9 Ways to Ignite Your Creative Spark

For some, creativity is as natural as breathing. It seems as though their mug of creative juices sloshes over with great ideas. This group of people always seem able to come up with fresh ways of expressing themselves, and they finish projects like they’re on an assembly line. And then there’s the rest of us, the lowly prole slogging away at our first attempt at writing in over a decade or trying desperately to finish that first draft of our Great American Novel. Well, I have news for the second half of this grouping: creativity must be nurtured.

The first group, the naturals, we’ll call them, are always brimming over with ideas for new creative endeavors because they’re always creating. They are constantly exercising their muse muscles and, as a result, have an easier time than those of us who put off making art, whatever that art may be. This isn’t to say that they never have bad days and may be at a loss for words or get stuck in a slump. It’s just that it happens less when you create regularly.

If you are getting back into creating every day after a long hiatus, are trying it out for the first time, or perhaps you’re a seasoned author with a few books under your belt but would like to try something new, check out this list of creative exercises. Take what you want and leave the rest.

Take the Road Less Traveled

Breaking the monotony of autopilot in small ways can positively affect your creativity. By simply taking a new route to work, the grocery store, or on your daily walk, you can help shut off your autopilot, making you more aware of your surroundings and more present during these journeys. Besides walking or driving new routes, try brushing your teeth or eating with your non-dominate hand. While in the shower, soap yourself in a different order than usual, or if you carry a bag or purse, wear it on the other arm. It may seem silly, but you’d be surprised how much we operate out of habit. Doing the same thing daily will make you more efficient, but at a potential cost to your creative spark.

Set a Schedule and Stick to it

This is where that whole efficiency thing comes into play. By nature, humans are creatures of habit, so if you can get into a habit of working on your craft at the same time every day, you will be more productive and have less of an issue with superficial debris damming up your creative flow. Schedules don’t come easy to everyone, especially when you have to self-manage. Take it day by day, and don’t be too hard on yourself if you falter. Training yourself to do a new task regularly can take a great deal of work and perseverance, but it will pay off in the end.

Media, Media, Media

If you find yourself stuck, try other media. Read books, and watch TV and movies in your chosen genre. Go to an art show or museum. Listen to new bands. Take up a new hobby. Not a huge poetry fan? Try it anyhow. You never know what you might find. Just look at the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, which was inspired by Robert Browning’s poem, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came. A small note on the poetry thing: make sure you read good poetry. Bad poetry will make a newcomer never want to read another stanza. I suggest checking out the Poetry Foundation for links to poems that will knock your socks off.

Set Limitations on Your Work

This may seem strange, but giving yourself arbitrary boundaries can stimulate creativity. Try setting a precise word limit, either small or large, and stick to it. Write a series of 200-word flash fiction pieces. Set a goal to write 1,000 words a day, and stop as soon as you reach it. Try to write sentences devoid of a particular letter or where every word has to contain the same letter. If you paint, limit which colors you can use for a particular project. Work only in lines, dots, or pencil.

Allow Yourself to Daydream

Letting your mind wander is an excellent way of letting your imagination go nuts. Think about crazy things, impossible scenarios, and off-the-wall conversations. Let your mind visit the dark places you may fear to tread, the happy places, the silly, and the erotic. Have fun with it.

Carry a Notebook

We all know the creative impulse strikes when we least expect it, so carrying a small notebook in your bag, back pocket, or purse (along with a pen) will easily allow you to record these pieces of inspiration. Try recording yourself on your cell phone if you can’t find something to write with. You may sound and look like a crazy person, but who cares? This could be your magnum opus we’re talking about.

Color Outside the Lines

Break the rules of writing and grammar. Get experimental. Leave out punctuation, write in the vernacular, or tell a story from the point of view of inanimate objects. This idea may make your skin crawl. It may make you break out in hives. It may even make you a little queasy. If it does, all the more reason to get jiggy with it. Write a story about a toilet that abhors the sorority house it’s doomed to live in. You never know; it could be one of the funniest things you’ve ever written.

Use Prompts

A glut of websites and blogs provide daily creative prompts. If you ever find yourself in a creative slump, give one of these a try. Another route is to create prompts for yourself. Write a list of words, themes, or items on slips of paper, drop them into a hat or jar, pluck a few out, string them together, and bam! Instant creative prompt.

Try a Different Format

If you're a writer, step away from the keyboard and write longhand. We get so used to typing in the digital age that we forget how visceral and tactile writing with a pen or pencil can be. Writing longhand is a very different experience for our brains than typing. Longhand writing is a multi-process endeavor that exercises our memories. By linking the fine motor movement of the pen with the act of thinking or taking in new information, we will likely remember what we’re written or heard. Typing may be faster, but it can lead to mindless processing. If you're an artist, work in a medium you don't usually play around with or create an image without lifting your pencil from the page.

I hope you have found some useful creative outlets here. If you have a favorite creative exercise not listed above, please leave a comment.