Keeping your creativity alive has always been a challenge, but in the era of work from home, where the lines between work life and home life have blurred and where burnout and social disconnection are rising, creativity is at risk. We’ve asked some of the most creative folks we know for advice on how to keep one’s creativity alive.
Samantha Kaiser
There are many different aspects of blogging that many people don’t know or think about. It’s not only about writing the posts, it’s about researching the correct keywords, securing links back to your website, revising your content, promoting your posts, building a community of readers, and so much more. I enjoy some tasks much more than others, but they’re all equally important in order to run a successful blog. I’ve found that as a travel blogger, one of the ways in which I keep my creativity alive during the not-so-fun tasks is to base my travel content on destinations or hobbies that excite me. Read more>>
Daryl Mallett
I am fascinated by everything: history, culture, language, geography, science, religion, anthropology, sociology, you name it. So I have always had the desire to find things out, whether it be in genealogy or history, cooking or sports. Because of that, I’m never bored. There is always something to do, to read, to learn. I also work on multiple projects at once, so there’s never time to have writer’s block. If I get stuck on one project, I try not to force it, let it rest and move to a different project. Read more>>
Yi Sora Zhan
Before embarking on my entrepreneurial journey, I focused on my art career. I explored my research interests through various mediums, including oil painting, performance art, and multimedia art. One of my wood-panel oil painting series, Enveloped Realm, uses ambiguous gray tones to blur the traditional expression of landscape painting. In fact, both the themes and tones of this series reflect the influence of many artists I admire, such as Albert Pinkham Ryder, David Grossmann, and even more influential artists from different stages of art history. There’s a saying, “Good artists copy. Great artists steal.” I believe this is the key to keeping creativity alive. Read more>>
Greg Stone
It can get pretty monotonous creating content, especially in the golf space. Trying to remain curious and creative when the algorithm doesn’t reward outside the box creativity as much as whatever current trends are is difficult. One of the things I do to remain creative is to actually take a step back and just count the blessings. If I take a look at where I started, content wise, and where I’m at now, its hard NOT to put a smile on when seeing how far i’ve come. so having a healthy amount of gratitude is key. Read more>>
Cleöcrt
I keep my creativity alive by taking note of the world around me. If you ever stop to take in the world, breathe it in and listen to her you will find that there is so much life so much creativity so many ways to be inspired I see things as an outward reflection of myself so when I stand still to reflect on my environment I am able to internalize it and make it personal and speak to it. This is often what inspired my writing. Read more>>
Victor Osho
Creativity is an inherent part of life, though it looks different for everyone, so keeping it alive feels like a constant process even on days when I’m not necessarily putting pen to paper. As an artist I have many different outlets including singing, rapping, traditional illustration, photography, playing guitar, music engineering, and many more outlets I’m still discovering. I love music so there’s rarely ever a day that goes by where I’m not singing or humming to myself and that fuels my creative spirit; but besides that, giving myself days in between working to reconnect with friends and be out in nature and just experience life helps keep my motivation to create alive. Read more>>
Catyra Polland
I keep my creativity alive by pursuing my goals and connecting with others who encourage me. I also write poetry and articles to express my ideas. I draw inspiration from my clients and other creatives. Read more>>
Derod Garrison
Keeping my creativity alive is nothing that is too hard for me. Being a person who was influenced by pop culture of the 80s 90s and early 2000s, I can always go back to those moments and pluck little pieces of info that can be used for inspiration. Growing up, I was always fascinated with how cartoons were drawn, how the stories were created, along with how character interaction’s build that story. I strive to bring that feeling toward the work that my team & I make today. We are fans of multiple genres. By being fans, we have the love and knowledge to bring forth incredible stories along with amazing artwork. Anyone can go outside take a look at some scenery and be able to make action pack scenes or look at a living beings and see the heartfelt love that someone can feel for another. Life is our creative canvas. We just exaggerate some points to make entertaining yet relatable stories for the audience. Read more>>
Richard Anatone
