My creative intentions for 2025. Write, read and paint. Plus a few more.

My grandmothers, who were very different but very practical women, made incredibly beautiful things like music, art, gardens and food. Pleasures that brought them fulfilment and joy. My maternal grandmother was a talented choir director, singer, and painter. My paternal grandmother was a wonderful cook and a passionate gardener of both vegetables and flowers. My mom is a painter, a choir member, a knitter, among other things. My dad is a woodworker. My sister is an art teacher and painter. My brother is also a woodworker and gardener.

You could say that I come by the need to be creative naturally. But the truth is, we all carry creative intentions within us. It is a part of us. We either tap into it or we deny it. And I don’t think it’s a stretch to say tapping into your creative interests is very therapeutic. Like exercise, our creative pursuits are a tool we can tap into to improve our mental health. I think we need to talk more about creativity and its benefits.

I checked the calendar and apparently It’s January 13th. We are entering this new year’s third week. The world seems to be in turmoil. We’re stressed, and more. But tapping into our creativity is a way to express emotions that are often bottled up or suppressed. Creating something is a way to release those emotions by giving us a nonverbal way to process those thoughts. Now seems like an excellent time to lean in because these days I’m having all the thoughts all the time.

My 5 Things to Remember About Creativity (from an amateur with no professional qualifications whatsoever)

You don’t have to be ‘naturally good’ at something to try it. It’s not a competition. It’s not a race. It’s not about perfection. Allow yourself to be imperfect. Allow yourself to try. And to quit.

Seek out inspiration. From art galleries. From documentaries. From books. From nature. Honestly, I get a lot of ideas from scoping out crafts for kids. Go to your local library. Follow artists on social media. Take a class. Listen to a podcast.

Put down your phone. I know. I get it. I spend too much time on my phone too. It’s easy. The pretty aesthetics. The funny memes. The inspirational reels. The entertaining viral videos. The recipes! I read something recently about letting ourselves get bored. Turns out that boredom leads to increased creativity, among other positive things.

It doesn’t have to be a big something. It can be a small. It can be a 3 x 3 inch square of paper and BIC pen and a quick doodle. It can be a seed you plant in a tiny pot. It can be writing a haiku. It can be a pot of soup. Or an apple pie. It can be learning cursive writing (for the young ones out there). It can be origami. (This is what I’m doing right now. To understand how it’s going, see No. 1.)

Realizing that being a perfectionist is not a good thing. Let go of harsh self judgements. Kick those impossibly high expectations to the curb. It’s not that easy, believe me, I know. But it can be a work in progress. Give yourself some grace. You don’t need to be perfect at something to reap the benefits of doing it.

I hope every one of you have some kind of creative project on the go. Or are at least thinking of something you want to try this year. If that is the case, I hope you give that thing a go. Or that you do more of the ones that bring you joy.

Until next time…

Do you have any creative things you want to try? Are thinking of trying? Or have already started? Let me know.