I know what you’re thinking. How can caulking a bathtub help with creativity in writing? Or anything else, for that matter?
Well, maybe silicone isn’t your jam, but all sorts of DIY projects tap into the artist part of your brain and get the juices flowing and spark creativity in your writing and your life in general.
If you frowned at the word “artist”, this could be news to you. If you’re a writer, you’re also an artist. You’re using that same part of your brain, painting pictures and invoking feelings with words instead of images.
Luckily, this means doing artsy things can help inspire you and knock down any blocks by changing your perspective. It forces your brain to think abstractly and analytically, which helps bring creativity to writing or whatever other creative passion you pursue.
Understand, brains are lazy. Once a neural pathway is created, the brain will want to use that same pathway instead of building a new one. Creating something in a new way drives the brain to make new pathways, which broadens your mind. Your brain might resist, but forge ahead!
The more experiences you have, especially involving artsy things, the more your creativity in writing and other pursuits will grow. Ideas will start to flow. Before you know it, your creativity fountain will be on full blast.
Now I’m not saying to go out and buy the whole Bob Ross painting pack. Don’t worry, we’re talking about home improvement DIY projects here. You can spark creativity and make your working environment your muse at the same time.
Use Color Theory to Spark Creativity Every Time You Walk into a Room
Did you know color can change how you feel? It communicates with you, and you might not even realize it.
This is why we associate certain colors with specific things. Green often makes you think of the outdoors, nature, and freshness. Yellow is associated with going fast, caution, or urgency. That’s why it’s featured in many fast-food restaurant logos.
But for writers, we want to go after blue.
Blue, which can be used in hundreds of shades, brings feelings of calm, inspiration, and productivity. When you’re in a relaxed inspired state, it can kick off that spark of creativity in writing or whatever project you’re working on.
To get this spark of creativity again and again, try painting the walls of your workspace a more creativity-friendly color. If blue doesn’t sound appealing, green is the second best to promote creative flow due to its natural connection.
You can think outside of the box too. Paint your kitchen cupboards. Paint your front door. Forget sparking your creativity, let’s build a bonfire!
If you’re hesitant to paint a permanent fixture, or you’re renting and simply can’t, don’t fret. You can use these colors to accent your room with furniture, window dressing, or workspace tools. You can get sets of office supplies in just about any color. Or find a rug with a fun pattern in blue or green.
Once these colors are prominent in your home or writing space, the creativity for your writing will get a little power up every time you walk through the room.
But what if your space is already threaded with blue, or you don’t want to change color?
Freshen Up Your House with New Trim to Inspire Creativity in Your Writing
It may seem odd, but DIY projects with trim are great for sparking creativity in your writing. Trim can drastically change the feel of our house much more than you’d expect, and bring in a touch of class.
Remember that bonfire I was talking about? Using trim to spark your creativity will definitely grow it into a roaring fire. You know, because the trim is made of wood…
Okay, no more dad jokes.
If you don’t already have baseboards or molding, they can really elevate the appearance of the home and make you feel like you’re living in a fancy mansion. There are tons of different styles when it comes to trim. You can even mix and match different millwork or order custom pieces online.
If you already have baseboards or molding in your house that you love, there are a few other directions you can go with this project.
Take a look at your windows. Do they have any trim around them? If they don’t, take this opportunity to elevate their appearance. Outline the window. Replace the window ledge with something new. Or do both!
Do your windows already look great? What about your doors?
If you have flat interior doors with no flair, add trim to them. Laying out thin bits of trim in different designs across a flat door can really enhance the wow factor of your house. You can add a geometric pattern, rectangles, or diagonal lines all the way across. There are great ideas for fun door designs on Pinterest or Google if you have trouble deciding.
The walls are painted. The trim is up. But the space is still feeling dull.
My advice is to try adding wainscoting to bring more interest to the walls. If you’re unfamiliar, wainscoting is like a protective barrier for the lower third of your wall. You see it a lot in older homes, as this was their way of defending against wear on the wall itself.