The best way I’ve found to keep creativity from fading is to continue to try new things and to pursue new avenues both within and outside of my musical interests. The musical world has so much to offer in terms of personal and professional growth: performance, arranging, composition, and academic fields like theory and musicology are simply the tip of the iceberg in the field of music studies. Once I discovered how to apply these fields to my other interests like video games and literature studies, my options expanded tenfold. I have made more friends and colleagues over the last few years through shared interests in video game music studies than I can count. Read more>>
Lola Yates
This is an excellent question, I keep my creativity alive by people watching. I love to people watch, I love sitting at this beach, coffee shop or cafe. I also observe nature by watching butterflies and hummingbirds play, watching the sunset at the beach. I love listening to music it brings a certain element of creativity to my mind. Watching people and observing my environment free‘s my mind and opens my creative lens. Read more>>
Zehila Lopez Juarez
I have always believed that art is everywhere. From the smallest ant to the biggest tree. Humans are art, nature and feelings too. I create worlds and I tell stories through my poetry. I keep my creativity alive because I’m alive in this world that is beautiful but not perfect. I live everyday of my life, as if it were the last, and I create crazy things with poetry and art. I have a lot of imagination and that makes everything easier. I get to dream like every human on this earth. I hear stories and I write based on what I think people need to hear or what I feel. I don’t let anything stop me because I know I can create anything. I write poetry most of the time or I make art with random materials that I have. I’m not the best but I like to keep that creativity. Read more>>
Adrien Marquet
Creative burnout feels like the steepest mountain to climb. You feel every negative emotion known to man, from a lack of confidence to major imposter syndrome. It’s something everyone in the creative industry has experienced and will continue to experience, it’s just part of the process. Interestingly, however, once you realize that it’s a part of the process, it can be a great reminder to look elsewhere in your life. We often experience burnout when we are fixated on one idea, when we should always be open to receiving ideas that can come from the most unexpected places. The words on a street sign, a random artwork, an interaction with a stranger, noticing a problem in your life or in society, all of these moments, everything we do in life can inspire a new spark of creativity if we are open to noticing it. Read more>>
Pamela Bruce
I chose music school because I knew as adults got older, they often lost touched with their art and stopped playing. I didn’t ever want to stop playing. As much as I knew that paying your bills with you art puts a lot of pressure on it, I knew it was the only way to guarantee I’d have no choice but to get good at it. Read more>>
Julie Macala
I’ve found that taking regular breaks from creative work has been incredibly beneficial. There’s a lot of pressure on artists to always be productive and appear effortlessly creative. However, allowing myself to make something that isn’t perfect or even good has been a game-changer for overcoming creative blocks. I remind myself that just because I haven’t produced anything lately doesn’t diminish my artistic abilities. Read more>>
Krafty Nicole
Keeping creativity alive is tricky!! For me it’s trying new things and not being afraid to make a few mistakes. I like to get my friends and families opinions on new ideas and ways to improve upon them. Read more>>
Claire Thom
I think the best way to keep creativity alive is through connection and community. When I founded The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press in 2022, my main objective was to connect with other poets, writers and creative people and to offer them a platform to get their work out there. Our creative community is international, diverse and inclusive and I get so much inspiration from the different people I connect with. I am a curious person and I also think this is key to keeping creativity alive. We have to go through life with our eyes wide open. One of my favourite things to do in my free time is walking. I am lucky that I live by the ocean and I find a long walk on the beach is great for getting the creative juices going. I love observing nature and what it´s up to and that is something which often appears in my own poetry. Read more>>
Caleb J. Both
This is such a deceptively interesting question for creatives whose art is their business, because the pressure of having to keep our creativity alive can easily stifle it instead. As a composer of film music, tight deadlines, stylistic choices, and opinions determined by people other than myself can seem to force so many parameters on a project that they appear to close the door on any opportunity for any real creativity. At other times, burnout or “writer’s block” can inhibit creativity even in down times or personal projects. Read more>>
Zena Lynn Carpenter
