Many people say "I'm just not creative." Usually what they mean is that someone once told them their drawing wasn't good, or they compared themselves to an expert and quit. But creativity isn't a rare talent. It's a habit of trying things, playing with ideas, and making something that didn't exist before. Anyone can do it, at any age.
Here's how to start, even if you haven't made anything since grade school.
Start small and low-stakes
The fastest way to stop creating is to aim for something impressive. Instead, make it small enough that it can't fail.
- Doodle for five minutes while you have your morning coffee.
- Write a three-line poem about your day.
- Take one photo of something ordinary from an unusual angle.
- Rearrange a shelf or a vase of flowers just to see what looks nice.
- Hum a tune you make up as you go.
The Make Something, Just Because card is a gentle 20-minute way to begin.
Try lots of things, cheaply
You won't know what you love until you try it. Experiment before you invest.
- Your library often has free classes, craft kits, and how-to books, and some lend tools, instruments, or sewing machines.
- Free online lessons on video sites cover drawing, watercolor, knitting, guitar, and almost anything else.
- Community centers and senior centers often run low-cost art, pottery, writing, and music groups.
- Use what you have. Kitchen scraps, old magazines, garden clippings, and leftover yarn all make wonderful materials.
Quiet the inner critic
Almost every beginner hears a voice saying "that's not good enough." A few ways to turn it down:
- Make it on purpose "bad." Try to draw the ugliest flower you can. It takes the pressure off, and you'll often like the result.
- Separate making from judging. Create first. Decide what you think of it tomorrow, or never.
- Compare yourself only to yourself. Look at what you made last month, not at what an expert made after 30 years.
- Let your hands lead. Start without a plan and see what shows up. Often the meaning comes after you begin.
When you feel stuck
- Change your surroundings. Work in a different room, or take your sketchbook outside.
- Add a limit. Use only three colors, write exactly 50 words, or make something in ten minutes. Limits spark ideas.
- Go for a walk. Movement and fresh scenery help ideas loosen up. Try the Five Beautiful Things walk.
- Copy to learn. Practicing by copying a style you admire is how artists have always learned. Just don't share copies as your own.
Make it a habit
A little creativity often beats a lot of it once in a while. Pick a regular time, even ten minutes a few days a week, and keep your supplies where you can see them. Joining a class or group helps too: you'll learn faster, and it's a lovely way to make friends. The Join Something New card can help you take that first step.
Keep exploring
- Miss a hobby you used to love? Read how to reconnect with your old passions.
- Want to use creativity to work through stress or big feelings? See creative ways to express what you feel.
- Turn a creative dream into a plan with the free Wish-to-Action Plan.
Affirmations for creativity
- I am allowed to make things just for the joy of it.
- My ideas are worth exploring.
- Mistakes are part of how I learn and grow.
- It's never too late to start creating.
- I trust my hands to find the way.
- Every time I create, I give myself a chance.
Being Free to Express our Creativity
In realms of boundless imagination,
Where vibrant colors meet no inhibition,
Where thoughts soar high on creative wings,
A realm where true liberation sings.
Oh, how wonderful it is, my dear,
To express the creativity held so near,
To paint with words upon a blank page,
Unleashing the artist's boundless sage.
In strokes of poetry, my spirit dances,
With words, I embark on limitless chances,
Like a symphony, my thoughts compose,
A melody only my heart truly knows.
In a world where rules may try to confine,
Creativity flourishes, it does intertwine,
Breaking chains that seek to restrain,
Unleashing the wonder, freedom's sweet gain.
For each brushstroke, every word we write,
Frees our souls from darkness into light,
Weaving tapestries stitched with pure desire,
Setting our wildest dreams ablaze, afire.
In moments of creation, we truly find,
A sanctuary where we leave the world behind,
A glimpse into a universe of our own design,
Where our creativity forever intertwines.
So let us embrace this gift we hold,
Our creativity, the most precious gold,
For in its embrace, we find our true self,
Unveiling treasures, like a secret self.
Oh, the rapture of freedom when we create,
To paint, to write, to sculpt, to illustrate,
To express the dreams that our hearts conceive,
Is a joyous gift, one we must always believe.
So, let our voices rise, our spirits take flight,
As we celebrate the freedom to create, ignite,
For in those moments, we find pure ecstasy,
In being free to express our creativity.