61: Creative Block? Try This...
This week, we're diving into a topic that's close to my heart: how to tap into that limitless creativity we all had as kids. Whether you're an artist hitting a wall or just someone looking to spice up your daily routine, this episode is packed with game-changing strategies to kick those pesky creative blocks to the curb.
Here's a sneak peek of what you'll discover:
How to look at the world with fresh, curious eyes (just like you did as a kid!)
The power of play in boosting your creativity (yes, adults can play too!)
Why trying new things can light a fire under your imagination
How to silence your inner critic and create without judgment
Plus, I'll share some practical tips that you can start using right away. Trust me, by the end of this episode, you'll be itching to let your inner child out to play!
So grab your headphones, find a comfy spot, and get ready to unleash your creativity. Your inner child is waiting – let's give them a chance to shine!
P.S. After you've listened, hop over to our HobbyScool Facebook group and share what childhood activity you're excited to revisit. Let's inspire each other to get creative!
Key points with timestamps:
00:01:10 - Get curious again: Look at the world with fresh eyes and ask questions about everything
00:02:41 - Make time to play: Set up play dates with yourself and enjoy activities without worrying about the end result
00:04:10 - Mix it up and try different things: Step out of your comfort zone and experiment with new art forms
05:52 - Create without judging yourself: Quiet your inner critic and embrace the joy of creating for fun
08:15 - Dealing with creative blocks: Change your scenery, set limits, and team up with others
Mentioned In This Episode
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Unleashing Your Inner Child: 5 Strategies to Reignite Your Creativity
Remember the days when a cardboard box could transform into a spaceship, and your imagination knew no bounds? As adults, we often lose touch with that boundless creativity we once possessed. But what if I told you that it's not gone – just dormant? In this post, we'll explore five powerful strategies to reconnect with your inner child and unleash your creative potential.
The Power of Childlike Curiosity
At the heart of creativity lies curiosity. As children, we were insatiable questioners, always asking "why?" about everything we encountered. This constant curiosity led us to discover and learn at an astounding rate. As adults, we can recapture this sense of wonder by consciously cultivating curiosity in our daily lives.
Try this: The next time you're out and about, challenge yourself to really look at your surroundings. Ask questions about things you usually ignore. Pick up a book or watch a video about a topic that's completely new to you. Take a different route to work and see what catches your eye. Keep a small notebook handy to jot down observations or questions that pop into your head.
By rekindling your curiosity, you're essentially giving your creativity a powerful energy boost. It wakes up your brain and gets those creative juices flowing, opening up new pathways for innovative thinking.
Making Time to Play: Your Creativity's Best Friend
As grown-ups, we often forget the importance of play. But here's a secret: play is your creativity's best friend. It's all about having fun without worrying about the end result – a concept that's crucial for unleashing creativity.
Set up a play date with yourself. Block out some time in your calendar dedicated to just messing around. Grab an adult coloring book or tackle a jigsaw puzzle. Dig out those Legos or building blocks – as adults, we can create some truly impressive structures! Try some improv games or make up silly stories with friends.
Remember, the goal isn't to create a masterpiece (though you might surprise yourself). It's about enjoying the process and letting your imagination run wild. By incorporating play into your routine, you're creating a judgment-free zone where your creativity can flourish.
Mixing It Up: The Creative Power of New Experiences
As children, we effortlessly moved from one activity to another – finger painting one moment, molding Play-Doh the next, then drawing with sidewalk chalk. As adults, we tend to stick to what we know. But to reignite your creativity, it's time to shake things up!
If you're a writer, why not try your hand at painting? Musicians might explore sculpting, while painters could sign up for a dance class. Don't be afraid to combine different art forms – who says you can't paint while dancing?
Trying new things does more than just provide novelty; it creates new neural pathways in your brain, enhancing your overall creativity. Plus, you might discover a new passion or talent you never knew you had!
Revisiting Childhood Favorites: A Goldmine of Creativity
Think back to what you loved doing as a kid. Were you the neighborhood storyteller? Did you spend hours building elaborate forts? These old hobbies and pastimes can be a goldmine for rekindling your creativity.
Make a list of activities you adored in your youth, then pick one to try out. Don't worry about being "good" at it – embrace being a beginner again. The goal is to recapture that sense of joy and freedom you felt as a child engaged in your favorite activities.
Tapping into these old passions can bring back the pure pleasure of creating just for the fun of it. It's a powerful reminder of why we create in the first place – not for accolades or recognition, but for the sheer joy of expression.
