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Thursday

5 ways to jumpstart your creativity in 2016


It is the first month in a brand new year. Perhaps you were raring to go all-out in the new year but two weeks in and you are feeling a little unmotivated. Trust me, you are not alone. I had grandeur plans to sketch, journal, write, paint...and the list goes on.

Guess what? I've only done one thing on my list daily for the last two weeks. Whenever creative productivity dips, I like to:



1. Find external inspiration.

Go visit a museum or a gallery for some inspiration. 

My go-to place is the national library. I grew up with my dad telling me that mastery of any subject matter is reading a dozen books on it. Here are some of the books I picked up recently from my local library. 


2. Get organized.

Clutter can sometimes block your chi and affect your creativity. My workspace is always a work-in-progress. But I did a little spring-cleaning...threw out some old cloggy pens, packed up some stuff to give away and assessed the additions I needed to make my creative process more efficient.


3. Add useful tools to your art supply collection.

For me, I've been obsessed with colour pencils for the last 9 months. So I finally splurged on a battery-operated automatic pencil sharpener that I'd been eyeing for months. I was pleasantly surprised when I was inspired to draw again once my coloured pencils were sharpened. [Of course, I had to ask everybody at home if they needed to sharpen any pencils first..*lol*]

I've a list of "useful" things I would like to get but always wait for a sale to get a good deal. I had a $5 coupon for this sharpener. *winks*


4. Think of new ways to use existing supplies.

Sometimes we don't use a particular art supply because it is too troublesome. Okay, it could be a me problem. 

I wasn't using my bottled inks because I didn't want to have to get a paintbrush and a palette and then clean up after. Last year, I saw that several artists were putting their inks in water brushes which was a total time-saver [minus the $5 price tag on each brush] so I finally got mine in Pentel Aquash water brushes. Perfect to practise my calligraphy...you know, when I finally get to it...it's on my list! *winks*


5. Just do it!

Throw paint, make marks. See what comes out or what doesn't. My art journal pages always go through several iterations of "ugliness" before I like them. The important thing is to keep at it. Doing something gets you closer to achieving something at the end. And the process can be therapeutic and fun! :)

There you have it. 5 ways to jumpstart your creativity in 2016. Totally do-able right? Especially the part where you get to go shopping to add to your art supply collection. *winks*

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11 comments:

  1. oo i like the part about going shopping, I think I need some new inspirational products!! no seriously, great tips there.. I did have a very sluggish few weeks around christmas and new year.. hoping I am getting back into it now!

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  2. SUperb tips Yvonne....I love visiting book stores and libraries too
    Cheers
    Dr Sonia

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  3. You are amazing!! LOVING these tips!!! I reorganized my room last weekend to help me kickstart the year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  4. You are so Systematic Yvonne ! Be it writing your post..learning new things or even planning to buy new stuff ! Loved reading the entire post..lucky you to have Libraries with books on art ! Getting organized is what I mostly do :) Now I think I should also create a priority list for buying supplies :D !

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  5. Awesome tips!! I'm still trying to work on #2!! My craft room is a huge mess right now!! Have a great day :)

    Lisa
    A Mermaid's Crafts

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  6. Thank you sharing Yvonne...I needed this :)

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  7. Great tips, Yvonne!! I can relate to many of these...organization, tools (which glad to I'm not the only one who waits for a sale/good price on something.), just do it...
    Thanks for sharing!! :)

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  8. awesome tips Yvonne, I need to clean up my table to get my mojo back.
    I just love the libraries here, one of the things I love most about Singapore!

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  9. Great tips and pointers, my friend! You always have such awesome ideas, and I love your dad's tip on mastering a subject. Most of all, I love how you inspire us to just go for it! Sometimes getting over the fear of something is the biggest hurdle of all.

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  10. Great post, Yvonne! I really need the organization the most....lol! And thanks so much for the prize from the Lessology challenge!! Got it in my mailbox yesterday and it made me so smiley to sift my fingers through all the pretty stuff!! Planning on playing along this month as soon as I can get back in my room... we have visitors now. Anyway, thanks so much and the added plus is the cool stamps on the outside of the envelope! Those are going in my stash for sure!

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  11. Great tips! I have so many ideas swirling and I'm dying to get into the craft room, but I've had so many other things that are pulling me elsewhere. Good things, but I miss the creative time.

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Thanks for visiting my blog and taking time to leave a comment. I really appreciate it. Have an awesome day!:)

Cheers, Yvonne.