5 Tips to Start Creative Habits While Working Full-time
Have you ever felt that you lost a bit of your creative side? Whether it’s lost to parenthood or to career, somewhere along the way, you stopped giving yourself permission to experiment with the spontaneous and inventive side of you while you’re working full-time.
It probably has more to do with turning 40 than being in a mid-career crisis, but I suddenly feel an awakening to re-engage in writing, art, fashion and food. My work has been my identity for so long, and my pragmatic, analytical tendencies drowned out any inkling of creativity years ago. This may be particularly challenging for physicians, which was so eloquently discussed by Dr. Claire Unis here on this KevinMD podcast.
Pay attention to what you’re consuming
This article about finding a creative hobby was so helpful in opening my mind to the idea that a creative side of me may need nurturing. Ask yourself, what am I consuming on social media? Perhaps for you, this is reading fiction, drawing, pottery, cooking or home decorating. It also be writing, making videos or photography. It may be taking more regular trips to the museum or browsing boutiques or thrift stores for inspiration. Anything that infuses a spark of energy and joy, like a long-forgotten secret stash of chocolate. I suddenly feel more ME when I engage in these activities and use this dormant part of my brain.
Travel back in time
What types of activities did you gravitate toward as a toddler, a child? A teenager? When you were in college? What did you excel at? If I look back, I can see common threads of creative pursuits dating back to elementary school, in various permeations.
A series of small experiments
Next is to treat this like a series of small experiments. We are not looking for life-changing success, but just to test and discover. Will I like it? Is it feasible to incorporate into my life? Am I still good at it? Dip your toe in. We don’t have to make a big project of it. Spend 15 minutes a night painting or reading. Commit to going to the museum twice a month. Take a pottery class. Then think about how these new experiences made you feel. Are these experiences worth adopting into habits? Or did the experiment fail and you want to abandon this particular pursuit? Or more likely, there was something enticing about it, but you will tweak it a bit to better fit your current lifestyle and schedule.
Mindset change
How could I cultivate habits and goals for these hobbies? Is it worth the time when the world is a chaotic mess right now? Try this: ask yourself, does this new effort energize you or drain you? This provides almost instant clarity when I am feeling wiped at the end of the day. It is not about whether this will be productive in the traditional sense but whether this feeds your soul and reaffirms who you are at your core.
Right now, I have no goal other than to have a positive creative outlet and minimize rumination on the less than ideal aspects of work life. While writing has certainly been an outlet for daily frustrations, it also has been therapeutic in helping to shift my identity from solely physician and mother, to something that is uniquely me. And that is priceless.
Change of habits
To set yourself up for success, I suggest not only setting aside time, but setting aside space. I am decluttering my physical space (and in so doing, also my mind) and redecorating for a more calming abode. I am writing every evening- both to detangle my thoughts about this physician mom life and career direction and ways to grow joy and intention in my home life, but also to explore narrative and creative writing. I cleaned up a large arm chair next to my bed which was buried under clothes, and now use this as a reading/writing nook. I plan to re-read A Half-baked Idea by Olivia Potts, which was an early inspiration to return to writing and indulge in creative ventures.
Where will these habits, these small incremental experiments take you? I hope these tips for starting creative habits, even while working full-time, will nudge you to take these next steps.
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