215 Ways to Spark Your Creativity

I believe we are all innately creative and need to create in some way in order to be fulfilled. However, whether we draw, paint, sculpt, design, compose, act, dance, sing, play an instrument, or write, sometimes our creative genius wants to hide from us. Whenever you have those days, don’t beat yourself up. It happens to everyone at times. 

It helps to step away and get completely out of your normal routine and sometimes even out of your comfort zone in order to get your creative juices flowing again. 

Here are some ways to do that. I have days that I prefer to stay at home, and I have days that I need to get out of the house. Therefore, I divided these into two groups: 66 ways to spark your creativity when you Get Out and 149 ways when you Stay In.

Get Out

1. Go for a walk without music. Instead of music or a podcast on your phone, listen to the sounds of nature like birds chirping, water flowing, and wind blowing.
2. Go for a walk with music. It is now believed that listening to your favorite songs in any genre of music can lead to increased creativity, so it’s not just classical music anymore.
3. Go for a run. Running can help your mind wander into new ideas. Famous writers Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, and Joyce Carol Oates were runners.
4. Exercise. Any type of exercise can pump up your creativity.
5. Go fishing. Fishing allows uninterrupted time with your thoughts.
6. Go camping. Enjoying nature is mood-enhancing.
7. Look up at the stars. Let the beauty of nature inspire.
8. Go to your happy place. The place that you feel your most relaxed, safe, and happy may actually be the best place to inspire your creativity.
9. Visit a museum. Viewing art makes you more creative.
10. Go for a drive. Good ideas always come to me while I’m in the car.
11. Explore nature. Take a hike, climb a mountain, wade in a river or creek.
12. Attend a conference. Conferences almost always inspire and motivate.
13. Attend a class. Learn while connecting with people who share your same interests.
14. Ask for another person’s insight. Others see your work differently than you.
15. Visit the places in your hometown that you’ve never been.
16. Visit your parents. Notice the little things that you often overlook.
17. Visit your grandparents. Older people think more broadly. Plus they have actually lived through some “history” so listen to their stories.
18. Try something new. This will allow your brain to light up.
19. Sit in a cafe and listen to ambient noise.
20. Spend time with other creative people. We are the company we keep.
21. Travel. Seeing other places can kick up our imagination.
22. Make a beach trip. The ocean is calming, relaxing, and great for creativity.
23. Indulge yourself. Self-Indulgence can be restorative. Buy a new pair of shoes or your favorite chocolate bar.
24. Break out of your routine. Go out for breakfast and stay in for dinner.
25. People-watch. You can learn a lot with simple observation. Writers and artists are always people-watching.
26. Go shopping. Draw inspiration from the branding and packaging in malls and stores.
27. Create outside of your normal workspace. Working outdoors can be relaxing as well.
28. Research some local history. Check out your local historical society museum, town square, or historical home tour.
29. Work with someone else. Split the project into parts.
30. Collaborate on a project. Work together so you can see a different perspective.
31. Talk with children to see a different point of view.
32. Go somewhere you’ve never been before. Maybe visit a place that’s already on your bucket list.
33. Go somewhere with old architecture. Tour the buildings and gardens, and imagine how life would have been during that time period.
34. Meet with creative people to hold a brainstorming session and inspire each other.
35. Meet with people whom you respect and ask them lots of questions.
36. Observe someone else being creative.
37. Get a coach to push and keep you on track, or a friend and be accountable to each other when working toward each of your goals.
38. Get feedback from others. Ask for honest opinions, and graciously accept constructive criticism.
39. Go do something fun just for you. Just take a day to do whatever you want.
40. Collect leaves and rocks. Examine the pattern and beauty of nature up close.
41. Create chalk drawings outside just for fun. You can hose off the pavement when done.
42. Go on a picnic and reminisce about your childhood picnics.
43. Teach your dog a new trick. If you don’t have a dog, just go volunteer to walk some dogs at your local animal shelter. They always appreciate help.
44. Ride a bike on a mountain trail, or just around your neighborhood.
45. Water the flowers and weed the flower beds. If you’re open to it, yard work can be a type of therapy. I call it my Outdoor Therapy.
46. Create a treasure hunt with clues for your family or friends. This is a great idea for a birthday or anniversary.
47. Interview someone who has been successful in a creative career.
48. Paint rocks with messages of kindness and give to friends.
49. Plan and execute a scavenger hunt for a group in which you belong, like a club, church, or support group.
50. Have a relay race. This is a fun weekend family activity.
51. Run through the sprinklers on a warm day.
52. Play with bubbles outside.
53. Plant a mini garden or fairy garden
54. Walk the dog or throw a ball for him/her to fetch.
55. Socialize with your cat.
56. Have a water balloon fight. This is a great outside activity on a hot summer day.
57. Put on a play. Involve the entire family.
58. Play catch or kick ball.
59. Jump rope or hula-hoop.
60. Set up a tent in your backyard and sleep under the stars.
61. Play hopscotch. It can bring back happy childhood memories.
62. Play in the water. A creek or river works if you don’t live near the ocean.
63. Go roller skating.
64. Go ice skating.
65. Go sledding if you have winter snow, or snow tubing with fake snow if you live in a warm climate.
66. Play croquet.

