3. Small Starts: How to Reconnect with Your Creative Side
When you’ve been away from creativity for a long time, coming back to it can feel overwhelming. You might stare at the blank page or canvas, paralyzed by the pressure to make something “good.” Or maybe you don’t even get that far—maybe the hardest part is just believing you still can create. Here’s the truth: you don’t need to leap. You just need to begin. And often, the most powerful way to begin… is small.
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Why Small is Powerful
When we imagine starting a creative life, we tend to imagine the finished version: the gallery wall, the published book, the album release, the standing ovation. But those things are outcomes—not beginnings. And they can intimidate us right out of trying.
Starting small removes the pressure. It gives you permission to explore, to enjoy, to be messy and free.
Small is how we build trust with ourselves again.
The Gentle Way Back In
If you haven’t created in a while—or if you’ve never fully allowed yourself to—here are some easy, no-pressure ways to begin reconnecting:
1. Keep a “Creative Noticing” Journal
Each day, jot down one creative moment you notice in the world around you: a beautifully arranged fruit stand, a lyric that gave you goosebumps, the way the sky looks at sunset. You’re training your creative eye—and reminding yourself it’s still there.
2. Write for 5 Minutes with No Agenda
Open a notebook or blank document and just write. Not for an audience. Not to be impressive. Just to let your inner voice breathe.
3. Take a Daily Photo Walk
Bring your phone or camera and take a walk with the intention of capturing small, beautiful details. You’ll begin to see the world with creative attention again.
4. Create a Playlist That Reflects Your Mood
Music is an expressive tool. Build a playlist that mirrors how you feel today, or how you want to feel. This is creativity, too.
5. Try One Tiny Project You Loved as a Kid
Color. Make a collage. Fold paper. Doodle in the margins. Revisit what brought you joy when you were younger—and let it count.
You Don't Have to Be Great to Begin
One of the biggest myths is that creativity must always be productive or impressive. That if you’re not publishing, selling, or showcasing, then you’re not “really” doing it.
But creativity isn’t just for public consumption. It’s for you.
For your peace. Your healing. Your curiosity.
You don’t need a platform to be creative. You just need the willingness to show up—imperfectly, inconsistently, courageously.
Building Momentum With Kindness
When you treat your creativity with care—when you give it space, attention, and compassion—you begin to build trust with yourself. You begin to rewrite the story that says, “I missed my chance.”
Creativity isn’t something you have to earn back.
It’s something you can reclaim.
And you can do it with something as simple as one small start.
If This Resonated With You…
Try this: Choose one small creative action you can take in the next 24 hours—something playful, light, and pressure-free. (Think: write a haiku, sketch your coffee mug, hum a melody, rearrange a shelf with intention.)
Reflect on this:
What’s one creative thing I used to love doing that I haven’t let myself explore in a long time? What’s stopping me now—and what would it look like to gently begin again?
Remember, you don’t need to be ready for everything. You only need to be ready for something. Small is enough.
If you'd like a deeper dive into the power of taking small steps toward realizing your creative goals, here are some books to start you on your way:
One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer, Ph.D.
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
How To Write One Song: Loving the Things We Create and How They Love Us Back by Jeff Tweedy
Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon
Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
Freedom Seeker by Beth Kempton
Creative Calling: Establish a Daily Practice, Infuse Your World with Meaning & Succeed in Work + Life by Chase Jarvis
Creative Quest by Questlove
Coming soon - Post # 4: The Late Creatives Manifesto
