Get creative this weekend

Can you believe it’s Friday again, already!?

Oftentimes by the end of a long week, the only thing you feel like doing on the weekend is going M.I.A. (ie. staying in bed, not talking to anyone and doing absolutely zip!)

And while this is okay to do every once-in-a-while (if you’re really sick and literally can’t get out of bed), if you’re the sort of person who is always keen to develop themselves creatively, then the weekend is the perfect opportunity to get those delicious creative juices flowing!

On a side note: this post is in no way targeted at ‘creatives’ alone. At Verve, we believe every person is creative, and that whether you believe it or not, tapping into that ‘creative self’ is a brilliant thing to do. It will significantly enhance the ‘you’ you bring to work on a Monday morning; whether you’re a designer, teacher, stay-at-home mum, accountant or chef!

So regardless of what you do during the week, we want to encourage you with a few things to make your weekend a creative and inspired one.

Here are some of the things we recommend (these things work for us—so we’re spreading the love):

• GET OUTDOORS – Depending on where you reside, this could be either really appealing, or really not. For us in Townsville, we’re lucky enough to have picture perfect weather for at least nine months of the year; so getting outside is not a difficult task (having said that, during the really hot Summer months—which we’re starting to enter now—most people would rather a slap in the face than the prospect of braving the extreme humidity outside). You might be questioning what the outdoors even has to do with getting creative!? When you’re outside, you’re usually breathing in fresh air, getting some valuable vitamin D, and doing something relatively active. Fun fact: None of these things are bad for you! In fact, according to a Stanford study, walking and other outdoor activities significantly boost creativity levels. Getting outdoors also usually requires leaving your computer screen. (Note to self: this is a very good thing).

• MEDITATE – Regardless of your religious or philosophical background, numerous studies have confirmed the creative benefits of daily ‘Zen’ time. Meditation is often said to be a doorway of sorts between our conscious and subconscious worlds; giving us balance and revelation, while easing anxiety and stress. If you can adopt this practice into your lifestyle on a daily basis—that’s fantastic! (What a great way to start every day!) If not that often though, taking some time on a weekend to stop, think and be grateful will without a doubt leave your creative self feeling alive and charged.

• HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH A STRANGER – This is a fantastic little social experiment for your weekend and one that always challenges us incredibly! By doing this, you’ll learn something interesting about someone—not to mention maybe making a new friend! You will also have a chance to encourage and inspire someone else by getting to know them and using your kind words to propel them toward their dreams. It’s human nature to ‘stick to what we know’; we feel comfortable when we feel familiar. And as wonderful as familiarity is, having a conversation with someone you don’t know very well will enliven your creative senses because you’re doing something different, unusual and oftentimes a little bit risky. You don’t need to be super extroverted to be a good conversationalist either! According to Psychology Today, ‘Most socially confident people deliberately learn specific skills, like displaying friendly body language, understanding the predictable format of conversations with new people, and focusing on the topic rather than on how one is being perceived’. Try it: step out of your comfort zone, make your mind engage with what’s coming out of your mouth, get to know someone new, encourage them, and awaken creativity!

• LAUGH – This is our favourite! You don’t need scientific evidence to prove that having a good belly laugh makes you feel better. However, there are some great studies that have proven this and so much more when it comes to the health benefits of laughing. Psychology Today tells us that laughter ‘indirectly stimulates endorphins [which are] the brain’s natural painkillers’ and that ‘it helps us think more creatively [and] encourages out-of-the-ordinary ways of looking at things’. Whether you have a funny friend who you should spend more time with or you need to go and see a good comedic film, as the fourth tip to getting creative, we would strongly encourage you to engage in a fantastically unattractive, uncontrollable belly laugh this weekend.

Hang on a second though, have you noticed that none of the above tips are traditionally ‘creative’ ie. painting, cooking, drawing, writing etc.? That’s because the traditionally ‘creative’ activities are often best executed when some of the abovementioned tips have been adopted.

Think about it: how often is it that you walk away from a conversation with someone and you get motivated to write a blog? Or that while you’re walking out in nature, you get inspired to cook something adventurous? Or that you’ll be spending some time thinking and meditating and feel stirred to paint or draw or write a song?

If you are ‘trying’ to be creative, you might be going about it the wrong way.

Let’s just say, creativity is more a lifestyle than it is a definable activity. This weekend, try one (or all) of these tips and enjoy bringing your ‘creative self’ to life!

Remember, this list is in no way comprehensive! There are loads of things you can do to get creative. Tell us what some of the things are that you like to do to grow your creative self?