5 Creative Activities to Jumpstart Your Writing

If you’re like me, sometimes you feel the need to write, but when you sit down nothing comes out. Or maybe you are trying to stick to a writing habit, but you are seriously lacking motivation. This happens to the best of us. We work hard, we push ourselves, we expect a lot, and we get burned out. Creative burnout is normal, but it feels so oppressive. There is nothing like a difficult writer’s block to make you feel like you’ve lost all your mojo. Like you’re just a fraud. Like you will never create anything worthwhile again. I have been there so many times.

One thing I have started to become more comfortable with is accepting that sometimes I need to take a break. I remind myself that my muse is just around the corner. I’ve also learned that there are things you can do to push through writer’s block. If you’ve tried all the writing prompts out there and you need something new, take a brake with a different creative activity. The more often you dedicate time to exploring your creativity, the more your creativity is willing to show up. If you give your creativity room to explore, you won’t be stuck in the same old box. That’s when the magic really starts to happen.

Use what you have to think outside the box

Here are 5 simple creative activities you can use to jumpstart your writing:

Make a Collage

This doesn’t have to be expensive or pretty, but it should be a lot of fun. After the holiday season, I looked at all of the magazines and catalogues that had been mailed to my house. I planned on recycling them, but that seemed like a such a waste. There were so many pictures, images, and colors that I loved throughout the magazines. A lot of people took time and care to put these together. Instead of getting rid of them, I took my scissors and cut out the images and patterns I liked the most. Then I organized the cutouts by colors and themes. It wasn’t long before I had enough to cover a piece of printer paper. I took a glue stick and glued them together in a collage, and I had way more fun doing it than I thought I would. My first collage had gold and rose gold colors throughout the page. I used those colors to inspire a poem, which I then wrote down and pasted in the center of the collage. The piece was so much fun to make, and it was something I could share with others. The best thing is that this didn’t cost me any money. I was able to do all of this with things I found at the house. All it took was scissors, glue, magazines and printer paper. I’m going to see what else I can find to reuse for the collage. Maybe old birthday cards, photos, or pieces of cloth. I might make them 3D and glue on little beads or buttons to make them pop even more. I’ve also asked my friends to keep extra magazines so we can get together for a craft day. I can’t wait to see what other poems or pieces of writing are inspired because of it.

2. Paint a Canvas

I am not a very talented painter. I never spent much time perfecting that art, but it is a lot of fun. If you can get past needing to make something that is perfect, this can spark a lot of creativity. So just roll with it. I was staying with my friend Mandy shortly after the coronavirus surfaced. Her and I decided to pass the time indoors by painting canvases. We found an image we liked online. We thought it looked simple enough, and decided to paint something similar. The process was more labor intensive than we thought it would be. We taped off geometric shapes, which took a lot of measuring and planning. Then we painted a blue ombre across the entire canvas. Once that dried, we removed the tap and painted those lines gold. It turned out so well we decided to hang up the paintings in the house. Not only was this cheaper than art we could have bought, but it meant a lot more to us. That act of creativity continues to inspire me every time I look at the painting. I’ve attempted more artistic projects as a result. You don’t have to try to make art you can hang on the wall. Do whatever it takes to make something. Even if that something is just dipping your fingers in some paint and running it across notebook paper. It will force your brain to think in new ways. You can ask yourself questions about the painting to come up with writing ideas. How do the colors in the painting make you feel? Are there any shapes in the painting that look like they are not supposed to be there? What story is this painting telling? Did painting this remind you of something in your past? Does this painting remind you of somewhere you would want to go? Is the painting dark or sad? Does it give you hope? Write about that.

Trying something new paid off in the end

3. Make a Card for Someone

I think this is a great idea even if you don’t need to fight writer’s block. If you give someone a handmade card, that is always going to mean more than buying one at the store. The bonus is that it will probably also save you money. Store bought cards can be way too expensive. If you don’t want to make a card to give someone, then make a card for someone you have never met. Imagine a person that needs to receive a card, and then create it. There are so many ways to challenge yourself with this project. You can draw, paint an image, or fill up the card with words you think someone needs to hear. Whether you think they want to hear it or not.

4. Cook a New Meal

One of the ways to jumpstart your writing is to cook a new recipe. Cooking a new meal can force you to try something you have never done before. You can follow a recipe or make it up as you go along. Either way, you will get the gears in your mind moving again. You can also use the colors, smells, and tastes to inspire you. Are you using a new spice? Do your vegetables make your plate look like a rainbow? Are you cooking an old, family recipe for the first time? Does the popping of the frying pan remind you of a song? Are you eating this food because it tastes good or only because it’s a healthy option? Answers to these questions might inspire something for you to write about.

5. Make a Scrapbook Page of a Memory

This one is similar to making a collage, but instead of using random pieces and patterns, you choose photos and items from a specific memory. I am not a scrapbooker, but I’m sure I will be one day. In the meantime, creating a single scrapbook page will help push past writer’s block. It also helps preserve a special memory, person, or place. If you want to create a scrapbook page of a family day at the breach, for example, you could use photos of your family at the beach, photos of the water, beach theme stickers, and even small seashells you found that day. You can use these memories to remind yourself how you were feeling. Was it too cold to go swimming on the one day you didn’t have to work? Did you hear an interesting conversation between strangers walking by? Did your children make a sandcastle that reminded you of your own childhood playdates?

As you can see, all of these are very simple ideas that cost little to no money. Just use what you have lying around. Doing something new will stretch your creative muscles. You can use that energy to start writing. Now get out there and make something!