Creating Without Judgment: Silencing Your Inner Critic
As adults, we often become our own harshest critics. But think back to when you were a child, proudly showing off your latest creation to your parents. That's the mindset we need to recapture.
Here are some strategies to quiet your inner critic:
Set a timer for 15 minutes and create without stopping, editing, or judging.
Start your day with some free writing, letting your thoughts flow onto the page without censorship.
Try creating with your non-dominant hand – it's a great way to let go of perfectionism.
Share your work with supportive friends who will cheer you on, not pick it apart.
Remember, not everything you create needs to be gallery-worthy. It's the act of creating itself that's important and fulfilling.
Dealing with Creative Blocks: Strategies for Pushing Through
Even with all these strategies, you might still hit a creative wall sometimes. Don't worry – it happens to everyone. Here are some additional tricks to help you push through those stubborn blocks:
Change your scenery. Sometimes a new view is all you need to spark fresh ideas.
Set limits. Paradoxically, constraints can boost creativity. Try creating something using only three colors, or write a story using exactly 50 words.
Get mindful. A bit of meditation or deep breathing can quiet mental chatter and clear space for creativity.
Team up. Collaborate with others to spark new ideas and perspectives.
Take a breather. Sometimes the best thing to do is step away. Go for a walk or do something completely different. Often, ideas will pop into your mind when you're not trying so hard.
Embracing the Creative Journey
Rediscovering your childhood creativity isn't about turning back the clock. It's about tapping into that part of you that finds joy in exploring, playing, and creating. By cultivating curiosity, making time for play, trying new things, revisiting old hobbies, and creating without judgment, you can unlock a world of creativity you might have thought was long gone.
Remember, creativity isn't a finite resource that runs out as you age. It's more like a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger it gets. By incorporating these strategies into your life and pushing through creative blocks, you can build a rich, fun, creative life that continues to surprise and delight you.
So go on, let that inner child come out to play. Your creativity – and your life – will thank you for it.
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Transcript:
Dr. Destini Copp [00:00:00]:
Hi there, HobbyScoolers. And today, we are diving into a topic that is close to my heart, and that is how to tap into that amazing limitless creativity we all had as kids. You know, back when we could turn a cardboard box into a spaceship without a second thought, I am talking about that kind of creativity. So whether you're an artist, hitting a wall, or just someone who is looking to spice up your daily routine, reconnecting with your inner child can be a game changer. So today, we're gonna explore 5 different ways to unleash your creativity and kick those annoying creative blocks to the curb. And the first one is I want you to get curious again. So remember back when you used to ask why about everything? And maybe your kids are doing that today. That's the kind of curiosity we are after here.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:01:10]:
It's all about looking at the world with fresh eyes. So here's what I want you to try. The next time you're out, really look at things. Ask yourself questions about stuff you usually ignore. I want you to pick up a book or watch a video about something that is totally new to you that you're just curious about. I want you to take a different route to work and see what catches your eye. I want you to keep a little notebook handy to jot down anything that you notice or questions that just pop into your head. Because being curious is just like giving your creativity a big old energy drink.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:01:59]:
Think about Red Bull here. It wakes up your brain, and it gets those creative juices flowing, and that's what we're looking for. The next thing that I want you to do is to make time to play. And I know I know, all of us as grown ups, we forget how important play is. But here's the thing. When you're playing, that's your creativity's best friend. It is all about having fun without worrying about the end result. And here are some ways you can start playing again even as adult.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:02:41]:
And the first thing I want you to do is set up a play date with yourself. I want you to block out some time on your calendar for just messing around and just maybe just, what we did what we did when we were kids. Right? We just played around. I want you to grab an adult coloring book or a jigsaw puzzle. Those aren't just for kids anymore. We have a ton of adult coloring books in the Hobby School Shopify store, so check them out. You can dig out those Legos or building blocks. As adults, we can build some awesome stuff too.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:03:22]:
Or try some improv games or make up silly stories with friends. We have a lot of games that you can try out in the Hobby School Score, so I just want you to start playing around. And the point here isn't necessarily to create that masterpiece, which I know all of you will. It's really just about enjoying yourself and letting your imagination run wild. And the next thing I want you to do is just mix it up and try different things. So remember when we were kids and we would go from finger painting to Playdoh to sidewalk chalk without even thinking about it. But as adults, we kinda just stick to what we know. Right? What we're used to doing.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:04:10]:
