10 Movies To Inspire Creative Living
Do you have trouble defining your creative life? Movies are a great way to experience different ways to live. These perspectives can inspire creativity in many ways. Here are 10 movies to inspire creative living.
What does it mean to live creatively? The creative lifestyle can be hard to define because it’s different for everyone, but that’s half the fun. Creative living is a curious adventure through artful moments to awaken your true nature. By finding comfort in the unknown and experiencing new perspectives, you can discover what you love and find creativity in everyday moments. Instead of boxing creativity into a schedule, every moment is a creative one.
When you start to live creatively, well-being and happiness follow. Start your journey into creative living by experiencing different perspectives on the creative life. Movies, books, and other storytelling mediums are a great way to empathize with different lifestyles to inspire your own. Here are some great movies to inspire creative living and creative lessons to be learned from them.
Julie & Julia (2009)
Julia Child’s story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell’s 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child’s first book.
Creative Lessons
Do what you love to do.
- Paul Child: What is it you REALLY like to do?
- Julia Child: Eat!
You don’t start great. You have to start then follow the process.
- Julie Powell: Eric, I’m going to be a writer!
- Eric Powell: You ARE a writer.
Be fearless and never apologize for following your passion.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
When both he and a colleague are about to lose their job, Walter takes action by embarking on an adventure more extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined.
Creative Lessons
Life is for living, not dreaming.
- “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”
Get outside your comfort zone.
- Cheryl Melhoff: Life is about courage and going into the unknown.
Live in the present moment.
- Walter Mitty: When are you going to take it?
- Sean O’Connell: Sometimes I don’t. If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it.
- Walter Mitty: Stay in it?
- Sean O’Connell: Yeah. Right there. Right here.
You already have everything you seek. Look inwards.
It’s never too late to follow your dreams and be who you want to be.
It takes courage to be happy.
Yes Man (2008)
A man challenges himself to say “yes” to everything.
Creative Lessons
Live life by saying YES to overcome fears.
Saying yes leads to new opportunities to get outside your comfort zone and overcome fears.
- “You’re dead, Carl. You say “no” to life, and therefore, you’re not living.”
You’re never too old to play.
- “The world’s a playground. You know that when you are a kid, but somewhere along the way, everyone forgets it.”
Life isn’t just about saying yes or no. It’s about sharing experiences and what you have to give to the world.
- “The old Carl didn’t think he was enough for anybody. I thought if I said yes to things, and got involved with people, then sooner or later, they’d find out I’m not enough. I didn’t think I had anything to share. But now I know that what I have to share is pretty huge, and I want to share it with you.”
Don’t let your past control you. Embrace change.
Dead Poet Society (1989)
Robin Williams plays John Keating, a maverick teacher who uses poetry to embolden his boarding school students to new heights of self-expression. His unorthodox methods helps students learn to break out of their shells, overcome pressures, pursue their dreams and seize the day.
Creative Lessons
Make the most of the present moment.
- “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”
Creativity can change the world.
- “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”
- “Poetry, beauty, romance, love… these are what we stay alive for.”
Patience is not the enemy of productivity.
- “There is a time for daring, and there is a time for caution. And a wise man understands which is called for.”
Think outside the box for creativity and self-discovery.
- “We must constantly look at things in a different way.”
- “You must strive to find your own voice.”
Eat Pray Love (2010)
A married woman realizes how unhappy her marriage really is, and that her life needs to go in a different direction. After a painful divorce, she takes off on a round-the-world journey to “find herself”.
Creative Lessons
It is never too late to find yourself, or reinvent yourself.
- “Maybe my life hasn’t been so chaotic. It’s just the world that is and the only real trap is getting attached to any of it. Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation.”
Life is about pleasure.
Happiness is a state-of-mind.
Master your thoughts.
- “At some point, you gotta let go, and sit still, and allow contentment to come to you.”
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
A writer impulsively buys a villa in Tuscany in order to change her life.
Creative Lessons
Fear holds you back from living and creating.
- Frances: (to herself) “You are so stupid to buy a house for a life you don’t even have.”
- Senior Martini: “Why did you do it then?”
- Frances: “Because I’m sick of being afraid all the time and because I still want things.”
Have faith and let go of regrets.
- “Regrets are a waste of time. They’re past crippling you in the present.
Rest is important.
