Five Ways To Sneak Creativity Into Your Daily Routine (Lockdown Edition)
New ideas are blossoming under lockdown. Whether it's through creating community-focused art, making masks out of old ripped clothing or just finding inventive ways to adapt at work to these strange times, being creative has become a necessary skill to keep us active, entertained and connected.
BUT, it's not always EASY to tap into our creative side, especially when.....
Our creativity can adapt with our circumstances!
you have your ENTIRE FAMILY home and can't get a second of silence.
you're balancing distance learning with being a parent AND becoming your child's new best friend.
with EVERYTHING going on inside and around you, you're also trying VERY HARD to keep on top of work.
not to mention, you're fighting off anxiety about the future. And who can blame you?
While it might feel DIFFICULT to make room for creativity, finding and seizing those little moments, either by yourself or with your family, is POSSIBLE and BENEFICIAL.
To help you find that creative spark of genius, here's 5 of my personal favorites to get you started.
DOODLING WHILE NOTE TAKING
Remember in grade school, when THAT teacher got SO frustrated every time they'd catch you doodling in the margins of your notebook? Regardless of how many times you got called out in front of your classmates, you'd dutifully continue to draw little house, faces or flowers because deep down inside, you KNEW that it helped you focus.
I'm here to tell you that YOU were right and your teacher was wrong!
Don't believe me? Well then take it from Schoolspecialty.com!
"Part of the benefit of doodling comes from the written aspect of doodles. A substantial body of evidence suggests that handwriting notes is better for later memory than typing the notes. Doodling may improve memory by a similar mechanism, helping your motor system connect with the visual system and brain regions associated with memory. Encoding information through numerous channels — auditory, visual, and motor helps all kinds of learners better absorb the classroom lesson."
From <https://blog.schoolspecialty.com/the-benefits-of-doodling/>
There are PLENTY of opportunities for all of us to take notes. During zoom calls with coworkers OR maybe, like me, you've decided to take an online class to learn something new. Doodling will not only help you retain information, but will also help you scratch that creative itch in a way that doesn't ADD anything new to your already busy daily routine.
My notes from an amazingly informative online Urban Foraging workshop hosted by Monika from
The Healing Muse.
Decorating your neighborhood; windows, sidewalk, rocks and posters
Art is popping up all over our communities and neighbors are staying connected through their contributions. In my Toronto neighborhood, we've decorated one of our lakeside parks with hand painted rocks, we've played "porch pictionnary" thanks to a witty bunch of neighbors, and many of us have worked together to decorate our windows or sidewalks according to a certain theme.
My son and I’s sidewalk masterpiece!
My personal favorite is one family who painted pictures of Waldo and Wenda (from the "Where's Waldo?" series) and over the last ten weeks, this same incredible family has been moving them around the neighborhood for children and adults to search and find.
This is Wenda in our neighbourhood.
ALL of these initiatives have been highlights of our daily walks.
START A SKETCHBOOK DOCUMENTING THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LOCKDOWN
Have you ever tried or wanted to try urban sketching?
If you answered yes, you likely also know that NOW is not the right time to start ;)
So instead, why not sketch what makes you happy AT HOME?
I decided to do exactly this with a sketchbook a dear friend gifted me at the beginning of the lockdown. Cause seriously..... At what other point in our lives am I going to be able to sleep in for 10+ weeks straight?!? THAT'S the kind of stuff I want to look back fondly on when I think of THIS time in history.
My sketchbook documenting the bright side of the lockdown. Once complete, it'll be immortalized in the Brooklyn Art Library Sketchbook Project.
Sheri Roloff is an artist who takes lockdown sketchbooks to a WHOLE new level! She's cranking out 'zine after 'zine full of beautiful art, and using them to sort through and communicate her thoughts about the complicated world around us. She's even submitted one to the Milwaukee's Big Read Collaborative Zine
project! Check out her work on Instagram @sheriroloff or in her Etsy store at www.etsy.com/show/sheriroloff/.
One of the Zines that Sheri has created during the lockdown.
Take back up an old hobby or start one you wished you had when you were a kid
Remember how you felt when you were a kid working away at your favorite HOBBY? Is that child screaming at you to stop watching Netflix and get back to it!? Then LISTEN to him or her and DO IT! And hey, chances are you still have EVERYTHING you need to reboot that old creative hobby. For me it struck while I was helping my son with his math school work. Talking about symmetry reminded me of my obsession with origami cranes in grade 4 art class.
Replace bought gifts with homemade
Let's be real, it's HARD to shop these days! Going to a store isn't an option for many of us and when we go to shop online, most stock is either unavailable OR won't ship till next September (slight exageration). Making handmade gifts for friends and family seems like the ONLY option these days. Luckily for me, I find it fun. For Mother's Day, we made fresh lemon curd, clotted cream and scones for my Mom and some neighbors. To make it extra special, we added a bit of flair using acrylic paint from one of Noah's art packs.
Lemon curd gifts from Mother’s Day!