5 Ways I Find Sparks Of Creativity
That don't involve a studio, or money, or extra time.
Hi there! I’m Hunter. I’m a mother of an almost two-year-old daughter, married to my British husband, and we live in Northwest Florida along the beautiful white, sandy beaches. I share about sacred & slow living as well as my own personal journey in motherhood. Make sure to subscribe to have my posts delivered directly to your inbox. Thank you for being here.
“It must be nice to create when you have time like that.”
“It must be nice to create when you have a studio like yours.”
“It must be nice to create when you make money from it.”
“It must be nice to create when you…”
I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely thought those things to myself about others before. I’ve thought, “If only I had more time, more space, more money, then I could create the way I wanted to.” I’ve sat in that frequency of everything needing to be perfect to produce the kind of art that I dreamed of. But instead, I only sat with excuses and an endless list of ideas that never saw the light of day.
It really wasn’t until my daughter was born that I realized true creativity comes from imperfection. It comes from opening up the portal between you and the divine to allow magic to flow through. Your creativity doesn’t care about where you are, or what you’re doing, or how long you’ve meditated, or how many years you went to school. All creativity cares about is honoring the exchange of ideas and turning them into art.
I now receive a flow of ideas randomly throughout the day, and I’ll jot them down quickly or make a voice note to remember. Sometimes, I feel such a strong pull that I sit in the middle of the living room and write an entire essay on my phone while my toddler crawls all over me and Bluey plays in the background. Sometimes, I’ll be hit with a creative spark while I’m cooking dinner and am jotting down my thoughts in the middle of flipping pancakes or sauteéing mushrooms. My favorite is when I’m in the shower and I have to reach for my phone and turn on a recording just so I don’t lose the idea. But my creativity, she hardly ever comes when it’s convenient. I sure wish I could walk into my office with two hours free and sit down to write and have the words effortlessly arrive on the page, but that typically only comes after I’ve noodled on an idea for a few days (weeks, months) and written an outline.
Creativity loves chaos. Creativity thrives with movement, flow, and excitement.
That’s why I believe to create, we must live fulfilling lives. We have to walk away from the computer and leave our phones at home so we can go find inspiration. I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’ll get your next best novel plot planned out while sitting on the couch watching tv. You have to go be in nature, in communion with creation herself, out experiencing the magically mundane that this world has to offer, to open up receptivity to the ideas. Creativity might find you while you’re playing dress up with your kids, baking together, or out on a walk. Creativity might find you while listening to a podcast and driving, reading a new book, or dancing your heart out naked (the naked part is optional, but fun).
The point is that a lot of times we think we have to wait for the perfect moment in life for us to create what we want to create, but it’s actually the opposite. The studio will come from your creations, the money will come from your ideas, and the time will come from your devotion to your craft. But the creativity? The creativity comes when you least expect it, and when you most need it.
Usually, it’s not very convenient, but that’s the joy of art.
I’m not sure how you feel, but I know for certain I don’t want to wait until I’m 70 years old and retired to finally make what I want to make. I want to create it all now, in this messy, imperfect chaotic period of life. And I think my creativity wants that too.
I thought it might be helpful to list out five completely inconvenient and random places where I find my creativity. Know that when you lean into allowing whatever needs to flow, to flow, you’ll create something better than you could have ever imagined.
5 Places I Find Sparks Of Creativity…
The shower - I told you, it’s a favorite of mine. Something about the warm water hitting my skin and the drum of noise to drown my thoughts out makes my creativity feel safe to come to play here. When I’m really struggling with a process for an idea, I’ll always take the time to analyze it while in the shower, and usually, the answer will find me there. I also recommend investing in a waterproof phone case.
While I’m cooking - I truly believe that cooking is just another form of meditation. Chopping vegetables, searing meat, mixing ingredients, it’s all just a way to turn off that logical part of your brain and open it up to the endless possibilities of your mind. I’ve always gotten great new ideas while cooking dinner for my family.
Listening to podcasts - Now that I’m busy chasing a toddler around, I find myself listening to podcasts more often than reading. It’s definitely a fine balance between being inspired by someone and getting overwhelmed by what they are doing that I’m not, but I’ve figured out which podcasts help me stay on my own course and give me ideas for moving forward. Also, if you’re currently struggling with creativity, I recommend listening or reading something that has nothing to do with what you’re creating. I often get the best ideas when I’m reading a fantasy novel or listening to a birth podcast. Just changing the frequency of our brains can help us re-ignite the spark we’ve lost.
On a walk or driving - Remember, creativity loves movement. The amount of times I’ve been out on a walk or driving my car and had to pull over to write something down or talk into my phone is endless, but when we are out in the world we allow the world to arrive to us, and there’s a magical beauty in that. This may be weird to you, but I also love talking to the trees and asking them for help with my inspiration. They always deliver.
Playing with my daughter - Childlike wonder is something creativity thrives off of, and what better way to remember that wonder than by playing with our own kids? While I’m sitting coloring with her or building a tower with blocks, the most amazing ideas will come to me. I definitely wait until we’re done playing to jot them down as I want to be completely present with her, but those ideas always stay in my brain because they know they are important.
I don’t subscribe to the idea that only certain people can create. I believe we all have that divine guidance, and connection, to make something out of nothing. We just have to be aligned enough to see it and trust that what’s meant for us will always land at the perfectly right time.
Creativity, sparks, passion, and ideas are all just the way our individual souls speak.
Our job isn’t to figure out how to force these ideas to come, it’s our job to nurture the space that allows them to arrive in the first place.
It’s our commitment to allowing our souls to speak that brings our creativity out to play, and from that place, true magic awaits. Our only job is to listen.
I also have a hard time with podcasts sometimes too. There’s a lot of what I call “inspiration porn” out there that can make you feel like you’re not doing enough, even though the apparent goal is to help you along. I hate that it backfires like that sometimes, but I’m glad that I have learned to take a step back, listen to something that has nothing to do with the creative thing I’m working on, and enjoy that instead.
Can relate to so much here. My creativity comes when I allow myself to rest and have fun too, alongside all of those inconvenient times like the shower or driving 😅