Everyone is creative, whether you’re pursuing a creative career or not. Even programmers, engineers, and accountants require creativity in their fields. However, expressing yourself doesn’t always have to allude to your job.

Here are some tips for adding creativity to your everyday life that will help bring some excitement to the mundane:

• Redecorate an area in your home: Redecorating doesn’t have to be a grand and expensive task. You can add small things like a new candle or photo frame. Maybe add a few scatter cushions here and there, or hang up that new picture you bought weeks ago. You don’t even have to buy anything new. Use your creativity and rearrange your furniture or reorganise your things. Giving your home a good spring clean will also work wonders, not just for your physical space but your mental space too.

• Try out new art hobbies: Test your creative skills by incorporating something fun into your free time. You can finally try out tie-dye, mosaic, or embroidery kits. Take up knitting or crocheting this winter and make yourself something cosy. Got a ton of old photos? Scrapbook them. Try and find a new hobby out of anything you can create. Get your friends and family involved and make it a fun afternoon.

• Try out a new recipe: Invest in a new recipe book or scour the food blogs to find exciting new dishes you can make for your household. Get baking if that’s what you prefer instead of cooking. Notably, not everyone has the time or money to cook every day, so try and make a goal for yourself to try something new at least once a week or even once a month. If you have kids, get them involved (safely), too. Most kids love being helpful, especially in the kitchen.

• Change up your daily routine: Our daily routines help us stay organised and productive, but too much of the same thing can leave us feeling like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Breaking out of our rut can be anything from trying out a new creamer in our coffee to taking a different route to and from work. If it isn’t already, make gentle exercise part of your routine. Even incorporating daily journaling and meditation can help us clear our thoughts. Find any exciting new thing to change things up a bit.

• Lean into your curiosity and explore: As children, we were endlessly curious about the world around us. That doesn’t necessarily go away when we become adults. Unfortunately, we don’t lean into that curiosity and childlike wonder enough. Take any opportunity to spend some time in nature- there is so much we can learn from plants and animals. Explore an area of town you’ve never explored before- you may find your next favourite coffee shop. Maybe even take a day trip out of town to have lunch and browse through thrift shops. Put your phone on silent, and observe everything going on around you. 

As you can see, there are plenty of ways you can incorporate creativity into your daily life. Life is so short, so why not make it an exciting one?