Jumpstart your inner artist this year with creative play time. Designate a location and a time every day to explore some of the following activities. The object is to have fun…no expectations for a masterpiece…simply make a mess and enjoy the process!

Designate a creative workspace where you can leave your art supplies visible and ready for action. Gather your favorite coffee mug and add a vase of fresh flowers or a beautiful plant. Set a timer for a minimum of 15 minutes and play!

Treat yourself to a new box of crayons and color like a kid!

 Visit the library and peruse the hobby section of books. Choose books that are outside your normal “creative wheelhouse”.  

Cut random shapes out of colored paper and arrange them in different patterns

Visit an art museum that is new to you and observe the work up close and from a distance. Note the color mixtures and brush strokes.

Spend Sunday afternoon watching “doodling” videos on Youtube. I particularly enjoyed this one with watercolors.

Go for a walk and take pictures of things at a micro level…look closely at the shapes and patterns in the objects. Draw those shapes.

Dust off your sewing machine and make an improv quilt square or sew on an unusual item like paper. Sewing on greeting cards is a wonderful way to make unique gifts…think Valentines Day!

Collect objects from nature and try to capture the color palette in a medium of your choice…think watercolors, colored pencils, acrylics, oil paints, crayons, or markers. This is a great exercise in color blending!

Buy a paint by number kit and enjoy this organized process and style of painting. It’s a stress free creative exercise that is also relaxing!

Choose a color that you enjoy and photography everything you see in that color…do this for one day…one week…one month. Make a collage of your images.

Learn a new embroidery stitch and repeat it many times to fill a small square of cloth.

Finger paint! Feel the paint on your fingers and enjoy creating like a kid!

Browse the aisles of a home improvement or hardware store. Can you find inspiration in colored rope or the shapes in a bin of bolts?

Take an online drawing or sketchbook class

Play with maps. Use them as a background for highlighters. Trace the topography lines with different colors or cut them into shapes like mountains, tents, hiking boots, campfire, flowers…etc. Make a new map with these shapes.

Dissect something from the garden. Wash the dirt away and observe the colors and shapes. Seed pods and bulbs are a good place to start.

Study textile designs from another country.

Spend a few minutes in the paint sample section of a home improvement store and select a crazy color palette that is bolder than you would normally choose. Take the color swatches and hang them in our workspace.

Play with food and flowers. Arrange them in patterns just for fun. Can you make a flower with corn chips and pretzels? The possibilities are endless! Permission to Play with your Food granted!

I hope your year is full of creative discoveries! Let me know what inspires your creative play time in the comments below!