With the rapid improvements in AI, it’s more important than ever to keep your creativity alive as it’s one of the best defenses against the rising trend of automation. Even if you don’t buy into all the hype around AI, keeping your creativity alive has always been a challenge and as so we’ve connected with some of the most creative folks in our community to discuss tactics and strategies for keeping your creativity alive.
Loren Naji
Ideas! Ideas and follow-through are what it takes to produce art. BTW, I believe life is art; not just paintings, sculpture and such. We, as human beings are all artists and creators. I start with brain-storming sessions. There are infinite ideas and the more you have, the better chance of one being great. Read More>>
Jeanie Whatley
I keep my creativity alive by consistently presenting it with fun new challenges. I make sure it doesn’t get bored. I turn it into a game to see whether or not I can overcome the challenge presented. Regardless of the outcome, I learn something invaluable every time. I learn and grow by hands on play. Trial and error. Read More>>
Alice Deluca
I keep my creativity alive by constantly staying connected to real life — through the people I meet, the stories I listen to, and the transformations I create every day in my salon. Read More>>
Nicholas Roes
Creativity has always felt like an intrinsic part of who I am, but the real challenge has been protecting the space it needs to thrive. I work full-time in marketing and manage freelance projects on the side, so by the end of the day, I have to make a deliberate choice to protect my own creative time. Read More>>
Nina Paternina
For me, creativity is a living thing, it grows when I stay curious, connected, and intentional. I keep my creativity alive by paying attention to the world around me: nature, architecture, culture, colors in a café, even the rhythm of a city morning. Inspiration is everywhere if you’re willing to look up. I also protect creativity through discipline. Read More>>
Oliver Perry
I keep my creativity alive by making art simply for myself — not just when I’m told to! I love spending time with my sketchbook, drawing and painting outdoors. Observing and capturing the world around me always sparks new ideas and helps me discover things I can bring into my illustration projects. Read More>>
Rubi Armijo
Creativity is something I nurture every day through the people and experiences around me. I love to travel and find inspiration in the energy of new places, the stories of people I meet, and the social life that connects us all. There’s so much to see and learn, and that constant sense of discovery keeps me feeling alive. Read More>>
Ian Thomas-Minor
I keep my creativity alive by painting with purpose. Connective Inc. is my canvas — every young mind, every story, every breakthrough adds color to the masterpiece we’re building. Changing lives is my art. Impact is my paintbrush. I stay inspired by watching ideas turn into opportunity, and struggle turn into strength. Read More>>
Arnett Mathews
Honestly, I don’t have to do much to keep creativity alive, it’s something I constantly feel within me. It’s not something I have to work at; it just flows naturally. I truly enjoy the art of tailoring eyebrows for my clients. Every time someone lays on my table, I get little butterflies of excitement thinking about creating a shape that perfectly suits them. Read More>>
Marcy Haben Kraft
Since starting our business, Your Legacy Files, creativity is fueled by curiosity, connection, and collaboration. As entrepreneurs, we’re constantly building something new — and that requires staying open, inspired, and willing to experiment. We believe ideas grow stronger when shared, and we’ve seen again and again that life is more fun with a friend (and a business partner!). Read More>>
DJ Pacho Llanos
I keep my creativity alive by staying connected to rhythm and real life. Every sound, color, or street vibe can become inspiration for a song or a visual idea. I mix cultures, languages, and emotions — that keeps things fresh and unexpected. And most of all, I never stop experimenting — creativity is like a groove, you have to keep it moving. Read More>>
Kassidy Kliewer
I am inspired and energized by the people around me. When one of us has an idea, we love to bounce it around with each other. For me, my creativity is sparked when I am trying new things and pushing myself, whether that be throwing a new form, experimenting with glazes, or giving myself a complicated project. Read More>>
Vivienne Varay
Conflict tends to trigger my creative impulses. Not just emotional conflict, but the kind that creeps in during conversations, when someone shares an outdated idea of what makes art “good.” Or when I’m working with a material that carries complicated history—like an old mink coat I was given as a child. Read More>>