I have a lot of different phases of my life that I go through. When I’m not playing shows or heading back over to Paris in some poor attempt to be like Hemingway, I am more often than not in a public library studying for my JD. Sometimes my mind doesn’t quite jump into these different lifestyles very easily though. When I’m on the road playing shows with strangers, I find myself missing being in France, in the comfort of my favorite garden and quiet living. Then when I am back into a constant routine in law school, I find myself missing being constantly around unknown places and strangers. Throughout all of these stages though, no matter the detriment, I have learned that in order to feel creative and inspired, you have to romanticize the hell out of whatever you’re doing. I spend every morning listening to jazz and going for a walk with my tea. Read more>>
Michael Cheung
As a sound designer at Riot Games, my role centers on crafting soundscapes for video games, often transforming abstract visuals into immersive audio experiences for players globally. Creativity is essential to my work—not just in producing sounds, but in elevating the overall gameplay experience. I experiment with new techniques, collaborate with different teams, and draw inspiration from various art forms to bring each game’s world to life. Read more>>
Brandon Butler
I keep my creativity alive by listening to music, watching movies, eyes open to life, watching anime, being emotional (being a zodiac cancer and being mental health with schizoaffective and bipolar). Also being inspired by other artist out there. Hanging with friends and talking about life and what’s going on in life. Sometimes I have thoughts and ideas, and I write them down for later use. I do music, poetry, and paint every now and then. I like to surround myself with good vibes and positive energy. I’m laidback like a cook-out and family vibes. Sometimes I have writer’s block, but then I just take a break for a while and eventually I get inspired again. Read more>>
Marshall Jacklin
I keep my creativity alive by constantly learning and growing. One quote that resonates with me is, ‘If you want to develop your art, develop yourself.’ I make it a point to put myself in new situations—whether it’s reading different books, discovering new music, or meeting new people. These experiences help me see my life from fresh perspectives, which in turn fuels my creativity and inspires me to share my work. Read more>>
Isabel Oliva
I keep my creativity alive by being engaged with books, fairytales and art that is in conversation with my work thematically. I often look to my dreams as well for inspiration. I am often visited by animals in my dreams with a reoccurring message, I manifest my own personal mythology unconsciously. I work through the meaning in my dreams by creating iterations of the imagery I see in my dreams in my art. I also enjoy reading mythological stories that include the creatures I am drawn to in my work and make work based off the message of that story. Read more>>
Zitian Zhang
That’s a great question to start with. As a filmmaker, imagination has always been my companion, ever since I was little. I’ve always felt more like an observer than a participant—I’d find myself watching moments unfold and imagining all kinds of possibilities, even the ones that seem far-fetched. It’s kind of like continuing the story in my head, almost like a mental “sequel” to whatever is happening in real life. Read more>>
Derrick Werlé
Drawing Inspiration from All Art Forms: Lessons from Rostropovich I vividly recall attending a masterclass with the legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. As I accompanied a cellist on the piano, Rostropovich shared profound insights on the wellsprings of creativity. He emphasized that being a musician requires a deep understanding of human emotion. To achieve this, he advised us to immerse ourselves in various forms of human expression beyond music. Rostropovich encouraged us to: Read more>>
Olivia Spirz
Community. My creativity is kept alive by the talented people I get to surround myself with. I have been in Los Angeles for ten years now, and am lucky to have cultivated a group a people who inspire me and expand my world everyday. From my first improv team (Shout out to LINDA!) to all the actors and creatives I have met on shows, to my friends that I have made here and all the way back in middle School. Making short films, doing photoshoots, going to concerts, seeing theater, having a craft night, writing sketch, and producing a show are all things that have been motivated by my community. I am constantly inspired and in awe of all the art and projects that my community creates, and it helps me tap in whenever I need to be creative! Read more>>
Wenxin Yan
Passion. I think it’s what drives a lot of the things I do. If you see something as just a task you have to do, it takes away a lot of the fun. I’ve always believed that creativity comes from the mix of emotions and experiences in the moment. If you lose your passion for it, you’re not going to do your best work. Read more>>
Laurie Victor Kay
I keep my creativity alive by allowing myself to express, see, and feel freely. I give myself space to think conceptually. For me this translates to many things. It could start early in the morning (I often wake before 5 am) when I’m in the quiet of my home with my dog Lucky, a rescued Great Pyrenees of my late mother who passed away from a very short battle with cancer exactly one year ago. Read more>>
