5 Creative Habits to Succeed in 2022
Image created by Nathan Dumlao - https://unsplash.com/@nate_dumlao
Hey folks - welcome to my first blog of the year.
It might sound counter-intuitive, but routine is king when it comes to creativity (for me). I’ve worked as an Art Director for more than 12 years and when I follow my routines to the letter, I tend to come up with my best ideas. I also love New Years Resolutions. My wife and I have been together for 14 years and for more than 10 of these, we have written down resolutions every year. We don’t always stick to them, but we now have 10 years of memories of what was important to us at the time. It serves as a lovely way to spend New Year’s, as we’re not big fans of the more traditional drinks and partying. So, I thought I’d write a quick blog about how I’m planning to spend 2022, the habits and routines I’m carrying forward, and how I believe these will impact my creativity in 2022.
Number 1 - Read Every Day
I already read a lot in a year, so my goal isn’t to necessarily read too many more books than usual. Instead, I want to focus on reading or listening to a wider range of topics. I also think that reading and listening to books are equally valid; sometimes a book is made even better by an incredible narrator. In 2021 I read a lot of books about anthropology, and this had a massive impact on me. At school, I wasn’t interested in subjects like History, but it just goes to show that sometimes this is to do with the teacher and teaching style. Since reading more about the history of humans, I’ve picked up two or three other books around the same subject matter. I’d always encourage people to read different things, it might just open up a whole new fascination around a topic you would never have previously considered. When it comes to creativity, the added value is thinking outside-of-the-box, so reading about things that you have preconceptions about, can be a great way to open your mind to new ideas.
Books I read last year that I would seriously recommend to anyone, include:
What the Dog Saw - Malcolm Gladwell
Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari
Left You Dead - Part of the Roy Grace Series - Peter James
The Horizon - Part of the Arisen series - Michael Steven Fuchs and Glynn James
Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker
Number 2 - Stick to the Morning Routine
This one is a few habits in one, but they all fit together for me. I begin every working day the same way. Now, I have to be honest that I’ve only been doing this for the last 5 months, but it has been a brilliant way to start the day, whilst also allowing me to read a lot of great books. I start my day by getting up at 6.45/7am for a shower. It sounds simple, but sticking to this every day during the week, means that you have the same amount of time for yourself each morning. After a shower, I do one of two things. I either make a coffee, or I walk the dog for 30 minutes. After walking Pip, I will still continue the routine as planned with a lovely homemade coffee.
The coffee is not just a basic one. I take time to make a really nice brew from my Nespresso machine. I also pop a teaspoon of Italian dark chocolate in the cup, stirring, then topping it off with my faithful Barista Oat Milk. Curse me if you want, but starting each day with a Mocha is an incredible part of my day. After I finish making my coffee I move through to the living room. I set my Sonos to the Chilled Classical playlist, dim the lights slightly and get sat in my armchair around 7.45/8am. I start work at 9am, so I use this hour to read. It has become my favourite part of the morning, and I believe it has a huge impact on my creativity.
Prior to this habit, I would often start work earlier, getting lost in admin and emails. Since making the change, I’ve found that I take my time to ease into the day, beginning at 9am full of ideas and energy for the day ahead. It’s important to say that this routine is also helped by the change to working from home. I currently have no commute, so I may have to adapt the structure of my routines in the near future. Fingers crossed I can still stick to the habits without changing the structure of them too drastically. I’ll report back in 2023 :)
Number 3 - Go Outside Every Day for a Walk
It sounds like an incredibly obvious idea, but getting outside (even when it’s raining) every day is the single best thing you can do to help your creativity. It’s the perfect time to get away from a creative problem, while your subconscious does the heavy lifting. I cannot tell you how many times I leave my house for a 20-minute walk stuck and frustrated about work, to return with a solution. I never miss a day of walking (having a dog helps), and I wouldn’t be the creative I am without this core habit in my life. Living in Edinburgh means I have a plethora of options at my disposal, I really am spoilt for choice.
Number 4 - Doodle
Again, this one might seem a little obvious for someone like me who works as an Art Director and an Illustrator, but it might surprise you to know that I often forget to do this. When you work as an Illustrator, you’re often drawing other people’s stuff, so it can be hard to remember to just sit and draw your own thing. I try to take a night where I have ample free time, we all have them. Those nights where you’re able to somehow watch 3 hour-long episodes of something. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I try to take 1 night during the week to sit and draw. I never start with a plan, I just draw whatever comes first. For me, this is usually old faithful things like shapes, line practice and of course Pokemon (cause they’re great!).
Number 5 - Always Be Learning
So, this one is a broad one, but I like to make sure I pick up a new skill every year. This can be a little or large learning, but the point is to try. Going back to my earlier comments on reading different genres, I think it’s the act of learning new things that is important, not necessarily the mastery of them. An example of what I mean is a few years ago when I attempted to learn Italian, along with my wife and sister-in-law. Did I master Italian? Certainly not! But the act of attempting to learn something new made me better creatively across the board. Learning new things helps you connect different parts of your brain, in the same ways that reading about illustrators and designers can help you to connect and build ideas. My plan this year is to get into regular swimming a few times a week. It might sound like a curveball, but the mindfulness, routine and strengthening that come from this, will help me to be creative, as my mind will be clear and ready for the day.
Overview of my Habits for 2022
1. Read Every Day
2. Stick to my Morning Routine
3. Walk Every Day
4. Doodle
5. Always Be Learning
These habits aren’t a list that is right for everyone. They will help with your creativity, but they might not fit your life. It’s important to treat this blog as a list of ideas to help you come up with ideas. This is a complicated process, but the best place to start is to look at the parts of your life where you have some free time. I’m lucky not to have any children or dependents that rely on my time other than my wife and Pip. So, it is far easier for me to create pockets of time to work on positive habits. But, even if you don’t have a lot of time, I encourage you to look at the habits you already have and see if there are any moments in your life where you could create some space. If you’re able to, you won’t regret it. Start small, but be consistent.
Anyway, that’s me for today. I hope this has been helpful and provided you with some ideas to help shape better habits around creativity. If you’d like to see the kind of work I create when I’m not working agency side, then check it out here
