Feeding my creative child

3 Ways I keep my imagination active

The sun was shining, and I had a bit of free time, so I went to the park—a kiddie park. It was mostly for my little sister, but I ended up having so much fun! I went on the swings for the first time in years. It’s wild to think that one day I played in the park and sat on the swings, not knowing it would be the last time. Today, I decided that I’m too young not to go to the park—and it felt great. As I sat in front of my laptop to write today’s post, I realised that doing things like that is one of the ways I stay connected to my creative child. The part of me that imagines, takes risks, and believes anything is possible. Since creativity is a muscle we need to keep active, I’ll be sharing some of the ways I’ve been (often subconsciously) feeding my creative child.

1) Playing

I can be quite silly with my sisters, as well as competitive -I love a good game. Playing is the number one way I stay connected to the childlike version of myself. That could be board games, sports games, card games, or even mind games. Having fun while keeping my mind active reminds me that it’s possible to do the same with work. I can take on a challenging task and still find the joy and the humour in it - and in doing so, live a full life.

Sometimes, I like to think of my life as a movie. Going on the swings today would be the part in the film where I realise that everything is going to be okay, and that life is just beautiful - because it is.

2) Reading

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved reading. So it’s no surprise that my creative output now is writing. Reading is one of the moments in my day when I let my imagination run wild. I’m fully transported to new locations and time periods, immersing myself in both real and invented storylines.

Sometimes I’ll tell my family that I’m going to 19th-century England - which is code for, I’m going to read a Jane Austen novel. As I read the words on the page, I allow them to connect with my imagination, painting pictures of different locations and characters. Regardless of what the author may describe, I get to decide what each individual looks like and what their tone of voice is. Reading so much allows me to write more creatively.

3) Being in awe of things

Looking at life through the eyes of a child is a great way to stay in wonder of the world around you. Whether we appreciate it or not, life is always happening around us. If nothing is new under the sun, isn’t it our job to embrace it all as much as we can in order to create? Nothing new is going to hit us - the inspiration we need is already around us.

I love to look at trees and observe their patterns through the different seasons (this even inspired one of my Instagram posts recently) because they are in no rush to change, but they embrace all their different forms. Nature is a great place to be inspired, but so are people. I’m surrounded by people who are so incredibly talented at what they do, and even if it’s different from what I do, there’s a lot I can learn from them.

As a child, I loved hearing my mum talk about her uni work with her friends. I didn’t understand the content, but I understood their passion. It’s no wonder I love to interview now.

These are the first three things that come to mind that I haven’t really heard many talk about. The young creative is in all of us. If they’ve been silenced or buried aways for a while, there is always an opportunity to bring it back to life. These examples work for me and my life path, you may have your own - make sure you are making time for them and subscribe for more daily content.