3 Ways to Stay Creative

Ahhh, the sweet smell of paper crafting.

 

There is nothing quite like it.

 

For some people, it is a private room where they can lock themselves away from their always-too-close family to create in peace for bit, while for others it’s vying for space at the dining room or coffee table in between laundry loads and snack prep.

 Regardless what your creative space is, they all have one thing in common: they are an oasis.

 I know, I know. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it, right? You sit down to lose yourself in something else for a bit when you get the dreaded “Mommm” or (in my case) a knock on the door to ask about coffee or dinner or some other thing that could probably wait until I’m finished.  

Sorry, I went off track a bit…where was I?

 Right. Oasis.

 The still place where the external stuff disappears for just a little bit. A calm between the hectic day to day parts of life. And whether you have minutes or hours (lucky!) to work play in your medium, here are just a few tips to making that feeling last from one session to the next.

 

 1. Use the Five Minute Rule

 

Normally used for procrastination, this rule/technique has you choose a task you would otherwise avoid and set a goal to work on it for only five minutes. It is an amazing way to boost motivation and get more things done, but I like to use it when I’m pressed for time.

I tell myself, I am giving myself at least five minutes to sit and craft something.

By doing this, I can really focus on one or two elements I want to get done. And when the five minutes is up, I can decide to work for another five minutes or go about whatever I feel is more pressing in my day.

 Think of all the elements you could complete for your cardmaking in that time: Score a stack of card stock into note cards, stamp an image multiple times for assembly line work, set up a clean sheet of watercolor paper for your next session, clean some old stamps… the list is endless!

 

In fact, the list is so big, I may have to put one together as a post or a downloadable PDF to share with you. Let me know in the comments!

 

 

2. Jot Down Ideas

 

There have been plenty of times when I’ve been shopping in a store like Marshall’s or TJMaxx and have seen something stitched or embroidered that would make a lovely card or bookmark. I will normally snap a photo and revisit it once I’m sitting at my craft desk. I also do this with TV shows, commercials, and sometimes scribble down something on a piece of paper when having a conversation with friends.

This allows me to not waste any of that precious oasis time choosing what I want to create. 

I have an idea already in place and can get to the zen part of the work faster.

 

3. Stop Before You’re Finished

This one is a tricky one for some people. 

Most get frustrated when they have to leave a project they’ve been working on incomplete and often wonder why they started in the first place. But don’t be discouraged! It isn’t my recommendation to leave it incomplete forever. Just until the next time you sit down to craft.

Many successful writers and other creatives use this technique all the time. 

In order to keep the momentum of creative juju going, you want to leave your work at a spot where you’re dying to get back to it the next session.

By doing this, you get the satisfaction of knowing what you will be working on initially in the next session and it also gives you the chance to start the next project so that you’re not trying to build momentum for whatever you want to work from one crafting opportunity to the next. 

The excitement stays with you.

Keep creativity a part of you.

I usually use these ideas in tandem, but feel free to play around with them to fit your needs. 

Giving yourself permission to play fast and loose with your paper crafting time and energy will help maintain that oasis of creativity and fill you up with more joy and inspiration for the future.

 What are some tips and tricks you use to keep your creative juices flowing? How have they worked for you? Would you give these a try? Let me know in the comments!

 

May your ink pads & Creativity never dry,

 Janice