How to Bring More Creativity Into Your Life

I sat quietly in the morning silence, a half moon above the Mediterranean sea. My breath is slow – in and out – while the sun rises and my being blissfully soaks up the beauty of life. For me there is a special bond between creativity and water. It brings me joy.

As a child I was always making and creating art things. It was s form of refuge. I was playing with clays and collages or I was carving, drawing or painting. I’ve tried every technique available to me and it opened magical doors. Now, as an adult I’m keeping this constant practice of using my hands and my imagination. When I feel the pressure of life and am in need to slow down, or when I feel too many emotions, I come home. I reach for my inner creativity and let it bloom. It’s one of my ways to love myself.

In the flow of creativity, I relax, I breathe deeper, my mental agitation slows down. It gives me stability and my inner security.

Discovering the magic of the sea

My time in Bali reminded me of the importance of creativity in order to have a joyful balanced life. Pretty much all the Balinese are artists and Bali life is articulated in creativity, beauty and arts. For me, when I create, my inner sea transforms into an ocean. The waters of my heart dance and my emotions take the form of shapes, words or colors.

Recently, I had an encounter with an artist that was particularly memorable. When I saw his blue silhouettes – bodies dancing underwater – something opened up in me, like coming alive. His ethereal mysteries took me by storm. It was like a dance around the human sea.

All the masterpieces sparked an intimate relation within me. This artist and its Persian blue aroused a thousand feelings. Art, in its purest form, is like a tender dream for the heart.

Creativity ignites sparkles of light within us. It is the joy of feeling and expressing.

Art and creativity is a deeply grounding practice. When we create, we feel with our body. We can play, get messy with materials, make things, create pieces of art with our hands. You are in the moment, enjoying the freedom to play and connect with your essential self. And this is a deeply nourishing joy.

It is more a story of process than the outcome. Not a search to do something perfect or trying to reach an artistic level. Creativity is just an expression of ourselves.

What if, from today, you also let yourself get lost in creativity. Just try and see what happens.

6 ways to invite more creativity and art into your life

. Get creative together.

A shared experience with friends, family, your community or tribe, even colleagues, can bring deep joy. Be nourished by the golden moments of connection. For example, choose to create one piece all together or each of you individually while sharing the same space.

. Invite pieces of Art into your home.

Select pieces of art created by artists that touch you on a deeper level. Paintings on your walls and artisanal objects in your rooms create a sense of beauty and inspiration within your space. Rest assured that this art will inspire you. To look at a delightful object elevates brings in emotions. You don’t have to go all out. Start your collection with a small piece that you can afford to buy.

. Keep calm and create.

Do a little piece of art every day. Something easy and so simple, like some colors or words on paper at the end of the day, the decoration of an object in your kitchen, arranging your meals into a creative forms, or creating crafts with recycling things in your home. Even during your work day, see you can add some creativity to your tasks.

. Nourish your creativity.

Go explore artistic exhibitions and cultural events around you. Travel to a new place, a new city or even further. The adventures will enhance your sense of wonder. It also supports the expansion of your imagination. Discovery allows to get more at ease with uncertainty, with the unknown, like when you start from a white page.

. Let nature teach you.

When you go for walks, observe the shapes of the plants, the flowers, the rocks. Touch the textures of the leaves, explore the sensation of the soil under your feet. Observe the movement of the wind in the trees, how the rivers and the sea move organically. Contemplate the shapes of the hills, the lines on the horizon, the noises around you, and the colorful elements of nature.

What do you feel ? Try to take notes on how you could draw those shapes, write down the emotions and sensations. When we connect to nature, our creative mind gets a natural boost.

. Cultivate your imagination.

By dreaming. It’s an awakening of your sense of curiosity and wonder, which is the core foundation of creativity. Creativity is infinite possibilities, we just need to let it comes to us.

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.”
Mary Lou Cook

P.s.: Paintings and photography are by French Artist Clément Lesaffre.