Stay In

1. Do Yoga.
2. Play a game on your phone or computer.
3. Listen to classical music.
4. Make music using Garageband.
5. Meditate for 15 minutes.
6. Daydream. Let your mind wander and see if inspiration strikes.
7. Spend some time alone thinking, reading, or planning.
8. Write. When you write, you picture the scenes you’re describing. This can jumpstart your creativity.
9. Lie down and relax. This can allow a “Eureka” moment.
10. Take a nap. Sleep is important for so many reasons, including creativity.
11. Stretch your limbs. Wear a Fitbit and walk around the house to get your steps in.
12. Watch a comedy special on TV or YouTube and LAUGH. Laughing can fire up your brain synapses.
13. Be positive and thankful. Things could be so much worse.
14. Browse the web. Check out art websites and blogs
15. Watch a TV show. TV introduces us to foreign places, cultures, people and ideas.
16. Watch a dramatic movie with a good plot.
17. Challenge yourself to accomplish something big.
18. Think of something from another perspective.
19. Color in a coloring book. Adult coloring books have intricate patterns to stimulate your creativity. Try one with nature designs or cityscapes.
20. Promise yourself a reward for completing a project.
21. Pick a Muse (alive or historical).
22. Collect things that inspire you.
23. Put your phone away and be in the moment.
24. Break some rules with your art.
25. Brainstorm on your own. Keep pen and paper handy.
26. De-clutter your house. Clutter hampers creativity.
27. Clean your house. A clean environment can de-clutter the mind.
28. Change your diet for 2 weeks. Dried fruits and nuts are said to increase creativity.
29. Ignore your critics. Haters gonna hate, so tune them out.
30. Doodle. It gets the ball rolling.
31. Start a sketchbook. Focus on what’s in front of you. Notice the details. Draw something every day.
32. Answer riddles or interpret poetry. It stretches the mind in a different way.
33. Hand-write a letter to someone. Writing helps you think more broadly than a phone call.
34. Research you family genealogy. Write it down for your descendants.
35. Set goals. What do you want to accomplish in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years. Write these goals down and refer back to them periodically.
36. Give yourself deadlines and stay on target to meet them.
37. Use Notes or Evernote on your phone and record every interesting thought you have. Or carry a small notebook everywhere to write your thoughts down.
38. Make lots of lists. Delete or check-off items as you accomplish and move on to the next item.
39. Review and update your lists and notes daily and weekly.
40. Create a system to organize your ideas.
41. Remember to write down or save the websites, articles, and stories of ideas that you want to save for later.
42. Challenge yourself to create something new for 7 days straight.
43. Share or create something that is comical.
44. Create a derivative work.
45. Watch an old movie.
46. Listen to some old music.
47. Free associate – Pick a random word or idea, and write all the thoughts that come to mind related to that idea.
48. Reverse your perspective. Do a complete 180.
49. Allow mistakes to occur. We learn the most from our mistakes.
50. Start a project over from scratch.
51. Write down 10 solutions to a problem.
52. Write down 10 possible directions for a project before you start.
53. Identify the obstacles and roadblocks you’re facing.
54. Ignore all of your usual routines and patterns.
55. Create something in a genre or style you wouldn’t normally create.
56. Take a brain break. Stop everything and let your mind relax.
57. Analyze something which you think is great, and write down specifically why you think it’s great.
58. Create templates from your favorite pieces of art (stories, songs, works of art, designs, etc.).
59. Create a playlist which communicates the emotion of the project you’re working on, and use it as a soundtrack while creating.
60. Create something just for fun. Be ridiculous. Don’t let the fear of failure hold you back.
61. Clean your art studio, office, or workspace.
62. Take several of your past ideas and merge them into a single project.
63. Drink some hot chocolate.
64. Listen to a new style of music.
65. Look for new designs and patterns everywhere you go.
66. Stay up really late at night working on a project.
67. Restrict your freedom on a project.
68. Remove all rules and restrictions.
69. Create things regularly that NO ONE will ever see.
70. Write a story or a song or create a piece of art just for yourself.
71. Take a day off from all technology. No phone, no computer, no TV.
72. Spend several hours alone with just yourself and a notebook.
73. Stop over-thinking while being creative.
74. Work on something where you don’t stop to critique until you’ve created a full draft.
75. Stop beating yourself up. Dwelling on past failures can limit future successes. Let the past go so you can move on.
76. Take something apart and put it back together again.
77. Listen to emotional music while day dreaming for at least 15 minutes.
78. Record your dreams.
79. Draw something from a dream you had. Sometimes dreams are hard to remember so keep pen and paper on your nightstand.
80. Sing in the shower.
81. Learn a new instrument.
82. Learn a new language.
83. Learn a new word each day.
84. Learn anything new. Just keep learning.
85. Write down the reasons you love creating things.
86. Get lots of rest.
87. Do something you did for fun when you were young.
88. Make a list of your most favorite things you’ve created.
89. Make a list of your least favorite things you’ve created.
90. Analyze the differences between the best and worst things you’ve created. What do you like? What don’t you like?
91. Analyze the differences between the best and worst aspects of other people’s work in your style or genre.
92. Listen to inspiring music and imagine creating an incredible piece of art.
93. Go back and look at your work from 5 years ago, or 10 years ago.
94. Re-create that work from 5 or 10 years ago and see how you’ve improved.
95. Create your own version of a famous project.
96. Read all the time (books, blogs, articles, etc.).
97. Learn about something that you’ve never been good at, and think about why.
98. Create a tutorial on how to make something.
99. Count your blessings.
100. Take a risk and do something you’ve always been afraid to try.
101. Create a framework for something you want to do in the future.
102. Finish something, anything. It feels great to finish something and move on to what’s next.
103. Stop trying to be someone else’s perfect. Your perfect may be different.
104. Color anything. Coloring has a de-stressing effect and brings out your imagination.
105. Paint. Painting can put you in the perfect frame of mind for thinking up new ideas.
106. Draw your future. What do you hope it becomes?
107. Bake cookies and share with family or neighbors.
108. Work on a puzzle.
109. Study the Bible.
110. Practice photography (Try an online photography course).
111. Work on learning a new language.
112. Play a board game.
113. Memorize a scripture verse.
114. Create an art journal.
115. Make play dough. 
116. Make puppets with paper bags or socks. If you have kids in your family, let them put on a puppet show.
117. Work with beads to make something.
118. Try a new hair style.
119. Paint your nails with a design.
120. Bake a cake or pastry and share.
121. Look through a cookbook (pick out things to make and make a shopping list!)
122. Play with marbles.
123. Draw a self portrait.
124. Write in your journal.
125. Work on a short story or novel.
126. Sew something.
127. Tie-dye a shirt.
128. Make ice cream.
129. Observe objects in your microscope.
130. Crochet or embroider something.
131. Make a sun catcher.
132. Play hangman or put a puzzle together.
133. Play with Legos to create a building.
134. Do a science experiment.
135. Sing songs with a family member while driving somewhere.
136. Create a music video to your favorite song.
137. Dance. Dancing makes you happy which boosts creativity.
138. Take pictures indoors.
139. Create a photo book or photo album.
140. Write a short story and/or create a video story.
141. Create origami.
142. Create a memory jar.
143. Organize your closets for maximum morning efficiency.
144. Create a piece of jewelry.
145. Play checkers.
146. Play chess.
147. Keep a figit or stress ball at your desk to help you think more clearly.
148. Snack on blueberries. This superfood has brain-boosting powers.
149. Never give up. You really only need one great idea to build upon. Walt Disney started with a drawing of a mouse. 

