Whatever field you’re in, as a freelancer, creativity is a must-have skill. But, what happens when those creative juices just aren’t flowing as normal? Sometimes, giving your mind a break is the only way you can get back on track with a creative project. So, if you’re struggling for inspiration, why not try one of these mindless activities;
Doodling
I don’t mean doodling around your to-do list or project assignment. I suggest taking a break from your desk or workspace and taking yourself to a place where you aren’t worrying about work. Then get a sketchpad or notebook out and start doodling or drawing away. You may find it helps to go outside to sketch.
Even if you aren’t artistic (like me!) filling up a page with shapes and different colours can really help to calm your mind and de-stress you.
Blackout Poetry
Blackout poetry is where you eliminate words in a piece of text to create a poem. So, if you have a magazine or newspaper to hand, this is the perfect start. Then just blackout the words you don’t want in your poem and then you have a prose created by you but written by someone else.
Puzzle Book
For me, puzzle books remind me of visiting my Nan. Still to this day, if work is getting too much, I’ll pop round to my Nan’s and complete a puzzle in one of her many puzzle books. Puzzles can be a great de-stressor, and there is a puzzle to suit everyone, from sudokus to word searches, that can help to clear your head.
If purchasing a whole puzzle book seems like too much of a commitment, then find a newspaper (local or national) which is bound to have a puzzle page in it to give you a mindless break.
Get sorting
Feel like you need to procrastinate but with a point, then get sorting. You could arrange your wardrobe by colour, alphabetise your bookshelf or perhaps rearrange your desk and its drawers. All of these jobs serve no real point, but it will make you feel like you’ve done something worthwhile and give your brain some much-needed time out.
Handwriting
How often do you handwrite? Often, we don’t write more than a shopping list in an average week. However, it is a beautiful skill to have and an activity that can take your mind away from whatever is stressing you out with work. Whether you want to start with a letter to a friend or perhaps learn calligraphy, getting back to improving your writing is a way to be creative while still being mindless. It can be an excellent way for ideas to spark too.