Jordynn Greeson
A lot of my creativity comes from staying connected. To my clients, my craft, and my energy. My brand, Shear Witchery, is really rooted in that idea of blending the spiritual with the creative. It’s about trusting intuition, reading the energy in the room, and creating looks that feel aligned with who someone truly is. Read More>>
Andrea Ridley
Creativity is a life force for me. Without it, I struggle and often times feel stuck or as if I have plateaued in life. Read More>>
Esra Sakar
As a fine art photographer and visual artist, I think creativity stays alive when you stop trying to control it. For me, it’s not a switch I turn on; it’s more like a pulse that moves quietly beneath everyday life. When I feel disconnected, I return to silence, to observing people, and to the fragments of emotion that often go unnoticed. Read More>>
Matt Foster
I keep my creativity alive by living through transitions. For four years, my family and I sailed full-time aboard SV Cadence — navigating coastlines, cultures, and constant uncertainty. That chapter taught me that creativity isn’t a spark; it’s a survival skill. You learn to adapt, to reframe problems, and to stay curious even when the wind dies or the plan changes. Read More>>
Nick Smith
I retain my sense of wonder. I take note of a sunny morning, the color of the leaves in the trees, the shape of the moon in the sky. I overlap different projects, and they inform each other. I read voraciously and, above all, I take an interest in other people. Read More>>
Monica Duymich
Creativity is a tricky beast. I think we are all born creative, in a sense it is a survival skill. Yet the world tries to fit us in a box to look like everyone else (‘because that is acceptable’) through that I think we lose our sense of creativity and follow the pack like mindless robots. Read More>>
Alexandria Rykse
I try to use social media productively. By that I mean following accounts that are related to my interests, and ones that encourage growth and support. I also like to be inspired by locations or fashion, and then create a mood board or vision from there. I do go through periods where I don’t feel inspired, and editing is overwhelming. Read More>>
Bryan Milstead
From a young age, I remember being surrounded by music no matter where I went, whether it was R&B on the car ride to school, classical repertoire at after-school violin lessons, or cheesy 2010s rock emanating from the living room TV. Cousins and extended family members were coming over for some weekend fun? Hype music on the wireless speaker. Read More>>
LRD. TRILL
I am constantly finding new ways to invent my sound. I remember when I first started creating music, I had no direction or even knowledge of how to record. I needed time to figure it out. Luckily I had time to develop my craft with members of a group called Ward 3. Read More>>
Brooke Vass
I keep my creativity alive by surrounding myself with inspiring peers and constantly engaging with movement. Dance, fitness, and everyday collaboration fuel my ideas and push me to create for others. Read More>>
Jasper Moore
One key point is creativity isn’t just a skill — it’s the heartbeat of my brand. I keep my creativity alive by staying close to the why behind what I do — telling stories that move people, shift culture, and reflect the real. Every shoot, every edit, every frame is a chance to find new rhythm in the ordinary. Read More>>
Kellette Elliott
The way I keep my creativity alive is by creating regularly. I have found I rarely have a creative block if I am always creating. It’s when you stop, it’s harder to come back. Another strategy is having different series of works. If I come to my studio, wanting to create, but not sure what, I rely on my ‘cameraworksseries’ or my ‘vulnerableworkseries’. Read More>>
Shakira Denise
There comes a point in every creator’s journey where the goal is no longer to prove something — it’s to preserve something. For me, that something is purpose. After years of reinvention, rebuilding, and re-emerging, I’ve learned that longevity isn’t about staying relevant; it’s about staying rooted. Read More>>
Phillip Pierce
Even though real estate media is all that I advertise, I actually perform a variety of work. I create videos and print media for my church, and build websites and create social media content for small businesses as well. These other outlets help me flex new ideas and styles that I really don’t get to in the more corporate realm of real estate media. Read More>>
Alyssa Sontag