Whether you want to get outside or stay inside, give some of these ideas a try. Come back to the list again and again when you need to try something to spark your creativity. I believe you will be creating masterpieces in no time.

I also wanted to mention three awesome TED talks that discuss creativity. The first is one that I studied last semester in my college English class that might help get your creative juices flowing again.

It’s called “Your Elusive Creative Genius” by Elizabeth Gilbert. She is the author of Eat, Pray, Love. I absolutely love this video. It’s a bit out of the box, which of course is probably why I like it. Elizabeth explains creative genius as an elusive being that exists outside of the body of the artist. She believes that all creatives should view themselves as the worker or the vessel, and the creative genius as a separate, disembodied being that is on loan for a time in their life. This way of thinking protects the artist from both the narcissism that tends to come with success, and the self-destruction that tends to come with failure. The success or failure does not come from the artist because they are simply the vessel. It comes from the creative genius. The artist’s job is to show up for their part of the job, and “manage” the creative genius. This keeps the artist from spiraling into an internalized, tormented state of mental illness that is common for creative people. Anyway, I don’t know precisely why, but this idea somehow appeals to my Asperger’s brain. Give it a listen. It is definitely an unusual way of thinking about creativity, but I don’t think you will be disappointed. 

Here are the other two TED talks that inspire me in various ways. They both mention how creativity is often suppressed during our early childhood education. I agree that this needs to change since creativity is equally as important as literacy.

• Do Schools Kill Creativity?
• How to Build Your Creative Confidence