Staying Creative Over the Holidaze

The holidays are upon us! Tis the season for time spent with family and friends, giving more than you get, and being in good spirits. It’s also the time when your inbox, computer and television are overburdened with commercials and advertisements about savings and holiday specials! YIKES! How are you supposed to think, let alone be creative when you’ve got so much going on around you? Never fear, JWatson Creative is here!

Here are 5 Tips to Keep You Thinking Creatively Over the Holidaze:

1. Shut it Down: Let’s face it folks, whether you’re checking emails, gearing up for prime time television, or checking out the latest magazines while waiting in line, you’re guaranteed to be bombarded with holiday advertisements. Why not limit your exposure to the outside world for a bit and instead curl up with a book you’ve been wanting to read or a movie/documentary you’ve been meaning to watch?
2. Take it With You: Traveling over the holidays? No worries, you can leave your travel woes behind and escape into a world of creative inspiration by bringing along your MP3 player. Load it up with music that makes you smile and then drift off into another world. Music not only relaxes the mind and body, it also provides a great space to let your ideas flow. If you’re unable to use an MP3 player, take along some good reading instead.
3. Carry it With You: Carrying around a giant notebook full of ideas may be asking for a bit much. After all, how will you juggle that with grocery bags and gifts? But a small pad that fits into your purse or back pocket is perfect. Find inspiration on the go, whether it be by temporarily relaxing your mind, or being in the store and having something catch your eye. Write these thoughts and ideas down as quick as they come, and then lay them to rest. Later on, when things are less hectic, you can explore them further in your own time and space.
4. Go Out With It: Your house is full of relatives, there isn’t an empty room anywhere, and you’ve been entertaining guests for what seems like days! Who ate your leftover pumpkin pie?!?! Time for a break! Excuse yourself and take a drive or a walk around the neighborhood. Sometimes all you need is a moment of clarity. If you can’t find that within your current situation, excuse yourself and go out and create it!
5. Catch it on Camera: You’ve got your camera on you already because you’re tasked with taking pictures of the family and the tree and the present opening traditions. Why not have some fun with it and take some different pictures too. Perhaps play with depth, angle and point of view. Or, change the subject line. Take pictures of unique objects in the house, take pictures of people when they’re not looking or posing, take extreme close ups of items so that people can guess what they are later. The camera is the ultimate tool for being creative and exploring. You have to use it anyway, so just take it up a notch and see what you come up with.

JWatson Creative would like to wish you all a safe and happy holiday as well as a prosperous new year!