanks Jennifer!
Wouldn’t it be so much fun to try a different hairstyle each week? I love that idea and I’m always drooling over fun hairstyle ideas on Pinterest. Perfect way to try some out.
April, this list is great!! I’ve been feeling a little off this week creatively and needed the boost. Now I realize I just need to have fun with my art to allow new ideas to form. I have lots of great books to check out now too, thanks 🙂
Yay! I’m so glad this came at the right time. I hope you have so much fun adding some bursts of creativity to your week.
Great suggestions, April! Nice as always 🙂 Thanks!
Thank you! 🙂
What great ideas! I know this may sound odd but I am still not quite into the new year yet– so I am using January to organize and get myself ready for my own new beginning in February! I love receiving your newsletters they really help me see future potential!
That doesn’t sound odd–it sounds pretty amazing! Thank you sooooo much for your kind words.
Brilliant list April!
Thanks for the motivation.
If anyone is interested in ideas for photo a day, check out this website:
http://fatmumslim.com.au/photo-a-day-challenge-lists-see-them-all-here/
Chantelle (aka fatmumslim) runs the phot-a-day challenge across instagram, twitter and FB.
Thanks Jude! And thank you for adding that resource.
Great blog post! I feel so inadequate, now (sigh), but inspired at the same time. Fun to think about a crochet project I could do everyday. Thanks!
Noooooooo! This isn’t meant to make anyone feel inadequate or less than. Most of us feel like we don’t have enough time to create, so you’re not alone at all. Start small–maybe by crocheting for 15 minutes each evening and see how that makes you feel. Hopefully it’ll add a little bit of the warm and fuzzies to your life. 😉
Such a huge list! So many ideas I’d love to pratice!
I’m trying to take a picture of my son sleeping every day before I go to bed. And I think I’m going to pick some ideas here too. Thank you so much for all of this work you’ve done making up all those ideas 🙂
Hey lady! That’s such a sweet photo project. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
Awesome!!! Lot’s of great ideas here that I can’t wait to try! Thanks! 🙂
Yay! Let us know which one{s} you try!
April,
I’ve been thinking for a while of this list, and an idea came to me. I though it might be interesting for your readers, so I share it here.
I’m now organisation monthly creative challenges on my blog. For exemple, next month, challenge will be to take a pic of your home daily. I opened a facebook group + pinterest board for the challenge and give a link for the blogs of the ladies participating the challenge page.
I think it will be a nice way to have other bloggers talking about my blog and to have fun and to get to know other creatives.
I hope this idea will help your community.
Thanks again for your work
xo
Clementine
Awesome idea! Thank you for inviting this community to join in!
I didn’t mean to invit the community to join in my own challenge (it would be a real pleasure, but as my website is all in French, I’m afraid it’s would be hard for english speakers). I just wanted to share the idea, because I thought maybe some of your followers would like to host challenges the same way on their blogs. It’s truly already giving me a lot of traffic to my blog 🙂
I’m sorry I might not be really clear when I express myself in english.
I see! I see! You wanted to share the idea! Awesome…thank you! 🙂
This is an awesome list April thank you! I’ve been in a creative famine for a while + this year my goal is to replenish my creative well + have fun. I’m just afraid that I might want to try ALL of these creative ideas this year 🙂 I can’t wait to get started + shake things up 😉
WOW! So many great ideas! My goal for 2014 is to improve my photography skills, so in addition of working on my personal project “Miami Beach trough my lens” (a 12 month photographic adventure discovering Miami Beach, in which a photograph a favorite place once a month), I’m going to take a Jackie Rueda class and learn Lightroom.
Thanks for putting this list together!
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