Lately, Carey Fitzhugh has been quietly making waves in the creative coaching industry, with her relentless positivity and easy to apply life hacks. We caught up with her to find out her best tips for keeping our creative brains engaged, regardless of whether it’s our main job, side hustle or self-care practice…
During the events of 2020 many of us turned to crafting, making, writing and countless other creative endeavours in order to help manage our mental health and wellbeing. As our gyms closed and our social calendars were binned, we needed something to fill our time and to give us some much-needed respite from the news, homeschooling, zoom quizzes and – let’s be honest – wine.
It may be one of the few benefits of the last year because engaging with creativity on a regular basis not only improves mood and overall wellbeing but also helps build confidence, resilience and self-esteem.
But as life gears back up, and the “new normal” starts to feel a bit more like the old normal, many of us, have started to see our creative practice take the backseat. So, I am here to give you a helping hand to help keep you on track so that you can keep reaping the wonderful benefits of your creative journey.
My top tip for cultivating a creativity practice? Treat it like your favourite house plant.
What do creativity and houseplants have in common? Well, sales of crafting and art materials went up last year, as did the sales of our favourite leafy green friends. But aside from that, one of the key things these two wellbeing boosters have in common is that they essentially need the same things to flourish.
Just as your bestie houseplant will need space, time, water and light to grow big and beautiful, so does your creativity.
Let me explain
Space
Just like your house plant needs space to grow it is important that you create space for your creative practice. Book time in your diary with yourself like you would a meeting, yoga class or dinner date. Honour it.
Time
You don’t buy your little green friend and expect it to flourish to its full capacity after only a day or two right? It’s the same with your creativity, you have to give it time to unfold and take shape. My top tip is to focus on minutes here, if you commit to sitting down and writing, sketching, knitting etc for just 5 minutes you are more likely to stay and sit for an hour.
Water
Feed your creativity like you would your beautiful Monstera or Anthurium. Seek out inspiration. Drink up art galleries, read articles, walk around and explore a new neighbourhood, pop into that interesting book shop you’ve had your eye on, rummage around a charity shop, join a new club. Soak up new experiences and invigorate your senses.
Light
Just as you spend time looking for the perfect spot in your house, with just the right amount of light. Your creativity needs a little light touch too. Don’t take it too seriously, don’t get caught up in comparing yourself to others. Find the light, enjoy it, have fun.
Follow these simple steps and I promise your creative journey won’t get lost in the hubbub of life as we step into the *gulp* new normal.
If you like this article and would like to find out more, check out Carey’s website and blog over at www.withcarecoaching.com
