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For over a year now the UK has been under lockdown and restrictions due to the covid pandemic. Can you believe it has been that long? I don't think any of us thought that things would go on so long and be as bad as they were, I certainly didn't! During the first lockdown so many of us had so many good intentions, we exercised, ate healthier, baked and learnt new skills but as time has gone on so many of us have grown tired and uninspired. For the first time in a long-time, there is hope on the horizon with vaccines and the gradual reopening of thing's we once took for granted.
For the first time in a very long time, I actually feel inspired and I want to start being creative again. I have big plans and so many ideas in my head to start blogging properly again, to help my daughter grow her craft business Rainbows and Daydreams and to get healthier and add a bit of colour to my home (it is all grey and white at the moment). During the last few weeks of lockdown, I have been inspired to get creative again and here are 10 lockdown activities that have helped inspire creativity in me once again.
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Unicorn rainbow stacker personalised gift from Rainbows and Daydreams |
1.) Declutter / Organise / Tidy Home
As the saying goes 'Tidy House, Tidy Mind' and I totally agree with this. When the children have been home from school during lockdowns the house is chaos, no matter how much I tidy it is always a mess again. So as soon as they went back to school I started de-cluttering and tidying and I feel so much better for it. I am the queen of procrastination and I always use the house being a mess as an excuse for putting things off, well no-more as I have slowly been re-organising things around the home and putting systems in place to make our home life more harmonious.
2.) Go On Local Walks
The one thing that has kept us sane through the past year has without a doubt been going on walks around our local area with our dog Teddy. We are lucky we live near farms and a country park so we have miles and miles of fields and old waggon ways to explore. We have discovered places that we did not even know existed, we even discovered a giant spoon in a field and it has been nice getting out in the fresh air. I always think getting out on a walk clears the mind and being out in nature definitely inspires creativity.
3.) Start Crafting
I have always said I am not a crafty person but I tried it last year and actually really enjoyed it, it is calming and rewarding. Last summer my 18-year-old daughter decided to set up a little craft business and I have helped her when she is busy and it is really good getting creative. We have invested in a circuit machine and the opportunities of things you can make with that are endless. We have personalised crafts with names and wording, labelled water bottles and household storage boxes. You can find Fonts for free online from Font Bundles if you fancy getting crafty yourself.
4.) Cook Up A Storm In The Kitchen
I don't know about you but we always eat the same 20-30 meals over and over again and mealtimes sometimes get a bit boring. With fussy kids, it is rare we actually try cooking new dishes these days, especially with after school clubs and school runs, we normally stick to old favourites like pasta bakes, lasagna and fajitas. Mealtimes were dull, so I recently invested in new cookbooks (Pinch of Nom, FYI) and meal times are fun again, I am enjoying cooking and trying new dishes and it is most definitely inspiring us to try new things.
5.) Read More
One thing I love to do is to read, I really think it broadens your horizons and sparks imagination. I love nothing more than getting lost in a good book. I want my children to be the same so we have been reading lots of Roald Dahl at bedtime lately to try and spark their imagination and I have enjoyed reliving the books myself as a grown-up. You are never too old for a bit of adventure and magic.
6.) Make Future Plans
I know this one sounds a bit crazy at the moment with the world being a very unpredictable place but this is something I recommend. After a year of cancelled holidays, days out and adventures we have been making plans for things we want to do when it is safe to do so. We have booked a 2022 summer holiday to Turkey, who knows if it will go ahead or not but it is nice to have something to look forward to and we can always move it back a year if we have too. We have a list of places we want to visit, things we want to see and places we want to go, it is nice to have a tiny glimmer of hope and something to look forward to.
7.) Spend Time With Family
This year I have spent more time with my three children than ever before, there has been no school, no after school clubs, no day trips out, we have just been at home together and you know what it has been lovely. Yes we have argued and had bad days - homeschooling was not fun! but spending time with family makes you appreciate things and they inspire me to do better every single day.
8.) Try Something New
Pushing myself out my comfort zone and trying new things has really inspired my creativity. It has shown me I can do things I never knew I could, it has helped me see what I do and deffintley don't like and it has helped remind me of the person I was before I was just a mam. Give it a try, you never know if you will like it unless you try it.
9.) Get Inspired By Social Media
I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I am a blogger so in the past, I have spent more time than others on social media as after all, it is what pays my bills. However sometimes it can be toxic, people will try and bring you down or be rude, people will steal your ideas and you can't help comparing your self to others at times. But social media can also be pretty amazing, I have actually set up new private social media accounts to follow accounts that I love, accounts that inspire me and make me want to try new things and it has been a revelation. I am sure we have all heard of #cleantok and TikTok pasta or followed home or food accounts on Instagram who inspire us to try recipes or home decor trends ourselves. Positive social media accounts have most definitely inspired my creativity recently.
10.) Do What You Love
Life is hectic and more than a bit weird this past year, so be kind to yourself and do something that you love. Do something just for you that makes you feel happy and all warm and fuzzy inside. Doing what you love will most definitely be a lockdown activity to inspire creativity and best of all it will make you happy too.
So those are 10 Lockdown Activities To Inspire Creativity that I have found have helped me get creative and back blogging again. What has inspired you this lockdown? Let me know in the comments below.
Love this, I totally agree that the first lockdown felt like a fun opportunity to slow down and relax, whereas now its all about trying to do it all with no room to breathe! Some great ideas here for different things to do. :)
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