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My name is Ike. I am a writer. I drink way too much herbal tea and believe in the power of kindness, love and a good book.

I blog about Relationships, God and Style!

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7 days = Creativity

It's easy for creativity to take a backseat when you're killing it at your demanding job, keeping your home running smoothly and maintaining rockstar relationships with your BFFs and your family. Sure, Pinterest is filled with millions of really cool ideas, but with work deadlines and a to-do list that's a mile long, actually tapping into that creativity can feel harder than ever.

This post is inspired by Brit and Co's #iamcreative initiative. I think they just broke my excitement scale.

Next week is my creativity week. I will be taking 7 days out to create something unique, never mind unsightly, at least it would be all me. I plan to do this activity for at least an hour everyday starting Monday. I have a pack of paint brushes that I use as accent decor, I guess it's time to put them to work. I also might try to bake something or make a drawing of some sort. Whatever it is, it's going to be thoroughly exciting and i can't wait to show it to you. No judgement, remember! Safe space and all. Lol.

Some creativity tips i'll be working with include:

Know thyself, Ike: Clearly there will be no creating before 6am as it is widely known that i am not a morning person and do not like to be spoken to before the hour of 9.

Habits, Chores: I have to make sure all my chores are done the night before. I don't think Picasso woke up to a sink full of dishes and was bursting with inspiration and enthusiasm.

Ignore social media, just a little bit: I'm going to be a little behind on the memes and trends. Please, please tag me in all of them, I'll catch up during the weekend.

Read on new creative project: YouTube it, that's creativity heaven. 

Exercise everyday and stay still: Exercise and moments of silence are awesome for creativity, though on opposite sides of the spectrum. The shower is known for crazy epiphanies and inspiration too. However, I will not be exercising in the shower in an attempt to kill two birds with one stone, although the thought has crossed my mind.

Show at least one person your work, artists do not like to show people what they've done but your work is all you! Plus you get better everyday. By day 7, you actually might consider a career change. 

Would you like to get in on this challenge? .......unleash your inner creator? Here are some ideas of stuff to create and activities to engage in:

  • An entirely new dish with strange ingredients
  • A painting you'd be proud to hang on your wall or give to the president, either works, no pressure
  • Photoshop editing, you could download a trial and watch what you can do to a picture of your ex! No, not that one, the other one, the awful one with nose hair! I'm kidding, no meaness. Try editing one of you favorite photos. Watch YouTube videos to help breeze through.
  • Knit something burgundy, color of the season and rightly so! 
  • Write something, anything; an experience, a story, a recipe, anything.
  • Bake something you'd usually buy.
  • If knitting and cooking is too Stepford-wives for you, there's also graffiti, murals, ceiling work(MichaelAngelo style), sewing(Stepford again), sewing with leather and metal, designing, dress-making for dolls (I used to be a pro!), carving, sculpturing, web designing. There's just so much to do.

Art and creativity is renown for improving and maintaining health. If you are stressed and having a tough week, well, art and creativity is exactly the pill you need to pop. It's wonderful, feeling proud about something you have made with your hands or mind. When you get discouraged, think out loud to yourself "God is the great creator, and guess who was made in his image." Wink.

What are you going to create?  

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