Feeling stalled? Creativity juices running low? Time to get yourself back in the game with some of these small things that you can do right. this. second.
Remember, little actions make for big change over time.
If Hemingway can kick it up a notch, you can too
1. Try to write a sentence backwards. Whatever word first pops into your head must be the last word of your sentence. Continue picking words until you have a phrase that makes sense. Force your brain to think in new ways.
2. Reorganize your bookshelves by color. You decide where to start the rainbow.
3. Cut up a photo and rearrange it entirely. Become a Picasso of the modern age.
4. Go read a bit of a book or two. Marvel at how one author’s voice is completely distinct from another’s. No tome nearby? Dive into this free online library of 40,000 titles.
5. Write a letter to someone you haven’t chatted with in a while. Draw pictures in the margins of memories you shared and laughed over once. Perhaps make plans to make more memories soon.
6. Write with your non-dominant hand. Now draw. Which method is more appealing?
7. Learn how to say one phrase in another language. Ngiyajabula ukukwazi! (“Pleased to meet you” in Zulu)
8. Pick an image by a famous photographer or artist that you find particularly stunning and recreate it only using objects you have in the room.
9. Meditate.
10. Ask someone what was the best movie they ever saw. Pick their brain as to why that one still stands out in their mind.
11. Write a haiku that would make your grandmother faint. No holds barred.
12. Go for a walk. Choose a path you’ve never taken before.
13. Reorganize your bookshelves by books you love and books you still need to read.
14. Turn money into art! Instantly!
15. Think up five terrible puns. The more groan-worthy the better. Despite evidence that they should be, puns will never be a sick bird (ill+eagle = illegal =groaaan).
16. Question a long-held ideal of yours. What makes you stuck in your ways on this subject?
17. Snap pictures of only things that start with the letter “C”. Pick a new letter tomorrow.
18. Use chopsticks to do something other than eat food.
19. Listen to one of your favorite songs. Mentally choreograph a dance that would match it perfectly.
20. Print out any of these images. Color outside of the lines if you wish.
21. Write yourself a message that you can only read when you hold up it up to a mirror.
22. Invent a character. Decide its name, age, favorite cereal and how it views the world. What kind of person would it befriend?
23. Throw away something that you thought you needed.
24. Reorganize your bookshelves in whatever way that makes you happy. If that means putting the books in the pantry and the canned goods on the bookshelves, give it a go.
25. Journal.
26. Make up new lyrics to a well-loved song. They can be ridiculous, referential, or reverent as long as they are different.
27. Pick a random spot in a distant country on Google Maps and zoom all the way in. You will feel tiny and overwhelmed and inspired.
28. Create a word map. Connect the dots between disparate ideas.
29. List everything in this world that you love. Combine as many of these as you can into your day.
30. Get uncomfortable, get crafty, create.
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I like this! I’m going to try some of these!
Glad to hear it! Let me know how it goes.
Wonderful ideas. I smiled reading them. Actually I think my creativity got sparked simply by reading them!
Thanks Patty!
Throw away something that you thought you needed… Wow, that is truly creative! Thanks for that suggestion… that I will never follow. 🙂 I need to link to this post in my next blog post (I’m already thinking of ways to use your unique ideas). And the picture of Hemingway is perfect!
– Trent
Isn’t Hemingway just the classiest? Thanks Trent!
Reblogged this on wildcreativesoul and commented:
Not doing too much blogging at the moment as I am neck deep in NaNoWriMo, but while searching through some blogs, I found this and love it!! Thought I would share with others who sometimes need a kick in the rear!
Thanks for sharing WCS!
Great post! One more thing you can do if you have a friend or partner or spouse who is willing to engage in it is see how many times you can use groan-worthy synonyms and phrases linked to the original word or phrase.
For example: My partner’s mother’s new doctor’s surname is Sycamore. Another doctor at the same facility is Birch. So we started off saying:
“Wow… they’re really branching out there.”
“Oh, leaf it alone.”
“Let me bark if I want to…”
And just keep playing that as long as you can. It’s quite fun!
Thanks for sharing the inspiration in this blog… I’ll have to try some of these things!
Like that idea! Thanks for offering another one to the list here Scott.
29. List everything in this world that you love. Combine as many of these as you can into your day. (Just the list would take me hours.)
Great post. Very inspiring and fun. 🙂
Thanks! Oh and I know – but that long list doesn’t have to be daunting, just a fun challenge.
I love this list! These suggestions sound fun.
Happy to hear it Dienna! Thanks.
Awesome ideas! Love love love them!
Thank you!
Great ideas!! Thanks to number 5 I recalled that there`s still someone waiting for me to reply on a message… so Thank you for that!! 🙂 Also thank you for visiting my (brandnew) blog!
Glad it was able to spark a discussion! And of course, happy to have found it. Chat soon!