We’ve all been in a creative rut, felt writer’s block, or just uninspired in general (it’s part of the reason we started this blog!!). Sometimes it can be very difficult to get back to your creative practices so here is a list of simple things to help get the juices flowing: 

-Keep a journal: write down random thoughts, quotes from other people, interesting words, ideas, doodles etc.

-Morning pages (see our upcoming post!)

-Carry a camera (or phone with a camera) and take a photo of anything and everything you see throughout the day that’s interesting

– Collect images from newspapers, magazines, fabric scraps, found photos and paste them into a sketchbook

– Go to museums and galleries (absorbing visual information will help inspire your own creative practice)

– Read art blogs (seeing other people’s work can help get the creativity flowing– there is no real such thing as copying, all art pulls influence from somewhere) http://www.booooooom.com/

– Buy or borrow short story anthologies from the library (one of the best pieces of advice a Creative Writing professor ever gave me — if you’re in need of some literary inspiration but only want a taste, without the pressure of reading a novel, these are great to read on the metro or waiting in line)

– Go for a walk or run or start cleaning (some of the best ideas may come to you when you’re in the midst of moving or doing something mindless)

– Sit in a café or coffee shop (just look around or listen, the coffee running through your veins and the conversation around you can spike your productivity/fuel your inspiration)

– Play a writing game or complete a writing exercise by yourself or with friends (sometimes in the midst of a bad case of writer’s block, it can be helpful just to put pen to paper and start, disregarding where the writing is going)

-Take the pressure off. Not everything you produce has to be an amazing work of art, just creating something is part of the process, whether it’s in writing, drawing, painting, photography etc.

Annie & Nora

What do you do to stay creative? Let us know! parisdrifts@gmail.com