As creatives it is important that we keep stimulated and inspired, however if, like me, you have a very busy digital life this can often prove very difficult and you can easily get to the point where you are running dry.
The following are some ideas of ways that you can stay creative and inspired:
1. Read the Bible
Duh! Let’s remember why we are doing this! Whether your creativity is overtly directed towards Christian ministry or not, as believers we want to worship the Lord with our lives. In our creativity lets remember ultimately why we are doing it. Reading God’s word will not only refresh your spirit, but give you very real inspiration also.
Being a digital being, I can highly recommend YouVersion which is a great app that will be available on most of your devices. This is perfect for reading God’s word wherever you may happen to be and keeping you in order with a vast array of different reading plans to suit you.
2. StumbleUpon
Not enough people are using StumbleUpon – period. If you are a creative person who needs inspiration this is a must-have!
For those of you who don’t know, StumbleUpon is a great service which enables you to find and share great web pages that are within your areas of interest. There are a wide range of categories to choose from based on your interests, and once you start “stumbling” you quickly flick through pages that might be of interest to you. You can rate the pages you see with a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down and over time StumbleUpon will get smarter in knowing the sort of content that pleases you.
StumbleUpon is available as a web app as well as an app on various mobile devices, so get an account today and get inspired!
3. Listen to New Music
Listening to the same old music can sometimes get stale and dull. I often find listening to new and different music so refreshing & inspiring. How you do this will depend on the services available in your country. But services that might work great for you are Pandora Radio, LastFM, Spotify, etc.
Make some friends, share some playlists and find something new to listen to today!
4. Get Cooking
In my opinion cooking is not respected enough as an art form. For me there are not many things that are more inspiring and creative than looking online to find the perfect recipe, spending time preparing food making it look and taste beautiful and sharing it with people that you love.
Home cooked food is healthier and creative!
5. Subscribe to an Unusual Magazine
I find that flicking through a magazine can be hugely inspiring, and I feel that most people don’t do this enough. How about subscribing to an unusual, or more independent, small-scale magazine?
I personally subscribe to a magazine service called “Stack” which is available in the UK and the USA. Stack send you a pile of hand picked independent and small-scale magazines every month, and each month its a surprise as to what you are going to get. The magazines tend to cover a broad range of creative topics and I love the element of surprise!
6. Pen and Paper
There comes a time when you need to embrace the analogue a little bit! Get yourself a tasty Moleskine notebook and a comfortable pen and make sure you take them everywhere with you. Scribble, doodle, stick, whatever works for you.
If you want to draw more I can highly recommend a free eBook called “Start to Draw Your Life” by Michael Nobbs [Editor’s Note: This book has sold out.].
…and, if your digital addiction is really bad, you can always scan the pages into Evernote đŸ˜‰
7. Share
Do to others as you would like done to yourself. I have very similar interests to a friend of mine named Mark. Mark consistently sends me a handful of quality links to inspiring thinks on the internet via Skype every week. It encourages and blesses me that he is thinking of me and sharing the love.
Who could you be sharing the inspiration with?
These are a few of my ideas for staying creative & inspired. Would you add any to the list?
Dano Hart says
I loved this….
I’m always looking for new inspiration, and this post will help.
I need to use stumbleupon more….I think it will help.
JamesBrooks says
Glad you enjoyed the post.
StumbleUpon is a fantastic tool đŸ™‚
Chris says
Great suggestions – I would say that all of these things are different pathways to creativity for me.
It may go without saying but being less busy is also a pathway to creativity. Rather than trying to find shortcuts, simplifying our lives so that we are less busy and less digital is probably a good thing.
James Brooks says
Thanks for your thoughts Chris…