- “When I was a little girl, I used to spend hours looking for ladybugs. Finally, I just gave up and fall asleep in the grass. When I woke up, they were crawling all over me.”
Find happiness in grief.
Let life surprise you.
- “Unthinkably good things can happen even late in the game. It’s such a surprise.”
500 Days of Summer (2009)
An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman who doesn’t believe true love exists, and the young man who falls for her.
Creative Lessons
High expectations can lead to disappointment.
Don’t associate your happiness with another person.
- “People don’t realize this, but loneliness is underrated.”
It’s healthy to express your emotions.
There are always two sides to every story. Perspective is key.
Learn to really listen.
Experiences inspire creativity.
The Greatest Showman (2017)
Celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.
Creative Lessons
You don’t have to please everyone.
- “You don’t need everyone to love you, just a few good people.”
Imagination is boundless.
- “A man’s station is only limited by his imagination.”
- “Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colors fill my head; a million dreams are keeping me awake.”
Fearlessly be yourself.
- “No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.”
- “This is me!”
True purpose comes from helping others.
- “The noblest art is that of making others happy.”
Dream big and take chances.
- “Comfort, the enemy of progress.”
Where you come from doesn’t define who you are or where you are going.
- “It’s up to you, and it’s up to me; no one can say what we get to be.”
Begin Again (2014)
A chance encounter between a down-and-out music-business executive and a young singer-songwriter, new to Manhattan, turns into a promising collaboration between the two talents.
Creative Lessons
Create for the joy of creating.
- Gretta:I told you, I write songs from time to time.
- Dan: What do you write them for?
- Gretta: What do you mean what for? For my pleasure. And for my cat.
Never compromise your integrity.
Good things happen when you take creative risks.
- “I just think you have let your troubles get in the way of your entire life.”
Amélie (2001)
Amélie is an innocent and naive girl in Paris with her own sense of justice. She decides to help those around her and, along the way, discovers love.
Creative Lessons
Let your imagination run wild.
- “Nino is late. Amelie can only see two explanations. 1 – he didn’t get the photo. 2 – before he could assemble it, a gang of bank robbers took him hostage. The cops gave chase. They got away… but he caused a crash. When he came to, he’d lost his memory. An ex-con picked him up, mistook him for a fugitive, and shipped him to Istanbul. There he met some Afghan raiders who too him to steal some Russian warheads. But their truck hit a mine in Tajikistan. He survived, took to the hills, and became a Mujaheddin. Amelie refuses to get upset for a guy who’ll eat borscht all his life in a hat like a tea cozy.”
Spend time learning from the old and wise.
- “Only a fool looks at a finger that points to the sky.”
Be persistent.
- “Your bones aren’t made of glass, you can take life’s knocks.”
- “Failure teaches us that life is but a draft, an endless rehearsal of a show that will never play.”
Love yourself, love life, and pursue love without hesitation and without regrets.
- “Without you, today’s emotions would be the scurf of yesterday’s”
Soul Surfer (2011)
Teenage surfer Bethany Hamilton overcomes the odds and her own fears of returning to the water after losing her left arm in a shark attack.
Creative Lessons
Don’t let anything stop you from following your dreams.
- “I was born to surf. This is why I wake up at the crack of dawnevery dayy. This is why I endure belly rashes, reef cuts and muscles so tired they feel like needles. And I’ve learned life is a lot like surfing. When you get caught in the impact zone, you need to get right back up. Because you never know what’s over the next wave. And if you have faith, anything is possible, anything at all.”
Trust and have faith that things can get better.
- Bethany Hamilton: You know how you said it’s hard to see things clearly sometimes when you’re too close? Well, I’ve been trying to get some perspective, I’m literally trying. Sarah… how could this be God’s plan for me? I don’t understand.”
- Sarah Hill: I don’t know why terrible things happen to us sometimes. But I have to believe that something good is going to come out of this.
Surround yourself with friends and family to help you through the hard times.
- “Love is bigger than any tidal wave or fear.”
Cultivate compassion and serve others.
- “If by losing my arm, I’m then able to share my story with people who are suffering pains and losses, it makes it all worth it.”
- “Surfing isn’t the most important thing in life. Love is. I’ve had the chance to embrace more people with one arm than I ever could with two.”