But it’s also really pretty.
And easy to do with, you guessed it, trim. You should definitely remember the measure twice cut once rule here though. Each piece needs to fit together like a glove.
Once you’ve finished, your home will feel so much fresher and more vibrant, even with a small change like adding baseboards. This facelift will help clear your mind, giving room for your creativity to grow and infusing that creativity into your writing.
You may feel skeptical since trim isn’t directly proven to spark creativity like the color blue. But that’s okay. The point here is you’re creating something, building those new neural pathways, and making your home beautiful in the process.
Trust me, it will still get things moving. You’ll find more creativity in your writing than ever before.
Overwhelmed? Visit Other DIY Projects That Are Less Intense
Changing things in your home can be a big undertaking, so start with smaller projects if you need to. Here are a few ideas to try.
Create an epic picture wall. Buy frames new, or scrounge up discounted ones at Goodwill. Mix the pictures with other hung items like mirrors or shelves with tiny knick-knacks for a dramatic flair.
Paint a piece of furniture instead of a wall, like a dresser or a side table. If you prefer something more natural, there is a range of beautiful stains you can use that will pull out the detail of the wood grain. They even come in colors like blue and green.
Or just rearrange your furniture to bring a new flow to the room.
You can start anywhere but make sure you do start!
Build those new neural pathways, and you’ll find creativity in your writing comes easier than you ever thought possible. And, if you make DIY home improvements a habit, you’ll never be short of inspiration.
But before you get on that DIY train and spend all your money at Home Depot, you need a game plan.
Always Start Your DIY Project with A Plan
I know you’re excited to jump into the fun part, but when doing a home improvement DIY project it’s vital to start with some sort of outline.
Your writer's brain might scoff and say you don’t need one, but ignore that. You need to take the goal of sparking creativity in your writing and plot out the steps on how to get there.
Depending on the DIY project, you might need to take measurements, look into what materials you need, or watch an instructional video. At the bare minimum, you should…
Sketch out the idea or write down a plan - There are no extra points for how well you can sketch. This is just for you, to get a rough idea of what you’ll be doing for your DIY project. No one else has to see it so don’t feel self-conscious.
If you don’t want to draw, “sketch” with words. Write down a detailed description of what you plan to do. Just writing this outline could ignite a creative spark.
Do your research - With all knowledge at your fingertips, you have no excuse to skip this step.
If you need a place to start, check out YouTube for great how-to videos. Or Google your project and look for articles from trusted names like This Old House. They have great articles that not only have how-to instructions for DIY projects, but informative and interesting content that might give some ideas to infuse creativity in your writing.
Collect Your Materials - Make sure you know exactly what steps to follow for your DIY project, and what materials you will need.
Some materials can get very specific. For example, not all paint is created equal. Sometimes you need primer too, but it can also already be mixed into the paint. And only certain types of paint can be used on some surfaces.
Once you know the procedure and the necessary DIY project materials, make a detailed shopping list and take a trip to the home improvement store.
Make sure to measure twice and cut once - Now that you have all of your materials and you’re ready to begin, remember this DIY project golden rule. Measure twice and cut once.
As someone who replaced her front door frame after three failed attempts and several unplanned trips to Home Depot, I can vouch for this being super important. It saves both time and money.
If you get hung up on any of these steps, help is out there. When you’re unsure about what kind of materials you need or the technique you’re trying, don’t be afraid to ask. The folks working at home improvement stores are very knowledgeable and can point you in the right direction for your unique DIY project.
Now that you’ve got a handle on sparking creativity in your writing, it’s time to focus on the business side of things. Have you heard that Moss Storytelling Agency is now writing in the Home Improvement space? But don’t worry, I’ll still be working on some projects with writers like you. Once you have your arsenal of matches set up for creative sparks, I’ll help with the rest. Get inspired with some excellent professional guidance here.