Grow Your Imagination and Practice Creativity

Well, it’s what seems like the 47th day of the 4,357th week of social distancing and lockdown. Working from home, I am at the same time incredibly blessed and feeling incredibly overwhelmed. It’s very, very easy to get up, get some breakfast, go to work, have some dinner, go to bed, get up, and start it all again. I feel like I am working more hours now than I was before, and getting time to myself is hard.

When I start feeling like all I’m doing is working, eating, sleeping, and starting it all over again, that’s when I know it’s time for a new hobby! Taking time for myself, doing some mental and emotional self-care, is even more important now than usual. And, as I mentioned in the podcast a few weeks ago, it’s always important.

Heather talked about the sort of renaissance going on right now, and she’s entirely right. I see stories in the news and on social media about all the things people are doing now, like making sourdough from homemade starters, going gung-ho on gardening, mask-making, knitting, crocheting, art, learning how to cook, the list goes on.

The thing about hobbies like these is that they stretch your imagination and your creativity. This social distancing environment, where many of our favorite leisure activities are not available, doesn’t have to be a prison sentence. It can be an opportunity! An opportunity to grow your imagination, practice creativity, do something that is both good for you and useful, and learn a new skill. That’s like four Coffee, Grit, and Inspiration favorite topics all in one!

Creativity vs Imagination

Creativity, like many other attributes, tends to be viewed as a “talent”, something you’re born with. Some think you either are or aren’t creative. But remember as we talked about before – anything can be learned. Creativity and imagination is something you can cultivate and grow! Even if you think you’ve got all the creativity of a brick.

Creativity and imagination go hand-in-hand. People have told me that they’re not creative because they don’t have any imagination. I think sometimes we feel like we have no creativity or imagination just because we don’t know how to access it. One of the simplest explanations I found differentiating creativity and imagination is, “Imagination is thinking of something, and creativity is doing something meaningful with your imagination.”

So if imagination is thinking, and creativity is doing, how do you get better at those things?

Grow Your Imagination

One of the biggest blockers to your imagination is electronic distraction. Whether it’s vegging out in front of Netflix or Hulu or Facebook or Candy Crush, anything that passively engages your mind can hobble your imagination. If imagination is free thinking, then anything that provides constant input to distract you will make it harder to engage your imagination.
I found a few good articles which I’ll link below. In the meantime, here’s a short list of ideas:

1. Turn off the TV.
2. Practice some form of meditation – and let your mind go wherever it wants. Do it regularly.
3. Read. My personal favorite is fantasy or science fiction, something so far outside of my everyday experience that I can’t help but engage my imagination.
4. Brainstorm. Trying to solve a problem? Engage your imagination with some free brainstorming. Get out a pen and paper and just write down anything that comes to mind. Here are some great techniques to try.
5. Write for fun. No one has to see it but you. If you’ve always wanted to try writing, why not just start? Doesn’t matter what you start with, it doesn’t matter if it’s grammatically correct, has a deeper meaning, or whether it rhymes. It can go on your computer and never resurface, or you can symbolically burn it in a fit of creative angst…it doesn’t matter. Whether it ever sees the light of day or not, it will get your imagination flowing!

Practice Your Creativity

So if imagination is thinking, then creativity is doing. Imagine something, and then do it. That could be turning your creative writing project into a story, picking out some yarn colors and crocheting a blanket, planning out a new garden layout, or even rearranging your furniture into a new and different layout. YouTube and Pinterest are your best friends in this situation!

Is there something you’ve always wanted to try? Look up a tutorial on YouTube. Looking for inspiration? Do a search on Pinterest. There are TONS of how-to’s out there by people far more industrious than I am, who have really spent a lot of time and effort showcasing things they’ve learned. And you get to benefit from that – for free – right from your living room!

Here are just a few things that I’ve been working on recently. Maybe something sounds like something you’d like to try too!

Crocheting

First up: I decided to try crocheting. My mother-in-law makes some fantastic crocheted dolls and animals, and my mom knits some amazing sweaters and blankets. While I harbor no fantasies that I can pick up a pair of needles or hooks or whatever they’re called and make something that good (yet), I did think that I could build upon my rudimentary skills learned as a nine-year-old trying to make booties for her little sister (which didn’t turn out, by the way. Sorry, sis.).

So I signed up for a block-of-the-month kit from Annie’s Kit Club. You get yarn, instructions, a couple crochet hook things, a yarn needle, and access to their excellent tutorials on how to do each block. At the end, you connect all the blocks and voila! An afghan.

I am three blocks in (yes, they are still delivering, and on time, too!) and honestly it’s way more fun than I thought it would be. Exercising my imagination, I came up with an alternative color scheme and have ordered some more yarn from Joann’s (yes, they’re delivering too!). I’m going to make a second one of each block so at the end, I’ll have two afghans!

Art

If crocheting isn’t your style, maybe something like Sketchbox will get your creative juices going. Sketchbox is a monthly subscription service where you get a mystery box of art supplies delivered once a month (yes, they’re also still delivering!). Opening each box has been so much fun and I’ve got so many new supplies to use as I practice drawing and painting. If you’re interested in seeing what’s inside some sample boxes, I created a few unboxing videos which you can see on my Scrapbooks and Stuff YouTube channel and blog.

Scrapbooking

Speaking of scrapbooking, it is one of my FAVORITE ways to get creative. I love photos, and I love making things, so it’s like a match made in heaven. I created a list of some basic supplies which you can get from Amazon (ALSO still delivering) if it’s something you want to try out. As with most other creative endeavors, there are an infinite number of tutorials and inspiration on YouTube and Pinterest.

Rock Painting

Lastly, one of my other favorite hobbies which is a way to brighten up others’ days too, is rock painting. I got turned on to it from a Facebook group, and I’ve had so much fun painting rocks and hiding them in our local park (way back when going to the park was a thing). I can’t wait to be able to get back to it – by then I should have a ton of them all ready to hide!

Additional Resources

Here are some additional articles I found about growing your imagination and practicing creativity. Enjoy!

• Imagination Is Not Creativity | creativesomething.net
• How to Improve Your Imagination | Wikihow
• Doing Something Creative Can Boost Your Wellbeing | GreaterGood

Over To You