When you spend your days dealing with media, writing grants or answering questions from program participants it can be hard to find the time to keep your own creativity alive and nourished. Luckily, here in Tacoma, we have arts month every October where we can explore the diversity of art making in our town. But what if you don't live somewhere with a thriving arts scene or there just isn't time to devote to attending an exhibition or a performance?
1. Sketching Challenges
Right now, it's Inktober- a daily ink drawing challenge started by Jake Parker, an illustrator who wanted to improve his inking skills. There's no one saying you have to be an expert artist to participate, so why not break out your pen and paper and start drawing.
2. Writing Prompts
If you want to get your creative juices flowing with words, there isn't anything better than a writing practice. Daily or weekly sitting down to write can be incredibly helpful in allowing you to explore ideas, structure, character, rhythm and voice. Lots of people have started blogs for just this purpose, but if you just want to write for yourself, I highly recommend working with writing prompts. This will allow you to explore an idea without having to generate it.
Sources:
https://www.writermag.com/writing-prompts/
3. There's an App for That
Leave it to the technical wizards out there to create easy to use apps that can spark your creativity. Two that are highly recommended are Brainsparker and Simplemind.
4. TED talks TED talks have opened up an entire world of inspiration. In addition, you can now get personalized recommendations through TED REcommends. Just input what you are interested in learning about and poof, you will be given a list of great speakers on that topic.