3 Tips to Nurture Your Creativity

Image Source: Writing Cooperative

Life is so busy and fast-paced that it gets hard to slow down and really think. However, I think it’s so important to spend time with your own thoughts, especially if you like to create. Here are some of my tips for nurturing creativity! I come from a creative writing background, but I think these tips can apply to other mediums as well.

  1. Carry a small journal to write down your ideas 

Have you ever had a brilliant idea only to forget it later? Inspiration can happen at any time, so I like carrying around a small journal to jot down my ideas as they come. Sometimes it’s a concept; most times it’s a line or provoking image. Eventually, these singular lines come together in a poem or story. The “Notes” app on your phone also works, but I personally prefer the integrity of putting a pen to paper. Making a habit of writing down your ideas ensures they won’t be lost and you can use them later. 

  1. Resist the urge to erase/backspace 

This is something I was taught in my arts-based high school. Sometimes your best ideas emerge when you let loose and write whatever is on your mind. We can be quite judgemental of our own thoughts, and the backspace button and eraser only fuel this. This is why I write in pen, not pencil, so I can’t erase anything. Writing apps like Google Docs also save previous versions of documents, so if you had a good passage but got rid of it, you can retrieve it. But give it a try! Open a journal and just write stream-of-consciousness style. 

  1. Keep your space clean and clutter-free

I believe in the saying “cluttered desk, cluttered mind”…or something like that. If your workspace is messy, it’s easier to get distracted. Clean your space and keep anything you need within reach, such as water or more pens. Consider silencing your phone for a while so you can concentrate. As a creative, I know there’s no better feeling than being in creative flow, and having it disrupted can ruin an art piece.

I hope you give these tips a try and produce something beautiful!