When You Need An Emergency Creative Fix
- Cara McLauchlan
- 11 hours ago
- 2 min read
I needed to stare at something beautiful.
Winter was only getting started and I was already bogged down with the slow trek of long, cold, gray days ahead. My heart was longing for creativity, whimsy, beauty, anything that was the opposite of productivity, doomscrolling and checking things off my list.
I texted my friend Beth and I said, "I need to look at art."
She lovingly obliged me and we made a date where we strolled around the beautiful North Carolina Museum of Art, soaking in the old paintings, the gorgeous sculptures, the whimsical displays and some plain funny stuff. And it was exactly what my heart needed.
Have you ever been in that place? When you feel sort of dried up and dusty inside and simply need to do something to remind you that the creative part of you still exists. I'm learning if I don't allow my playful side to come out on a regular basis, my soul dries up a little bit. We all have stuff to get done, work to do, bills to pay, laundry and dinner to make. Yet, I know I'm better as a person and as a writer when I've spent time in creative pursuits.
What would happen if the next time I'm grinding out another to do, I made a crazy doodle to go with it? Or if instead of rushing to slug down another cup of coffee, I pretended like it was a special ritual just for me. Sprinkling creativity, fun and play into our life isn't hard, it simply requires us to consider our daily lives under a gaze of joy. Let's agree not to let ourselves get to that emergency dried out place before creativity can flourish in our midst.
God made you to appreciate beauty. If you are feeling heavy with the long winter ahead, maybe you need to go look at some art too. Or here are a few other ideas I'm trying out this winter. These aren't revolutionary -- just reminders in case there are more emergency creative days ahead:
10 Very Simple Ideas to Infuse Your Day with Creativity
Doodle or make tiny cute drawings of your to-dos.
Carry a small notebook to jot what you notice - words, funny things, scripture, beauty.
Spend 5 minutes a day making something—anything.
Change one small thing in your daily routine or at your desk.
Take photos of ordinary moments - just for you.
Make a fun playlist and name it for your mood - like Tuesday Feeling Bluesday.
Walk in Nature. Notice your breath and what's on your heart.
Sing. Hum. Make a joyful noise - notice how it changes your mood.
Notice patterns, colors, and textures around you. How many shades of brown are there?
End the day with your own creative ritual - breathing, stretching, dreaming on paper, sketching or simply playing back one thing that was meaningful to you.
