Create - Collaborative Post
As an adult and a parent, we tend to revolve creative activities around our little ones. They spend hours having fun with all sorts of different creative mediums, expressing themselves, presenting their own version of what they’ve seen each day and simply experimenting with colours, textures and different art processes. But have you ever considered that you can get creative more often too? It’s a shame that the vast majority of adults are generally preoccupied with practical ventures and that many don't even consider trying their hand at creative activities, which can be a great stress reliever and help greatly to improve mental health. There’s a misconception that you can only engage with these activities if you’re good enough to be professional and make it your career, but that's not true. As much as it's good for the kids to get messy, experiment and create, it is for us too. Arts, crafts and other creative ventures can all be simple, enjoyable past times that brings you joy. So, here are a few different projects you might want to try out to explore your creative side a little more...
Simple Arts and Crafts
Simple arts and crafts projects are ideal for passing the time and relaxing. They don’t require too much concentration once you’ve got the hang of them and they can prove extremely rewarding when you start to develop skill in the area. There are plenty of options out there that you may find enjoyable and you can start with things you all ready have laying around at home. Painting by numbers (there are complex versions for adults out there!), embroidery, macrame, kits from places like vizuarts.com, felting, knitting… the list goes on. All are comforting, rewarding and you may find that you’re actually pretty good at them! Once you’ve got the right materials for whichever you want to try out, there are also often online tutorials that will help you to get to grips with the basics, so if you have no clue where to begin, don't be put off.
Writing
Many of us have felt we’ve had a good idea for a book at some point or another. But how many of us actually pick up the pen (or our keyboards) and have a go at crafting our visions into written reality? Not all of us are going to write the next best selling novel, but writing can be a great outlet and is something that many of us can try our hand at. You might want to start out simply - journaling, writing snippets of ideas or other small writing activities, or even start a blog. You could start writing short stories, try a novel, a play or a screenplay. You may want to write some journalistic pieces, studies or academic-style journal entries. There are so many options out there that there’s bound to be a type of writing that will suit your interests and your style. If there isn’t, create your own! The written world really is your oyster and you could even get paid for writing one day.
There's plenty of creative crafts that you might want to try your hand at, so it's well worth doing a little research for some ideas. You could even think of something you need for your house, some up-cycled furniture, a wall mural and create it yourself. There is no better time than right now to get started, with many of us confined to our homes and seeking ways to occupy ourselves. You could keep these projects to yourself, you could get friends involved virtually, or you can even work alongside your little ones!