As adults, we often get wrapped up in the seriousness of our everyday responsibilities and lose touch with that light, joyful part of us that used to laugh and play. As a result, we lose touch with our creative side and we begin seeing our creative pursuits as very serious business too. Instead of enjoying creative activities, we approach them with the expectation of perfection, and get frustrated if our creations don’t match the vision we expect to see.
Remember when you were a child and you dove into creative projects just because they were fun? You didn’t care if your creations weren’t perfect because you actually enjoyed creating them. Your parents probably hung them on the refrigerator and proudly displayed them to family and friends, which filled you with pride and satisfaction.
You can recapture that sense of freedom and lightness again by purposely making your creative activities fun. Here are three simple ways to do that:
Get silly. Instead of trying to make a “serious” piece of art, act like a kid again. Make a finger-painting, construct something funny with clay, make some macaroni necklaces, or trace your hand and make a “turkey.” Sitting in front of a mirror trying to draw a self-portrait can easily get you giggling uncontrollably; or if you’re already accomplished at sketching or drawing, try doing a caricature of yourself. With any of these activities, don’t worry about what the creations look like afterwards. Just have fun with the process of creating them.
Get outrageous. Make it your mission to be as bold and unorthodox with your creations as you can. Try making an abstract painting, writing a dirty limerick, or experimenting with new dance moves. Let go of your inhibitions and step away from known or traditional ways of doing things. Let your creative vision burst forth in riotous color and come up with something completely original. Remember, no one has to see your creations but you! The more you can enjoy the process of creating them, the less you will care what they look like when you’re done.
Get emotional. Try infusing strong emotion into your creations. Imagine that you want to express your emotions in your artwork, so that anyone looking at it would know instantly what you were feeling at the time you created it. Use colors, shapes, words, numbers, and symbols to express strong feelings of love, anger, hate, sadness, joy, or anything else you wish to express. Consider which colors express your emotions most accurately, and then use them boldly. Also experiment with different mediums. For example, you might want to write when you’re feeling sad, and paint when you’re feeling inspired.
There are many more ways to make creative pursuits fun; we have covered just a few of them. The most powerful way to have fun with your creativity is simply to let your heart lead you. Visit a hobby or craft store, and pick up a kit to try something new. Buy a book about a creative activity you’d like to learn. Then simply spend time playing with it each day. Before long, you’ll have forgotten all about any notion of perfection and instead will have tapped that childlike joy of creative inspiration again.
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