Are you someone who believes they weren’t born with the creativity gene?
I am not sure what makes some humans feel more creative than others, but based on conversations with the people I know, it does seem that some people consider themselves creative, and some people do not.
I am most definitely a self-proclaimed creative individual.
If you feel like you’re in need of some creative outlets to kickstart your own creative journey, I’m here to help.
Below, you’ll find a few good ideas to get started finding your own creative outlet….even if you don’t consider yourself a creative genius.
Let’s get the creative energy flowing!
What is Creativity and a Creative Outlet?
Creativity is the idea that you’re making something unique and inspiring to you. Creativity is not mimicking the things you see, but drawing inspiration from them and using it to launch yourself forward.
Creativity can manifest through so many different activities – aka, creative outlets.
You can be creative in how you decorate your home, how you play music and, of course, how you decorate your journal. When you find the outlet that you love, you’ll know it, as it will feel like a creative and energizing process to you.
In my own life, there are some key ways I have found I can inspire creativity in general. There are also some exercises to help inspire more creativity in daily life.
Creativity is Vulnerability
One of the biggest hangups I believe so many adults feel when it comes to being more creative is that creativity requires immense vulnerability.
It is easy to copy what we see others do because we are not opening ourselves up to as much judgment.
When we truly create things that represent our souls, we are opening our souls up for the world to see and letting in a level of judgment. Judgment can feel scary— even if it is good.
The very first thing we have to do as creative individuals is accept that judgment will happen.
Practice sharing your art with the people around you who love and support you. Share it with your partner, your friends, your family, or even on social media. If you aren’t comfortable sharing publicly on social media— find a niche facebook group and share there.
The point is that you get comfortable being more vulnerable. You’ll soon find that the creative world is very supportive and loving.
Vulnerability is the heart of what makes art so powerful.
Creativity Requires Rules
Great creative expression needs rules. I know that may sound counter productive, but when we impose rules we are able to see structures and boundaries. Playing with these rules and strategically breaking them is what makes our art so interesting.
Rules exist throughout every single medium of artistic expression. Think of:
- The chords in a song. Songwriters will follow patterns and rhythms to tell a story, then break the rhythm or transpose the key to emphasize their story.
- Color schemes. Whether it is in home decor, painting, photography or even creating journal pages— artists use complementary and contrasting colors to dictate how the viewer sees the page or space. With no visual focus, the story can easily get lost.
- Movies play with reality. Think about superhero movies, Harry Potter, Jumanji, Star Wars, etc. These movies play with the reality we are used to and break the rules to immerse us in a new world.
If you’re struggling with creativity, set some rules for yourself. Pick just a couple colors, a certain time period, or key theme. Rules can give you a welcome direction, and harness your creative energy into a singular focus.
Creative Outlets For Adults
Now that we have defined creativity and how to harness it— the next thing to do is actually practice it!
I personally practice my creativity in many different ways. I am a photographer, videographer, journaler, actor, writer, and singer. Each creative outlet inspires me in different ways. They are mediums for me to tell stories and practice vulnerability.
If you want to practice being more creative, try picking up a new hobby or think back to your childhood passion, and re-start it. Adult life brings a lot of challenges and responsibilities, making it easy to lose touch with our creative side, and hard to fit the perfect creative outlet into an already busy schedule.
Some interesting and engaging ways you can stimulate your creativity include:
- Take a class or three! Classes are great ways to introduce you to different creative outlets so you can try a few and choose what sticks. Pottery, dance, singing lessons, art lessons, wire wrapping, cooking, all involve creative projects.
- Buy a coloring book, but only break the rules. Make the princesses goth, turn every sky into outer space, color every page in different hues of the same singular color.
- Use one of the PageFlutter challenges, like writing a 6-word story each day, or our memoir challenge.
- Redecorate a space. Set a budget and stick to it. Go to the dollar store with $20 and transform a small space in your home. Even if you can afford or justify spending more, sticking to a small budget will force you to hone your creative practice.
- Head to the thrift store and style an outfit for a photoshoot with only $20. (I did this once and got recognized and featured by 7-11!). Having a limited budget forces you to be a creative idea machine!
- Create a short film using only the camera on your phone. If fiction sounds too daunting, make a mini documentary.
- Get creative in the kitchen. Do you have a few sweet potatoes sitting on your counter going bad? How about the baby carrots in your crisper drawer? Instead of letting them go to waste, flex your creativity and create a special meal with a little effort and time.
- Create a vision board journal spread using only things you find in your home (magazines, wrapping paper, photos, old movie tickets, etc.)
- Do your makeup differently today. Use a product that steps a little out of your comfort zone, or add some extra sparkles. Changing up your style practices will help you feel more inspired throughout the day.
Remember: Art is Subjective
The most beautiful thing about art is that there really are no rules. Not every single piece of art will be enjoyed by every person that encounters it.
As long as what you create helps you feel something, heal, laugh, grow, or even cry- then it is a masterpiece in my books.
There is no barrier for entry, and trying something new is never a waste of time. Even if you aren’t inspired by everything you create, being able to learn and grow is always worth the effort.
Lindsay loves documenting her travels and adventures through photography, videography and bullet journaling.
She is an avid traveler and has been to 13 different countries- with many more to come! You can follow her adventures on her tiktok (@lindsayamanphotography), youtube (coming soon), instagram (@lindsayamanphotography ), and her website.
