Hello friends, happy March!

Enter the tug of war between winter and spring, chill and warmth, growth and stagnation. I think for many, March is a time of transition and brings the itching for change. Obviously spring tidying our homes is a thing, but what about our minds? If you are anything like me, you get a little mentally cluttered and sluggish once in a while. In this post I will list some practical ways to reignite creative energy for the upcoming spring season. This can be helpful whether or not you consider yourself a particularly creative person or just want to feel lighter and more excited about life this spring.

ideas

1.)office or studio glowup

I think there is a reason spring tidying is such a trend. There really is no mistaking the direct impact our environment has on our mental and emotional wellbeing. In order to be creative and productive, it is always a great idea to freshen up your workspace from time to time.

I personally decided to give my art and craft corner a miniature “Glow Up” and the results have been dramatic. My painting desk has a way of getting extremely and the table surface takes a good beating after a while. A very simple and inexpensive way to freshen up a craft desk is to use an adhesive contact paper to re-cover the surface. Fortunately you can find many gorgeous patterns on Amazon or even at Walmart. I decided to go with a classic gray marble to give the desk a luxurious yet still understated feel. I also decided to use some faux hydrangea flowers to keep on the desk corner and to consolidate my most-used paints into a shoebox for easy access. I decided to wrap the shoebox in marble and cover it with stickers to make it more personalized.

2.) organize and declutter

The fun part of a Glow Up is the new pretty change—but decluttering is also helpful. Cutting back on anything that is taking excess space without being necessary or helpful is a good place to start.

3.) bookstore date

Another way I have been finding creative inspiration lately, especially on the blustery or gloomy afternoons, is to go on a bookstore date. What does this mean? Getting coffee and piling up stacks of magazines and books to browse for a while while listening to the cafe music and mindless background chatter of course!

4.) nature expedition

Nature—greens, florals, natural lighting and landscapes that vary in dimension are endless sources of ideas and visual stimulus. If I am having more fatigue and not up for walking, I love taking a short windows-down drive on some of the stunning country roads nearby. I always get exciting ideas from that time with fresh air and truly do not believe there is a substitute for that.

5.) experiment with colors

To me, the electricity behind creativity is COLOR. If I am ever in a creative slump or just feeling a bit of creative block, I absolutely love to experiment with different combinations of colors. Colors just give such a theme to each season and bring life into any space. I have really been enjoying acrylic pour lately because of how the colors swirl together but do not completely blend.

Sometimes painting my nails with fun colors or dressing in colors I don’t normally wear give me a whole new energy for the day.

6.) fresh flowers

Here is a three-word phrase that I want you to remember: flowers never fail. They never fail to swap sighs for smiles or drabness for life. Flowers are the literal fruits of nature’s creative energy and the masterpieces of God’s artistry. If you want to make your space more lively for spring or get in the mood to be more creative and productive, I recommend heading to the nearest Trader Joe’s to purchase a bouquet of inexpensive fresh flowers to keep in sight.

7.) read

Reading is such a great way to create ideas. While reading just about anything has intrinsic value, I definitely am a proponent of reading some sort of content that appeals to your interests and will divert your attention from the gritty realities of life at least for a little. Why? Well it’s important to maintain a channel of positivity and imagination, so making time to read a story or interesting article will ignite different parts of your brain that are important to give you creative ideas.

8.) use hands

A great way to get excited to create, especially for the coming spring season, is to simply MAKE something with your hands. This is all about the process and not at all about having a perfect outcome. Puzzles, baking, cooking, crafting, painting, knitting or engineering something more mechanical if that is your thing are all great ways to engage the hands and ignite different pathways in the brain.

9.) instrumental music

Do you ever walk into a cafe that is playing the most delightful instrumental music and immediately feel excited or motivated? That is the power of instrumental music to supercharge your brain. I love to listen to various genres of instrumental music when I’m in need of some motivation. I am a huge fan of Disney piano songs and Celtic flute.

10.) bullet journal

Last but not least, never underestimate the power of old-fashioned bullet journaling. When I have a lot of ideas clamoring around my brain with nowhere to go, I love to record them in cute, visual ways on my life binder and bullet journal.

I discovered a smart quote by a man named David Allen, who said, “Your brain is for having ideas, not storing them.” I think this is a great point. Sometimes if you want to be creative and productive, you have to make space in your mind for ideas to percolate and connect—which means giving them a designated space to survive while you go about your other business.

what about you?

Now that I got this list started, I would love to know if you have any interesting additions. Let me know some of your go-to ways to spark creativity below!