5 Ways I am Cultivating Creativity in 2020
Happy New Year! Something that has been on my mind (and heart!) quite a bit at the beginning of this new year is creativity and how to cultivate that more in the coming weeks and months. I started this blog as a freshman in college (read the story of my “non-traditional” college path here) while I was lacking a creative challenge in school, and I strongly desired a space to put my creative energy into. I am so thankful for the unexpected journey this blog has taken me on, but something I never want to lose sight of is the creativity, exhibited in many forms, that I originally set out to share in this space.
Over the past few years of blogging and turning this platform into a career, this blog has molded and grown with me. And I am so thankful that this is a platform that welcomes that- progress, change, and growth. Throughout the past few years, I have shared a variety of things I love- fashion illustrations, fashion designs, polo photography, shopping finds, travel recommendations, styling advice, personal stories, and more. Through all of these creative explorations, I have learned and grown more than I can ever express in words. This blog has been a space that constantly challenges and excites me in new ways day after day.
However, I think somewhere over the past few years of creating content for my blog, I began believing that I needed to limit myself and the types of content I was sharing. I think I believed people would never understand (or maybe the same audience wouldn’t be interested in) all of the things I loved and wanted to share. Which I know may sound silly, but I didn’t think the same person that wanted to shop my outfit would also want to see something I drew/ painted. Or that the person who was looking to my blog for style advice would also appreciate a photo I took of something other than an outfit.
I think I felt in order to grow this platform, I needed to focus on just one of these verticals or loves of mine. So over the past few years, I have mainly focused in on sharing “shop-able” fashion/styling and travel posts. I do believe focusing in on this one area has very much helped me grow and get to the place I am with my business today, but I am missing a bit of the creativity with which this blog originally began and hope to infuse it into my blog once again.
I don’t want to lost sight of my story and sharing my love for creativity in all its many different forms (art, photography, design, styling, etc). In 2020, I am hoping to bring more time for creativity back into my daily life and hopefully onto the blog too.
In a time and space where we are bombarded with a rush of images and information all day long, I think it can be challenging to take the time to slow down and appreciate and explore creativity. Somewhere over the past few years I heard someone say that our culture (or really just our phones and attachment to technology) no longer allows us to be bored anymore- and some of the most wonderful creative works or thoughts are born out of boredom. We need that space to dream and explore more.
My goal over the coming months is to purposefully cultivate creativity in my daily life- taking the time to draw the dress or picture I can’t get out of my head, read a chapter out of my newest book find, or go out to take pictures just for fun without the pressure of a contract or mandatory posting date attached. I am also looking forward to a specific event/conference coming up that always, always breathes creativity, new ideas, and more inspiration into my life: The Southern C Summit (read more below)!
Below I am outlining 5 ways I am really hoping to cultivate creativity over the coming months, and I hope you will join me!
5 Ways I am Cultivating Creativity in 2020
1. Setting aside time to draw, paint, and sew.
These are a few of the things that excite me most, and I hope this is a year that I bring all of these hobbies and loves back into my daily life. I have let my sketchbook sit on the corner of my desk for too long, my sewing machine has collected too much dust, and I can’t even tell you the last time I picked up a paintbrush. It’s been too long. I would love to spend an hour minimum drawing, painting, or sewing each day, but that isn’t quite realistic for me at the moment. My goal is to start setting aside a couple hours a week, likely either on Saturday or Sunday, to focus on one or all of these things! I would love to share more art and original designs here again.
2. Attending The Southern C Summit
My most favorite conference of the year is right around the corner and I can hardly wait for all that is in store for this year’s TSC Summit taking place February 5-7 in Sea Island, Georgia. I have talked about this conference many times on my blog before (see here or the widget below for all my past posts), and this will be my 4th year attending! I believe TSC Summit has had the single biggest impact on my career over the past four years- through education, partnerships, and just pure encouragement. I cannot begin to express how thankful I am for this community of creatives and entrepreneurs that feel like family. I always come home from TSC Summit with a journal full of notes and bursting with ideas as well as tangible/actionable steps for growing my business. If you are interested in learning more or attending this year’s conference, get all the details here! I would LOVE to see you there!
Read More Posts from TSC Summit 2017, 2018, and 2019:
3. Taking photos - just for fun.
One of my goals this year is to get out and take more photos just for fun- whether it be a sunset, flowers, a beautiful building, or polo ponies. I still cannot believe I get to call Palm Beach, Florida home (read more here)- the beauty of this city is endless, and I really want to explore/ shoot more while I am here! When shooting outfit photos or working on specific posts for my blog/IG, photography can feel a little more restricted. Lately, I have been challenging myself to get out around sunset and shoot by the water and around town (with no intention to post anywhere). It is so refreshing, and I hope to do a lot more of that over the coming months!
4. Diving into a new reading list.
Is there anything better than a fresh stack of books waiting to be read?! Last week I went down a rabbit hole- exploring Jordan Raynor’s reading recommendations on Instagram, which led me to purchasing about 8 new books on Amazon. I read Jordan’s book Called to Create last fall, and I love the perspective he shares on faith and Creativity. Linking a few of the new books, several involve the ideas of creativity and faith, on my reading list below! Fun fact: Lydia Fenet, the author the pink/red book above, is speaking again at this year’s TSC Summit- so excited to learn more from her!
Books on My List:
5. Saving more images that spark something on IG
Lately I have been making an active effort to use the “save” feature on Instagram to collect more of the images and ideas I love. A quick glance at my saved images usually re-inspires me and gives me vision for where I want to take my brand and all these creative endeavors in the future!
SHOP