Creativity isn’t always easy. But, in these stressful times, it is a perfect tool to calm your mind. So for those of you looking for a new creative outlet, here are three ways to get in touch with your inner artist:
Watercolor
I know, this totally brings you all back to elementary school arts and crafts, but trust me, watercolor is a super simple way to express yourself. All you need are some watercolor paints, water, a brush, and any kind of watercolor-compatible paper or canvas. The reason I bring up watercolor is its ability to look really cool with what seems like very simple work. I am by no means discrediting the work of professional watercolorists, but the colors, textures, and shapes amateurs can make are, in my eyes, just beautiful and fun. Try your hand at mixing colors on your canvas that you don’t usually pair together. Paint your entire background and add some pen or pencil lines on top to create some dimension. Watercolor is a great way to let loose and simply create something easy and beautiful that you can be proud of afterward.
Haiku
If painting isn’t really your style, why not try writing? Haikus are a simple structured form of poetry perfect for anyone who is interested in taking up poetry. All you need is a pen and paper and you can start writing your five-syllable, seven-syllable, five-syllable poems. Haikus originate in Japan and traditionally focus on the natural world. Things like trees, seasons, lakes and ponds, animals, and people are all important subjects in the field of Haiku. They are also used in a religious context, so please try your best not to be blasphemous in your writing. Need inspiration? Go for a walk! Write something simple about what you see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. Haikus are an easy way to create some beautiful writing about the world around us.
Still-Life
The last medium I’ll be discussing is photography. These days, anyone with a smartphone can become a photographer. It’s super easy to take a good photo, but there are a couple of ways you can really elevate this from a simple pastime to a full-fledged hobby. One way is through still-life photography. Still-life spans from landscape photography all the way to macro photography. But its main focus is on the inanimate and breathing life into those objects or locations. The most prominent example is probably that bowl of fruit sitting on a table you’ve seen in many paintings and photos. All you need is a camera and any object you want to take a photo of. Position the object in a nice place, make sure the lighting is to your liking, and snap a couple of shots! Then you can even go further and edit the photo to your liking, playing with the exposure, contrast, and brightness. After you’ve finished, you should have a wonderful photo you can truly be proud of and all it took was taking a couple of photos.
Overall, creativity is something everyone should explore at some point or another. And now you have some ideas to get started. Happy creating!
