Now, I’ll be honest here, I’m not a huge routine gal. My friends and family find this quite bizarre about me, because truthfully, I would rather jump off a cliff than do a set thing at the same time each day.

Dramatic, I know (sorry).

But, that aside, I am trying to foster a very loose ‘routine’ in the mornings. I find that when I decompress in the mornings, I generally have a more productive, creative day.

And who doesn’t want more creativity in their lives, huh?

Nurture that creativity with me, my friend! Here’s the daily habits I’m starting to implement into my daily ‘routine’.

Morning mindfulness

Starting your day with just a few minutes of mindfulness can totally clear your head and set a positive vibe for the day ahead.

(Truthfully, I’d recommend doing this even if you’re not intending on being ‘creative’ today – this practice can just lift your mood generally!)

And when I say mindfulness, I don’t necessarily mean meditation (although if that’s how you wanna do it then that’s totally cool!!)

To me, mindfulness is just taking a beat and having a moment of slowness. It’s decompressing whatever I’m feeling and allowing myself to just ‘be’, even if only for a minute.

So whether you have your morning coffee without your phone, the TV or any other distraction, or going for a brisk walk around the block, or writing down what’s on your mind, I hope you find a way that works for you!

Dedicate time to experiment

Creativity isn’t fostered in the mundane. (P.S. That’s why I hate routines, but that’s just me!)

If we do the exact same thing in the exact same way every single day, then we have absolutely no room to try anything different, explore new options and possibilities, nor experience anything new!

I encourage you to do something a bit different this week – whether you try a new hobby (hint hint: embroidery!) or you read a new book, try out a new recipe or take a different approach to a daily task; broaden your horizon and give yourself the opportunity to try something new!
 

Embrace solitude

I love being alone. Not all the time, don’t get me wrong, but I really enjoy a good ole bit of ‘me-time’.

In all honesty, I think it’s an essential part of life – I know for sure that I’m a better partner, mum, friend and daughter when I have had a little bit of time just for me.

Small pockets of solitude can foster creativity and encourage creative thinking.

Those solitary walks in nature or moments of peace with a podcast are when many of my creative ideas are born!

Allow yourself to doodle, just because

When I was in school I was an avid learner (yep, I’m talking asking for homework, I was one of those kids!). I would always pay attention and I would almost always do well in my school work.

Butttt that doesn’t mean I didn’t doodle all over my books!

Every academic planner was filled with my little doodles, inside pages of my class notebooks and sometimes even my hands (and yes they were floral doodles, surprise surprise!).

Now, I’m not encouraging you to doodle all over everything you own, but drawing for the sake of drawing – even if you’re really bad at it – can encourage spontaneity and creative thinking.

Did you know, every single one of my PDF Embroidery Patterns has started out with a doodle!

If I can do it, why can’t you? Doodle with me my friend, see what creations you come up with!

Journaling

Way back when, I used to have a bullet journal. I loved the concept of empty pages that I could fill with whatever I wanted to. Helllooooo doodles!

Having the freedom to fill each page with whatever you felt like, rather than being stuck to a rigid planner format, is the perfect way to foster a bit of creativity.

P.S. it’s also a really great way to reflect, track goals or habits, experience gratitude, memorialise your days and be mindful!

It can be so daunting in the beginning to look at an empty page, but after you’ve made those first pen marks and you let your mind go, you’d be surprised with what you can create.

Creativity is an amazing calling, and I’m a true believer that everybody has it within them to be creative in some format or another!

Stepping into reality now, that’s a lot to achieve in a day, and I’m in no way suggesting that you make time for every single new habit on this list.

But, I do encourage you to make one small change to bring you closer to having a little bit more creativity in your life!

Whether it’s journaling, solitude or enjoying your morning coffee in peace, I hope you feel inspired for the day ahead.

And, if by chance you wanted to give a new hobby a try – there is no better way to be creative than the mindful craft of embroidery.

If you want to learn but don’t know where to start, then take my super speedy quiz for a Free Embroidery Pattern for you to try it out for yourself.

Be creative with me my friend!