For me, keeping my creativity alive is an active, ongoing practice. It’s especially vital now that my life includes the roles of social media content creator, teacher, and now a mom, actually feed my creativity in surprising ways. I try to leverage my professional and personal lives as content pillars, which ensures my creativity is constantly being exercised and refined. Read More>>
Stan Lai
I keep my creativity alive through a constant fascination with life. I have been blessed with continuous creativity, for over four decades, in which I have been the most performed playwright in the Chinese language, with over 40 original full length productions, directed by myself. Read More>>
Gabriel Perez
For me, it’s about being open to new experiences. There were times when I felt stuck in a loop, repeating patterns in my work or losing motivation because nothing felt new in my life. Read More>>
Luis Galvez
Creativity is one of the most important parts of my work as a photographer. For every photo session, wedding, or event, I need to keep my ideas and vision fresh, which constantly pushes me to stay on my toes. Creativity is a skill you have to keep developing by experimenting with new ideas and exploring different angles of photography. Read More>>
Alessandra Silva
Creativity, for me, is like breathing — it comes from movement, color, and energy. *Aquarelle of Samba* was born from my desire to connect people to their ancestry and their inner rhythm. I keep creativity alive by listening — to the drums, to nature, and to my intuition. Every dance, every color in the costume, and every beat tells a story. Read More>>
Randi Sidman-Moore
I just completed a long-term photography assignment on the Cheyenne River Reservation, Sioux Tribe, South Dakota. The one thing I noticed the most on the reservation was their limited reliance on screens, phones, and technology. This left more time for kids to engage in outdoor play and adults to connect in person, so that creativity felt woven into their everyday lives. Read More>>
Haley Burkland
Simply put, Weddings. Weddings are what keep my creative side going! Each and every wedding I am a part of is always made up of so many different elements. Being able to be a part of something so special with people who used to be strangers but are now life long friends is just such an amazing thing. Read More>>
Anna Peck
Keeping my creativity going isn’t always about big inspiration—it’s usually found in the little things. Sometimes I can be out shopping and find a picture or a floral stem and immediately get an idea, a color that catches my eye, or just playing around with new materials until something feels right. Read More>>
Fox Garza
Learning always, by constantly learning and exploring new things keeps my creativity alive. I believe that being creative definitely comes from within, but at the same time, continuously learning, loving and doing what you love keeps it alive and thriving! Read More>>
Cassie Jones
This is actually a funny and intriguing question for me, because I don’t really try to keep my creativity alive, it just never turns off. My mind is always racing with new ideas, whether it’s a fresh way to run part of my business, a new system that would make things easier, or a concept for a completely new venture. I’m constantly asking myself, “What would make sense? What would make this experience smoother, better, or more exciting?” Read More>>
Bob Schuster
For me, staying curious is a critical part of staying creative. If I ever feel like I’m hitting a creative wall, I try to step away from the work and engage in experiences that allow me to explore my curiosity <i>outside</i> of design Read More>>
Alfredo El Rojo
People always ask me how I keep my creativity alive… and honestly, it’s because I never stopped creating for myself. I don’t let photography become just work. I keep it as my refuge, my hobby, my personal space. Read More>>
Joel Selaah.
I keep my creativity alive by keeping God first. He gave me the gift of creating the beautiful music and art that you all hear and see from me. Nothing is done without him. Read More>>
Mauriett Chayeb-Mendez
Creativity is the key to life. Being able to express myself, using my voice to create ideas and produce content is something that brings me joy. Above all what helps my creativity stay alive is my imagination, fueled by exploration & wonder of the world around me. Read More>>
Lang Xie
For me, keeping creativity alive isn’t about chasing inspiration or forcing ideas—it’s about staying open to life itself. Music begins where memory and feeling intersect, and I try to keep myself attentive to those moments when the ordinary suddenly feels luminous. Read More>>
Jamie Evans
Cannabis has always been my muse. Since joining the industry in 2017, it’s never ceased to inspire me. Despite the challenges of navigating constantly evolving regulations, the space continues to offer endless opportunities for creativity within compliance. Read More>>
