I think we're all feeling it... that terrible feeling of being separated from our beloved family and friends. Our daily routines have been changed and that is unsettling for some. While for others, essential workers in particular... their schedules are now suddenly amplified. They barely have time for rest. Everyone is facing different stresses and challenges at the moment. Being a creative person, I tend to dive myself into creative pursuits to stay stimulated. It also helps me with my depression and anxiety. With that having been said, I wanted to write out some ideas for you to stay creative, stimulated, relaxed and positive during these crazy times.
Photography
If you have a yard to enjoy, now is the perfect time to step outside and snap some lovely shots. Flowers, trees, clouds... nature is so beautiful. <3 Perhaps you are in home quarantine with fellow loved ones and not alone during this time... our loved ones make perfect models to practice your photography on. Our precious family fur babies also make wonderful subjects and make shooting so much fun! Make each shoot creative by creating themes and color schemes. Create lil set ups if you can with things around the house and garage. Your imagination can take these photo shoots to endless limits and are so much fun!
There are countless free photography tutorials online.
Also, models and Influencers can self shoot and tag companies along the way for exposure. It's a way to keep your feed active and draw in new clients. I've snagged up lots of new clients and some testing panels that way. If you get good enough with your photography skills, you can even start your own business as a side hustle or full time career.
Blogging/Vlogging
Perhaps you love cooking, baking, crafting, gaming, or have any knowledge and/or talent on any subject... start up a blog or Youtube channel and monetize (with Google AdSense) your knowledge and talents! Maybe you can teach someone a skill like makeup application, skating, dance, gardening or languages. Maybe you have travel experience and can provide travel tips for certain locations. You don't need the most expensive equipment to start up. There are people making videos on their phones. No tripod? Find a stack of boxes or lean your camera or phone on a table and angle it towards you. Window lighting often works wonders. No excuses! :P You can absolutely do it!
Scrapbooking (Digital and Physical)
I used to personally scrapbook back in my early 20's. I actually had both a physical scrapbook and a digital scrapbook. You can find a ton of free scrapbook backgrounds online as well as graphics for use, royalty free of course. I used to scour the clearance areas of Target, Michael's and Walmart for discounted embellishments and pages. I've found some amazing steals that way for some precious, one of a kind embellishment pieces. You can find inspiration for scrapbook pages on Pinterest as they have an endless array to suit everyone. <3 If you already have all of your photos in digital format, you'll find it a breeze for digital scrapbooking. If you have physical photos, you will need to scan your photographs. Make sure you scan them at a high resolution. There are also services online that can do that for you if you don't want to spend endless hours on scanning hundreds of photos. It's nice to be able to see your precious memories on pages that you created and decorated. What a wonderful gift or coffee table addition. Do you know the best part of digital scrapbooks? They can become physical scrapbooks by printing it. :D
Sewing, Embellishing and Tye Dye Fun
Interested in sewing and designing your own boho bags and purses? You'd be surprised the volumes of free sewing patterns you can find online. Maybe you want to alter your clothing or design your own clothes. What a fun way to open up a side/main hustle and sell your own designs or your altered designs. Maybe knitting is more your speed. Etsy is a great site for selling your handmade creations. If you like messing with colors, you'll love working with tye dye. It is also always in trend, somehow, somewhere. Whether you're dyeing crop tops or winter sweatshirts, make sure to have some color fun!! Also, wear clothing that you don't mind possibly getting dye on. <3
Puzzles & Games
Perhaps you're feeling a lil low in energy. Stress can lower our energy levels. I love to distract myself in beautiful puzzles. My favorite styles in particular are holidays, country styles and peaceful scenes. What type of puzzles do you enjoy? As far as games go, you have your choice of physical board & card games and digital video games. I enjoy both of them. Physical games are always better in power outage situations. The entire GTA series, Skyrim and The Sims are some of my ultimate personal favs!
Learn to make Jewelry
There are several methods and manners of making jewelry. There are woven style friendship bracelets, wire jewelry, string jewelry, welding metals... make sure to research the styles that you are interested in working with. This again becomes the perfect opportunity for a fun and creative hobby or a serious business if you want. :D
Brush up on Cooking & Baking
Let's face it, no one can turn down a good meal. Perhaps you're a natural in the kitchen, learned from someone great or went to culinary school. Why not teach the world your cooking/baking skills? Share your favorite recipes by creating your own Youtube videos and potentially even monetizing your channel. The world cannot have too many good recipes! lol! :P Start recording on your phone until you can get better video equipment if you want to take this to a serious level. Insert your personality and be transparent on video. It will become more comfortable the more you put yourself on video. Maybe you don't want to create videos... maybe you just want to cook and bake for the people you are isolating with. What a treasure to receive a delicious meal from someone you love. <3
Re-Decorate and/or Re-Organize Room(s) and Outdoor Spaces
I work from home and often feel the need to change up and refresh my work space. I decorate my work space for holidays just because I love to. :P There's no better feeling. A new color of paint can really change the look of a room as can just a simple fixture change. The small details add up and impact the overall space. <3 Create it! Maybe you're wanting a more lounge-worthy yard to barbecue and entertain in. Or a cute patio to have drinks and smoke on. There are many websites and apps where you can design and decorate your own virtual rooms/outdoor spaces to get ideas for your home. Again, it's about creating the environment to reflect you and make you feel relaxed and forget your stresses. <3 Maybe you need to re-finish a piece of furniture or your deck to completely bring it back to life. <3 Again, oh the exciting possibilities! :D What color schemes and styles do you adore?
Watch Movies and TV
Can't afford Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video? There are countless people not able to pay their mortgage much less an online subscription. No worries, Crackle offers free streaming television shows and movies with commercials. Watching commercials is a small price to pay for free movies and TV shows don't you think?
Read a Book, Listen to an Audio Book or Enjoy a Magazine
I hate to admit it, but I've kept a few old fashion magazines. lol :P They're great for fashion, beauty and photography inspiration. Books, I have definitely kept with gratitude and confidence! When the power goes out you can always sink yourself into a good book. Audio books are a great alternative for those whom do not like reading books or are performing a task like driving or cleaning and want to listen to the audio at the same time. Audible is awesome for audio books.
Start a Garden
Gardening is so therapeutic. Whether you just want one plant or an entire garden, you will enjoy yourself. <3 There are so much information on Youtube and Pinterest alone for gardening. The gardening layouts and tips on Pinterest are just divine! <3 There is so much to learn when it comes to gardening but it is so rewarding. <3 Imagine that exact rewarding sensation of taking a bite out of a ripe fruit from your garden... ooohhh.. how wonderful.
I hope that you are staying in and keeping everyone around you safe and into consideration. We're all waiting for this to be over. If we all do our part, we can shorten the length of this virus and get life fully moving again. <3 Be Blessed for you are Blessed. <3
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