How to Be Creative When Your Job Eats Your Brain

The last thing anyone wants to do when they’re done with work is something. We sit frozen in executive dysfunction at our desks, letting TikTok swallow five-thirty to six. Evenings are a rotation of little videos that play along with chores, binge-able TV, and snacks combined in the shape of a meal. Maybe if there are enough stimuli, our brains will turn off and finally rest, but sadly, all we’re doing is muting its volume. Without any sort of creative splurge, we are restless. Even as our bodies pancake.

Human needs are laughably simple - but we (if not you, certainly I) like to make them more complicated for dramatic diagnosis. If you've got the lingering feeling that you weren't physically meant to creak along like a cog in your netted chair (it has lumbar support!) all day, you are right. But like a prize-winning-long-haired Yorkie, we have been trained to sit and stay for life's rewards.

As we enter high school, the dissonance required in adult life becomes clear: to be successful, we must produce immaculate results while our bodies explode. We raced for good grades and appealing extracurriculars to get the ultimate prize: a tasty bragalicious undergrad. Then college hands out loans, phat essays, "where are you interning this summer?," and campus therapists prescribe Adderall as the ultimate fix-it drug and tell you to chug chug chug it (responsibly ;)).

Enter an exhalation: creating. It reminds us that we are actual human beings, not just bots who log into Slack and solve captchas. I’m not talking about hobbies you can monetize or little workouts (though I’ve heard they help!). I’m talking about good, old-fashioned creativity. It is unnecessarily gate kept - reserved for the tortured (because apparently, everything in this world has to be earned? Even the right to make art). Whether you have a job that isn’t creative or your job is creative on branded time - you spend your days shaking your ideas in a plastic box to fit into concise, digestible words like you're trying to win a round of Boggle. Your body is begging you to craft something that is yours and not your career's. It’s easy! I’ll show you.

1. Start by revisiting activities you loved as a kid.

A plus to adulthood is that you can afford the toys you wanted as a kid. Did you love Legos? Playdough? Charm bracelets? Watercolor? Did you have an angst diary? Rekindle your favorite nostalgic hobbies at least once a week. You can watch a show while you do it! Be warned: video games don’t count, sorry! Even though it’s very cool diving back into Minecraft or the old online girl games, we're making things with our hands for this activity.

2. Like an All American Bitch, pay attention to things most people ignore.

Log them. Make little jokes about what you notice. Actually touch some grass. This is people and place watching with a fine-toothed comb. If you’re a really good student, bring a notebook and jot down your favorite moments (or press flowers) from the day!

3. Try to do something once a month that delightfully scares you.

This could be as simple as asking a new friend to hang out or as complicated as attempting an improv class. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to try something new, do it.

4. Find art that inspires you.

It doesn’t have to be art from a museum or a movie worthy of the Metrograph. Corny flicks, good meals, and Pinterest boards are just as awe-inspiring. You can find good art on t-shirts, sacred moments between strangers, open books on the subway, shoes. Take note of why it inspires you. This will be helpful for the next point.

5. Steal. Artfully.

The most lauded creatives borrow all the time. Most of our favorite art is fan fiction! Start with what has already been done before. Paint a beach. Make a song with basic chords. Write a cheesy joke. Sculpt a mug. Plot a very predictable story. Draw a flower. Make a Willy Wonka meme. Build a robot that holds a pencil. Create a combination of all the art you love. We all have opinions on our favorite art. How would you have done it?

6. Accept that you may hate whatever you make.

Congrats, you’re a tortured artist!! Debilitating self-doubt is all a part of the process. So what if it’s bad? I promise you, there is a little nugget of good in there. That perfect first draft doesn’t exist. Brew tea, get your red pen, and make it better.

7. Once you feel like you’ve made a final product, celebrate it as much as possible, and then let it rest.

Take a photo holding it. Give yourself a gold star. You don’t have to do anything else with it. You completed something, which is more than most creatives ever do. I’m proud of you. You did the thing!

The most intimidating step is the start. A blank page. An empty canvas. But it doesn’t have to be. To begin, draw a swipe across the blankness. Now you can paint over the swipe. Delete it. Write below it. See, you’ve started! All you have to do is keep going. We’re not looking for a magnum opus here. Just get from point A to Point B.

_Bonus pro tip: Camaraderie always helps. Remember the school science fair, where we walked around and looked at all our posters lined

up together? You can have your own art fair. Set a date with friends where everyone will present their creations. Celebrate your work! It’s not that serious, but it is fun to take it seriously. Hear it from someone who grew up with too much auteur theory: creating without community is isolating._

The bottom line: nurture. This is your chance to connect with what excites you about being alive. You may be surprised by the multitudes you contain.