Peaceful Warrior (2006)
Based on a book by the same name, Dan Millman is a gifted athlete whose desire for success drives everything he does. When a mysterious stranger opens Dan’s eyes to a new vision of strength and understanding, the Olympic hopeful finds that he still has much to learn and more sacrifices to make.
Creative Lessons
There are no ordinary moments.
- “Slow down. You might taste something.”
Be present in the moment.
- Where are you? …. HERE.
- What time is it? … NOW.
- What are you? … THIS MOMENT.
Love what you do.
- “The warrior does not give up what he loves, Dan. He finds the love in what he does.”
- “The accident is your training. Life is choice. You can choose to be a victim or anything else you’d like to be.”
You control you. Master you.
- “Everyone tells you what to do and what’s good for you. They don’t want you to find your own answers. They want you to believe theirs.”
- “People are afraid of what’s inside and that’s the only place they’re ever gonna find what they need.”
Don’t pin your success on outcomes.
- “The journey is what brings us happiness not the destination.”
A warrior acts; only a fool reacts.
Knowledge is not the same as wisdom. Knowledge is knowing — wisdom is doing.
- Dan Millman: I know more than you think.
- Socrates: And you think more than you know. But knowledge is not the same as wisdom.
- Dan Millman: Yeah? What’s the difference?
- Socrates: You know how to clean a windshield, right?
- Dan Millman: Yeah.
- Socrates: Wisdom is doing it.
You’ll never be better than anybody, the same way you’ll never be any less.
Life has just three rules.
- Dan Millman: Paradox, humour, and change.
- Socrates: Paradox…
- Dan Millman: Life is a mystery. Don’t waste time trying to figure it out.
- Socrates: Humour…
- Dan Millman: Keep a sense of humour, especially about yourself. It is a strength beyond all measure.
- Socrates: Change…
- Dan Millman: Know that nothing stays the same.
The Little Prince (2015)
A little girl lives in a very grown-up world with her mother, who tries to prepare her for it. Her neighbor, the Aviator, introduces the girl to an extraordinary world where anything is possible, the world of the Little Prince.
Creative Lessons
It’s the time you give to something that makes it precious.
Be open-minded like a child.
- “Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.”
The important things in life you cannot see with your eyes, only with your heart.
- “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
You should never take yourself too seriously.
Don’t forget to enjoy your life — take a moment and take it all in.
Don’t forget your inner child.
- “All grown-ups were once children … but only a few of them remember it.”
The Intouchables (2011)
After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver.
Creative Lessons
Learn about yourself by seeing through other people’s perspectives.
- “Sometimes you have to reach into someone else world to find out what’s missing in your own.”
It’s what’s inside that matters most.
- “It doesn’t matter who you are on the outside. The main thing is who you are on the inside.”
Live in the moment. Create your own happiness.
- “Don’t wait for things to get easier, simpler, better. Life will always be complicated.’ Learn to be happy right now. Otherwise, you’ll run out of time.”
Persevere through hardships.
- “Don’t give up. Never give up until the fight is over.”
Friendship can change your life.
- “Anyone can change your life if you let them.”
3 Idiots (2009)
Two friends are searching for their long lost companion. They revisit their college days and recall the memories of their friend who inspired them to think differently, even as the rest of the world called them “idiots”.
Creative Lessons
Learning is everywhere.
- “There was knowledge everywhere. Go get it from anywhere you can.”
Pursue excellence, and success will follow.
- “Never study to be successful, study for self efficiency. Don’t run behind success. Follow behind excellence, success will come all way behind you.”
All is well.
Life is not a race. Do what you love.
- “If I become a photographer? I’ll just earn less, right? My home will be small, my car will be small. But, dad, I will be happy! I will be really happy. Whatever I do, I’ll be doing it from my heart.”
Avoid the haters.
Try new things. Take risks.
- “Dude, if you fear the future so much, how can you live? And how can you focus on today? I’ve got strange friends, Man. One of them is living in fear, and the other one is not living at all!”
Follow your dreams.
- “Follow your dream. Don’t study something that you know you’re bad at and follow your passion.”
- “Make your passion your profession, and work will become a game.”
Zach is an international writer, photographer, filmmaker, martial artist, and creator of Creative Enso, the Zen art of creative living. His goal is to empower and inspire creatives to live healthier, happier, and more creative lifestyles.
