Adding a Dose of Creativity to your Day

Continued from our Retreat & Renew Daily Tip.

By Guest Writer, Liesl Gibson

Take a ten minute blog break during the workday. Gathering inspiration is the first part of the creative process, and one easy way to do this today is to visit creative blogs and creative websites. You can do this just about anywhere or at any time. If you eat lunch at your desk, take a few minutes to browse blogs then. Use your smart phone to check in on a few favorites while you’re waiting for a meeting. Some of my favorite inspirational blogs are Frolic, Whip Up, Poppytalk, Between the Lines, and Make Grow Gather. I love pinterest.com, too. You can “pin” images you like to boards to create, and you can follow other people’s boards and pins, too.
Schedule small blocks of creative time into your calendar. You may not be able to put aside large blocks of time for creating, but you can probably block out small chunks of time to work on projects. I often sew a garment over the course of a week or two by putting aside enough time each evening to sew just one or two seams after my daughter is in bed for the night. It’s not the fastest process, but it allows me to feel a sense of accomplishment when I can see something gradually coming together.
Connect with other creative people. It’s important to be part of a creative community. This gives you the opportunity to bounce ideas off other people and to inspire each other. Find a creative group in your community or on the internet and become an active participant. This doesn’t necessarily require a big time commitment, and the rewards can pay off in new friendships and a renewed sense of creativity.
Don’t be afraid to try it. We all tend to self-edit way more than we should. Don’t talk yourself out of starting a new project because you’re afraid you won’t be able to pull it off. And don’t feel down on yourself if your finished creation doesn’t live up to your expectations. It’s about enjoying the process and improving your skills over the long run. This piece by Ira Glass summarizes it perfectly.
Ira Glass on creativity or the gap between our taste and our work. With a little planning and discipline, you’ll be able to find time to be creative each and every day, even if you have a full schedule.

Liesl Gibson is founder and chief designer of Oliver + S out of Brooklyn, NY, who makes contemporary sewing patterns for children’s clothing. She will be teaching sewing at the Makerie, a creative retreat held in.