5 ways to inspire creativity

I’ve always been a creative person, from the pictures I drew as a kid to the stories and poetry I made up as a teen and now to the stories and blog posts I write on a daily basis. But even being in the creative industry, there are times when it seems impossible to be creative. Thinking up new ideas and fresh takes on the same subject (often the case in publishing) can be hard to do, and sometimes inspiration just doesn’t hit when you need it to.

During those desperate times when it seems that you’ll never have a new or interesting thought again, I’ve found that there are several ways to inspire creativity. Whether you’re by yourself or working with a team, these five things can help you get back into your creative headspace.

Listen to music. Music itself is the product of other people’s creativity, but it is also a powerhouse for inspiration. I am the type of person who hates quiet, so I’ve always had a radio playing in the background regardless of what I’m doing: studying, reading, writing — seriously all the time. Sometimes the lyrics give me a great idea for a story, but often it’s more just about listening to someone else’s intimate work and letting it flow through your body to inspire you however it will. And if all else fails, have a dance party!

Get crafty. Making a DIY project is a creative act, but not one that always requires you to come up with new ideas. Find one on Pinterest that you like and get to work on it. Just doing something creative — even if it’s not totally original — can help inspire you to create something else yourself. Maybe it’s similar to the craft you’re making but with a few tweaks to make it your own, or maybe it’s something completely different that you wouldn’t have thought of without all the glue and glitter stuck to your hands.

Make a mood board. Whether it’s a digital version on Pinterest or the real-life physical thing, a mood board is the perfect way to spark creativity. Start sifting through old magazines and tearing out pictures you like. Put them all together and look through your masterpiece. Putting together a visual compilation of all the things that you love will definitely give you something to think about and provide you with a dose of inspiration to work on another project that combines some or all of those things.

Watch old movies. I don’t know about you, but I love the unique qualities older movies have compared to more modern ones. I especially love classics from the ‘50s and ‘60s, starring Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. There’s nothing like them, and I always find that I have a new outlook after I watch them. They offer a different view of the world we know today, and I think there is a lot of untapped creativity waiting to come out of them in new and unique ways. Really, if Breakfast at Tiffany’s doesn’t inspire you to be creative, nothing will!

Play the question game by yourself. You know when you’ve just started dating someone, and it seems like half the conversations you have consist of back-and-forth questioning to get to know each other? Do that by yourself, asking questions you’ve maybe never thought about asking yourself before. Go beyond the typical “what’s my favorite color” questions and think deeper, like “If I could be famous for one thing, but only able to do that one thing for the rest of my life, what would I do?” You never know what answers you’ll find or where they might take you.

What inspires you to be creative? How do you deal with feeling uncreative?

P.S. Currently inspired by, where do you go for inspiration and 6 DIY ideas