Celebrating Creativity: Tips to Inspire You This World Art Day

Celebrate World Art Day by appealing to your creative side, here's how.

It might be that you’ve never stepped foot in an art gallery before, or have shied away from picking up a paintbrush because you don’t think you’re good enough. There are a myriad of reasons why people forget the importance of leaning into their creative side and exploring the wonderful world of art.

But art is different from everything else because it has no rules! You can create anything you like, without boundaries and pressures. So whether you’ve been itching to try drawing or painting for years, or simply want to lean into your creative side, here are some of our arty tips to inspire you this world art day.

Change your scenery

If you’re part of the huge amount of people who work from home, or work in a hybrid role, chances are you spend a lot of time staring at the same four walls. This can easily zap all your creativity away. Even if you’re working, you can easily switch it up and go for a lunchtime walk just to chance the scene. You’ll be surprised just how much this can loosen you up and get ideas flowing.

Consume creatively

Read books that you love. Watch TV programs that actually add to your life and shift your perspective on the world. Watch a documentary, get lost in a good piece of cinematography just because and if you come across something online or an account that doesn’t add to your life? Unfollow. Even the content your consuming subconsciously can have an impact on your mental state and how creative you feel, so it pays to be mindful over what you consume.

Create without pressure

People are good at putting pressure on the outcome of creative pursuits, and it’s easy to get stuck in the endless cycle of perfectionism. The reality is, not everyone is going to be the next Picasso, but you’ve just got to focus on creating what you can and what comes naturally to you. Not everyone is going to like it, but as long as your hearts in it, that is what's important. Don’t create to be seen, as this will only put unnecessary pressure on yourself.

Set small challenges

If you’re wondering where to start, or have taken a long break off from painting, drawing or writing, it can be challenging to get back to it. But you don’t have to create a masterpiece from the get go. Start small and set yourself the goal of painting or drawing for 10 minutes a day, and then work your way up to something bigger. This makes starting easier, and that project you’ve had your eye on a little easier to conceive of completing.

Keep the inspiration following

Sometimes ideas don’t come when you need them to. Sometimes when you go to create you have a mind blank. What can really help in these moments is keeping an inspiration journal. These are designed to help you store and keep ideas when they come, so in the moments when you feel less inspired you can get your ideas going again. Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night with an idea and then forget it when you get up? That’s what an inspiration journal is for - try it out!

Treat creativity as a muscle

Like being good at exercise and maintaining fitness, to stay creative you have to exercise the muscle regularly. Whether you have 10 minutes to spare a day, or an hour, whatever it is, make sure you make the time to stay creative - as every session you do will feel easier and the ideas will keep flowing. 

Looking for some further inspiration? Browse our Notebooks and Notepads to create the perfect inspiration journal, or our Coloured Pens and Pencils for drawing, sketching and lots more!