Twenty ways to be creative!

Feel like you’re in a rut with your business or life in general? That means you need to shake up your day, break up the routine. Here are y favorite twenty ways to do that! I hope they help!

1. Find a comfy spot close by to daydream, doodle, and brainstorm ideas of things you always wanted to do. Decorate the area to make it inviting to return there often.

2. Find a random station on Spotify for background music while you work, clean or create. Make sure it is music that will inspire (but not distract). I always look under the “Genres & Moods” category and choose Acoustic, Brain Food or Chill Out. Plus, it’s a great way to find new artists to love!

3. Change your routine. Take a new route home from work, wear your hair different, revamp a favorite clothing item, watch a new show, listen to a new band, read a novel. Routine breeds boredom, mix it up!

4. Set aside an hour to people watch and window shop. Listen to the conversations around you and see what themes you can extract to add messages to your art. Soak up the world around you. Pay attention to what is important to others and think about how your perspective relates.

5. Take a class that is outside of your comfort zone. Learn a new skill, technique or genre.

6. Open the dictionary and randomly find five new words. Use them as a theme for your work. Also, take note of words you use too much. Stop using them. Find new words to replace them!

7. Go to a concert, even if it is too see a local band or a lounge singer.

8. Indulge in your favorite dessert and think how you can translate the flavors into art.

9. Make a video of your daily activities, make a video and give it a title. Save your Snapchat story and upload it to make a vlog.

10. Make a list of all the things happening in your life right now that make you happy and then use it to write an essay or make an art collage, or use it as a theme for an upcoming presentation.

11. Invent a slogan for a t-shirt, or for your business. Make sure it is original! Use PicMonkey.com or another platform tomake a graphic that you can post on Pinterest or share. Then read the comments and reactions that people had. You just inspired people!

12. Go to a clothing store and try on all kinds of garments like characters do in movies. Don’t forget to twirl in front of the mirror! If you always wear long sweaters or tunics, switch to a cropped jeans jacket. You’ll feel like you reinvented your style!

13. Paint and/or embellish your office supplies. Or at least clean up your work area to generate fresh energy. Purge items you haven’t used in months.

14. Create an inspiration board or a list of things you want to do, places you want to go, things you want to make. Hang it where you’ll have to stare at it everyday – above the bathroom mirror, by the phone. Pick the top three and make an action list and timeline for each one.

15. Buy flowers or plants from the garden shop. Plant them, name them and then sketch them.

16. Make some bookmarks with your favorite author quotes. Go to the library and leave them on random tables for others to pick up and use.

17. Learn how to say “Hello!” (or other phrases) in a variety of different languages. Use them in your art and emails!

18. Create a brainstorm list of ideas for your business. The first five will be easy and obvious. Push past those and make yourself come up with twenty! Yes, TWENTY.

19. Record a video of yourself giving three tips of what you know best. Three lessons you’ve learned that you can pass on to others. Post it online to share your wisdom.

20. Strive to inspire others. Do your best to be a good example of what a creative person is!

Kathy Cano-Murillo is the founder of CraftyChica.com and is available for speaking on creativity and business, freelance writing and more.