Take time to be creative this month

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

I adore January for a multitude of reasons. My youngest daughter was born this month. Linens and home goods are on sale this month. I get to plan and organize a lot of things in January. Filling out new calendars and planners for the year is time well spent in my opinion. As I was organizing my stack of planners and notebooks, I noticed I had several craft and hobby books I needed to find a home for as well. That’s when I realized that unless I made time to be creative this month (and every month of the year), I would need to block out time to allow myself to enjoy hobbies and creative endeavors. January is the perfect time to be creative! Dust off one of your hobbies, or start a new one. Read on for some creative ideas.

Start with a craft kit:

Sometimes the hardest part of being creative and crafty is getting all the necessary supplies together without spending a small fortune on them. When I walk into a craft or hobby store, I can’t resist all the shiny, pretty products and I convince myself that YES, I do want to work with Polymer clay even though that wasn’t on my supply list! If you struggle with keeping yourself in check around all the cool supplies too, why not start with a craft kit? Everything you need is pre-packaged! Instructions are usually simple and easy to follow. If you do get stuck on a step, there are numbers you can call on the packaging to help you.

Look for supplies around your house:

Are you a craft supply hoarder? I know I sure am. I have supplies for a myriad of creative endeavors; everything from wire jewelry making, sewing, knitting, felting to the aforementioned polymer clay supplies. Plus instructional books on everything from knitting to Macrame! If you have ever enjoyed a craft or hobby, chances are you’ve got supplies just sitting in a closet in your own home, especially if family members gift you creative goodies like mine does.

Make a creative idea list:

Now that you’ve looked for craft supplies, books and notions in your house, take a few minutes to write down creative ideas that come to the surface while looking over your crafting supplies. Maybe you bought yarn to make a blanket but found the project daunting. Why not make a scarf instead? Or maybe you are like me and have instructional books that you haven’t read yet. Set aside time to review those books to see if you are still interested in those types of projects. If yes, write them down on your creative idea list. If no, consider re-selling your books and supplies. Clearing clutter is another subject I’ll be tackling this month, so stay tuned.

Do paper crafts:

I was never big into scrapbooking, but I’ve always loved pretty cardstock; really any pretty printed paper will catch my eye. I can remember enjoying paper craft time with my girls when they were little. Whether we were painting or cutting shapes out of construction paper, paper crafts have remained a favorite. I actually miss the girls having an art class at school now because their teachers were full of creative ideas I could use at home, like making the 3-D paper stars shown in the photo above. This art teacher made these stars and gave them to her students who showed great effort and creativity. I’ve kept them over the years and I have added Make 3-D stars to my own creative idea list. Instructions are readily available online.

Don’t overthink creativity:

Maybe you are a person that has to visualize the finished product before you begin in order to feel it is time well spent. I get that. Not knowing if you will be able to complete a creative project in the time you’ve allotted can lead to feelings of pressure and stress, the exact opposite of what being creative is about. So, if you know going in that finishing a project quickly is a priority, I have a couple of suggestions for you as well.

Go Old School with these three creative ideas:

Start a collection:

It could be something as simple as putting colorful buttons in a glass jar, to collecting and displaying books of one certain color.

Doodle:

The next time you have a few minutes to spare (think waiting at school pick up line), instead of mindlessly flipping through Instagram or Pinterest on your phone, or vowing to answer emails, why not get out a piece of paper and doodle? My Mom used to doodle every time she was on a long call with her sister. Honestly, some of her doodles were beautiful enough to be colored in. I asked why she enjoyed doodling and how she started each one, and she said it was very freeing to just let ideas flow on to the paper and that she always started each page with a thing. Maybe a flower petal or gift box, or a circle. Whatever came to her mind, that's what she doodled. She said it wasn't what you doodled that mattered, it was the act itself. Don't judge or censor yourself. I wish she would have kept some of them, rather than throwing them away at the end of each call. This leads me to my last creative option- coloring!

Color:

Coloring may seem like a waste of time, but there is something very calming about choosing your coloring page, then the colors you’ll use. Even deciding whether to use crayons, colored pencils or chalks is part of the creative process that’s freeing. Coloring puts you in a mindful, calm place known as “the state of flow”. Coloring is also a very inexpensive hobby you can start and stop at any time. The page will be there when you have another block of time allocated to creativity.

Please
share in comments: How do you take time to be creative? Do you have a
favorite hobby?

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2 comments

January is the perfect time for me to be creative because I always wait until last minute to start making crafts for xmas and then time runs out and I have all these ideas. In January I wind up making more and use them for birthdays.

I love the idea of finishing projects in January and giving them as birthday gifts throughout the year. It's a good way to make yourself actually finish a project. I'm going to keep this tip in mind as I continue going through my un-finished (or worse) never started projects.

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Hi, I'm Linda, a happy Nashville, TN, work at home mom (WAHM) of two teenage girls celebrating 18 years of working at home. I enjoy sharing my love of all things home and garden, organizing, WAHM Tips, family fun, quick and easy recipes. It takes a good plan to keep all our busy mom plates spinning and I'm here to help you with practical, can do tips and ideas while embracing imperfection!