3 Activities to Harness Inspiration and Creativity

Hi! My name is Kristin Ardese and I am a professional Graphic Designer and Marketing Strategist. I hope that by sharing some of my expertise, I can help offer valuable insights and build an engaging community.

Being a creative is hard. A designer’s work is used to inspire and help others better navigate the world. With all of the endless possibilities that a blank canvas has, it can be frustrating when no ideas are coming to mind. Sometimes you just simply got…nothing! Well, have no fear because I am here to share 3 activities that will help you harness your inspiration and creativity.

Create a Mind Map

A mind map is a visual thinking tool that allows your brain to process associations between ideas. Grab a blank sheet of paper and come up with a word. Any word. It could be a food, a vacation, a sport. There is no right or wrong. You do not need to worry about relating this word to the creative endeavor you are stuck on. This is simply just an activity to practice connecting your thoughts. Write this word on the center of your page. Then, begin to diverge other words and phrases that relate to your word. For example, if you used the word “soccer,” you may branch off and write “game” and then from the word game you might branch off and write “fun.” This activity may seem meaningless, but with each connection you make you are boosting your creativity and idea generation:

“By linking your ideas together with branches, your brain will be able to easily establish connections between different trains of thought. It’s these connections that will allow you to expand on your creative ideas and turn them into something tangible.” (Griffiths, 2020).

Doodle!

Doodling is a great way to get your creative juices flowing. Just like the mind map, it doesn’t matter what you come up with. This practice is aimed just at getting anything on the page. I know that this can be a struggle for perfectionists like me. As someone who takes pride in their drawing, I know it can be difficult to just let go and not worry so much about details. I can say from experience how rewarding doodling can be, and it truly does help you spark ideas as a creative.

“When you have a clear head, it becomes easier to enter a flow state where your creativity is more accessible” (Turner, 2020).

Doodling can reduce stress which promotes clarity in the creative process. Entering a creative flow state can be difficult if one does not have the right tools to get there. By allowing yourself to let go while doodling, you will find yourself becoming more focused and engaged. This can then later be carried over into your creative process.

Three-Word Story

The three-word story is one of my favorites. I am not sure that I can claim it as my own, however this is something that I made up with my friends that I find to be extremely helpful when you need to get more creative. How it works is you randomly generate 3 words (you can use a website for this). Then, you will attempt to use those three words and tell a cohesive story. I find that this works best when you do it on the fly out loud. What is great about this activity is that it forces you to make connections between things that you never thought could be connected. This is what creativity is! Idea generation and coming up with new things that nobody has come up with before.

Conclusion

Just like a muscle, creativity is something that needs to be worked and practiced. With each activity you participate in, you will become more attuned to tapping into your creativity. Don’t think too much! Just start and see where your mind takes you.