And I want you to shake things up a little bit. So if you're into writing, why not try painting? If you're a musician, try sculpting something. If you are a painter, why not try a dance class? Or really go wild and combine different art forms. So who say you who says you can't paint while dancing? You know, there's tons of things out there that you can do, and trying new things can really light a fire under your creativity. Plus you just might discover something else that you love to do. Now in the next one, I want you to revisit your childhood favorites. So think back to what you love doing as a kid. Maybe you were all about building forts, or perhaps you were the neighborhood storyteller.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:05:08]:
These old hobbies and things that you used to do and enjoy can be a gold mine for rekindling your creativity. I know when I was a kid, I used to love running through the woods, pretending I was an Indian or just, you know, playing games like that. So go out, do that, explore, go to your local park, you know, go through the paths there, do things there that you love. So here are things that you can really just try out and give it a shot. So make a list of things that you loved doing when you were little. I want you to pick 1 and try it out. You don't have to worry about being good at it anymore. It's okay to be a beginner again.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:05:52]:
I just want you to have fun with it. And if you want to, bring a friend or a family member to join you. If you want to go in that walk through the woods like I like I did and used to love doing, bring somebody with you. So tapping into those old passions can really bring back that joy of creating just for the fun of it. The next thing I want you to think about is to create without judging yourself. And he this is a big one, actually. So as adults, we are often our own worst critics. But when you think about it, as kids, we were proud to go up to our mom or our dad and say, you know, here's what I created.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:06:43]:
You loved it as a kid. You knew your parents. Even if it wasn't, you know, anything great, you knew they were gonna say, oh, you did such a great job, Johnny. I love what you do. So that's the mindset that I want you to get back to. So here are some tricks to quiet that inner critic, which is set a timer for 15 minutes and just create. Don't stop. Don't edit it.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:07:10]:
Don't judge it. And then start your day with some free writing. Just let your thoughts flow onto a page, and then another thing you could do is crop try I can't even talk try creating with your nondominant hand. That is a great way to let go of perfectionism. And then share your work with friends. You can share your work in the Hobby School Facebook group. We would love to see what you have created, and we will definitely cheer you on. We will not pick it apart.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:07:43]:
We will let you know what a great job. Just like your mom used to do. What a great job you did. And just remember that not everything you need that you make needs to be gallery worthy. It's the act of creating itself that's what's important. So let's talk about what we should do to deal with those pesky creative blocks. So even with all the tips that I'm about to give you, you still might hit a wall sometimes. And don't worry.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:08:15]:
It happens to everyone. And here are some extra tricks to help you push through them. The first thing is to get a change of scenery. Sometimes all you need is a new view, so try working in a different room or head out to a coffee shop and try things there. Also, set some limits. Oddly enough, getting yourself some constraints can boost your creativity. I know that when I only have a certain amount of time to work on something, I'll, like, put my head down, get real creative, and and, you know, and get basically, get it done. So you can try creating something using only 3 colors or write a story using exactly 50 words.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:09:03]:
There's a lot of things that you can do there to set those limits. The other thing is get mindful. A bit of meditation or some deep breathing can help quiet all those mental chatter kinda chatter blocks that come up with, you know, that creativity block. So think about just taking some deep breaths, being very mindful of what you're doing. Also, just team up. So working with others can spark new ideas. So join a local art group or find a buddy or a friend to create with. The next thing you can do is just take a breather.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:09:43]:
Sometimes the best thing to do is just to step away for a little bit. Go for a walk. I love taking walks in the middle of the day, especially when it's not too hot outside. You know, fall's coming up. It's gonna be a great time just to go outside, take a walk, or just do something completely different. Often, ideas are gonna pop in your mind when you're not trying so hard. And then lastly, just embrace the mess. I want you to remember that creativity is a journey.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:10:16]:
And not everything you make is going to be amazing, and that is totally okay. The important thing is to keep at it. So just wrapping it up here, Rediscovering your childhood creativity isn't about trying to go back in time. That's not what we're doing here. It's about tapping into that part of you that finds joy in exploring, playing, and creating. So by getting curious, making time to play, trying out new things, revisiting old hobbies that we talked about, and just creating without judgment, you can unlock a world of creativity you might have thought was long gone. So here's the thing. Creativity isn't something that runs out as you get older.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:11:09]:
It's more like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. So by working these things into your life and pushing through those creative blocks, you can build a rich, fun, creative life that keeps surprising you. So go on. Let that inner child come out to play, and your creativity will thank you. I hope you enjoy this episode. Let us know what you think about it in the Facebook group, or just show us what you're creating there. We'd love to cheer you on.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:11:46]:
Bye for now.