There are habits that we can develop that allow us to be more creative in our daily lives. These are practices that are incorporated to allow creativity to be present. I talked to some of my favorite creative people, as well as reading Twyla Tharp’s book, The Creative Habit, Julia Cameron’s, The Artists Way, Natalie Goldberg’s, Writing Down the Bones, and Anne Lamott’s, Bird by Bird. I read creativity books for their inspiration and helpful ideas to be a better writer, artist and creative human being.

1)Show up.

Regularly. Daily if possible; find a schedule that works for you and try to stick it to it. But be there ready to write, draw, take pictures, cook… Whatever it is that you want to do, show up!

2)Be Present.  

Laura Probert said to me, when I asked about her creative habits, have than “on- purpose  attitude”. Don’t just sit down and attempt to be creative. Be in the moment. Stay in the moment. Purposefully attend to your creative task at hand.

3)Show Gratitude.

This is for life in general as well. Happy people are grateful people. Showing and sharing gratitude daily reminds us we all have something to be thankful for and allows us to create from a space of abundance rather than scarcity.

4)Amanda Wolf Hara says, “Indulge in the ridiculous.”

Allow your mind to play crazy what if games for example she says, “If I was an alien, and encountering this strange earthling concept for the first time, what would I see? What here is potential instead of impossible?” Doing this helps us gain new perspective and see things from another side. It expands our own perception around whatever it is we are working on.

5)Meditate.
Be still. Make time for silence and quiet reflection. Allow thoughts to flow freely in and out without reacting to them. Allow yourself to notice the sounds around you, allowing you again in the present moment.

6)Read.

Educate yourself. check out new books new blogs new magazine or other media articles. Each time we allow ourselves learn something new we expand our creative base knowledge. No matter what we read I have been inspired by fiction as much as a moving blog post.

7)Journaling.

Whether you simply write in one before you bed like I do are you for art journaling orbital bullet journaling, journaling is the best way to get all your thoughts that run around loose in your head.  Journaling can also be a source of inspiration when you go back and read it. I have often found poetry in all journal writings without realizing it when I wrote it at the time.

8)Stop comparing.

Ditch negative thinking. There is no one like you and you offer a unique view into the world. So there is no one to compare you to. And if you fall into comparison, remember we are often comparing our insights to another person’s outsides and that is not a fair comparison. Comparison leads to negative thinking such as I am not worthy or I don’t have anything valuable to offer. These are negative derailments and have you have to fight them basically though sometimes it is easier said than done tell those negative thoughts to STFU!

9)Play.

Doodle. Do something you liked as a kid. Play is the doorway to creativity. We, as a society, do not engage in play enough. We have an undermining attitude that one must earn play but the opposite is true. Play makes us happier more productive people so go play.

10) Do something different
If you write, try photography or painting. If you work in nonverbal media, try writing or cooking. Experiment with other art forms. Or follow Julia Cameron’s invite advice and take yourself out on artist date to the creative places around you.
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