The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls. – Pablo Picasso
At the Hammond Regional Arts Center, we value creativity and imagination! The best way to spark creativity is to allow yourself to get out of your comfort zone. We’ve made a fun list of ideas to help you get more creative. These are easy things you can do with household items in your home or backyard. Allow your imagination to run wild. Do these alone or with others (friends, spouse, or kids).
Practicing creativity has many advantages:
- You’ll become a better problem solver at home and at work.
- You’ll become more empathetic as you practice seeing the world from other vantage points.
- You’ll be motivated to be more active, physically and mentally.
- Your stress will be reduced and your mood will be elevated.
…just to name a few.
Take a day or an afternoon to really let your imagination stretch—like yoga for your mind! Get silly!
1. Start a virtual book club.
a. Use social media to create a group. (A great way to meet new people with similar interests!)
b. With group members, decide which book to read. Have everyone buy or download the book.
c. Plan group chats to discuss the book as you read together. Ask the tough questions. Ask the silly questions. Dig deep.
d. When you’re done, pick another book and start again.
2. Printable coloring pages for kids or adults
a. Use crayons, color pencils, pens, markers to fill in every space on the page.
b. Add more flair with found items, scraps of paper, cut outs from magazines, buttons, etc.
c. Coloring contest. Take photos of your work and post online and ask people to vote for their favorite.
3. Practice photography. Use your phone’s camera. Use filters you’ve never tried before. Try different lighting.
a. Go outside for inspiration
b. Find the smallest thing you can photograph.
c. Find the largest thing you can photograph.
c. Take a photo of only green things, only blue things, etc.
4. Practice cooking and baking
5. Write an outlandish story. Get input for characters and plot lines from others if you’re stuck.
6. Learn Origami
7. Make a smash book or a scrapbook
8. Sidewalk Chalk!
9. Plant a garden
10. Paint rocks
11. Write a poem
12. Write a song - sing it in the shower; great acoustics!
13. Doodle
a. Create a flip book cartoon
b. Write a story to go with your cartoon
14. Make up your own board game
15. Write letters to friends and family
a. Hand write them to practice your penmanship
b. Include doodles or poetry
c. Encourage the recipient to write back
16. Find shapes in the clouds
a. Draw the shapes you find
b. Make characters from the shapes you drew
c. Write a story about the characters
17. Learn old dance moves: jitterbug, 2 step, square dancing, the mashed potato, the Macarena, etc
a. Create your own dance moves
b. Choreograph a performance for your whole family
18. Go backyard bird watching and draw what you see
19. Make a collage using found objects (ex: blades of grass, flowers, leaves, pebbles, buttons, etc.)
20. Build a blanket fort
21. Make play-doh sculptures
Need ideas specifically for the kiddos? Here's a few:
For kids:
1. Fashion show
a. Let your kids dress up in your clothes. How cute!
b. Snap photos as they walk the “runway”
2. Make a book
a. Cut paper in half and fold together like a book
b. Staple the pages along the seam
c. Help your child write a story, make a cover and illustrate his/her book
3. Practice rhyming—be prepared for lots of laughs!
4. Play pretend
a. Make up a scenario
b. Create costumes
c. Act out the scene
d. Start again
5. Ask your child questions. Have them draw their answers.
a. What would you do if you were president?
b. What would you do if you were principle of your school?
c. If you could go to space, where would you go? Why?
We hope that this list has helped inspire you get your imagination moving! Let us know how much fun you had.
Pinterest is another great resource for additional ideas. May we also suggest the book Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith (not a paid endorsement) for more ideas on how to put your imagination to work.