15 Spring Activities and Habits to Boost Creativity
Spring is an exciting time for creativity. Discover 15 Spring activities and habits to boost creativity to inspire a creative season and lifestyle.
Spring is nature’s most creative season. From our surroundings changing with the warmer weather and new baby animals to our habits changing for the year ahead, spring is a time of creation and development.
Whether you’re new to building a lifestyle that supports creativity or a veteran creative, spring is your chance to start anew to inspire and support your creative year and life ahead. These habits and activities can get you started on the creative life of your dreams.
Plan Your Creative Year
Take Your Goal-Setting From Your Creative Winter Habits to Make an Action Plan to Be More Creative This Year
“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.”
― Anatole France
The Chinese have a saying, “A year’s plan lies in spring, and a day’s plan lies in the morning (一年之计在于春，一日之计在于晨).” Two valuable lessons and habits for creatives wanting to build a daily and yearly creative routine for success.
Have you gotten lazy or fallen out of your creative and healthy routines from last year?
Start your spring by planning the habits and routines you not only want to build but also want to maintain throughout the year.
Use the positive benefits of Spring to support your habit and routine building to stay motivated and use habit stacking and other techniques to build them so they will be easier to maintain later in the year.
Tips
- Start a 30-day challenge.
- Track your progress with a journal/planner and make adjustments to personalize your creative routine and stay motivated.
- Review and reflect on your new habits and routines at the end of the day, week, and month.
- Don’t just focus on habits/routines you want to build, but also consider habits you want to break.
- Create a bucket list and a not-to-do list.
- Allow for flexibility and spontaneity to spark creativity in unique ways.
- Give yourself space to relax and do nothing sometimes.
- Try a hobby of a famous creative mind that you admire.
- Connect with your community and discover new hobbies through free events.
- Learn a creative hobby from another culture for unique benefits.
- Stack your habits with creativity for better success:
- Pick habits you already have and add creative twists:
- Add conditions of flow (Clear goals, immediate feedback, Balance opportunity and capacity) to trigger flow states in your habits.
- Add Creative Elements:
- Curiosity, Openness, Play, Autonomy, Awe, Mindfulness, Flow, Utility, Motivation, Imagination, etc.
- Examples:
- Are you a runner or a hiker? Add brainstorming and learning (i.e., Podcasts), or try creative ways to run.
- Pick habits you already have and add creative twists:
Shake Up Habits and Routines
Refresh and Reinvigorate Your Creative Mind and Life With New Habits, Twists on Routines, and Perspectives to Support Creative Thinking
“Life is about moving, it’s about change. And when things stop doing that they’re dead.”
― Twyla Tharp
Spring is a time of new beginnings. With new life and regrowth, it’s a perfect time to start new habits and mix things up.
What makes spring so perfect for starting and mixing up habits is the support and inspiration you can get from nature.
Nature has many benefits for the creative mind. Countless studies show that spending time in nature or adding plants to your creative space can support creative thinking, focus, productivity, and many more benefits. Spring also brings longer days, which means more time in the sun. This can improve mood, support a healthier circadian rhythm, and more.
Habits can be challenging to keep, especially when outside events can distract and affect mood. By stacking new habits with a season that supports growth, you can instill a healthier creative life for the rest of the year.
Tips
- Start small and link activities.
- Seize the longer days by waking up earlier with creative morning habits.
- Learn daily habits that support creativity.
- Try creative ways of getting in shape.
- Gamify your habit building.
- Know your why – Why do you want to build this habit?
- Find your motivation and have a goal in mind.
- Be compassionate and befriend failure by practicing a beginner’s mind.
- Start hobbies that support creative skills. Like some of these hobbies from famous creative minds.
Creative Spring Cleaning and Organizing
Refresh Your Creative Home and Workspace to Inspire and Support Your Spring Goals and Creativity
“The objective of cleaning is not just to clean, but to feel happiness living within that environment.”
― Marie Kondo
The tradition of Spring Cleaning dates back over 3,000 years to the Persian new year practice, khaneh tekani. Since then, spring cleaning has spread across nations and cultures to help people get a fresh start and a clean environment to support well-being, creativity, and productivity.
For creatives, our workspaces are sacred. They provide comfort and inspiration, but that doesn’t mean they can’t also create blocks because of mess and monotony. This is why so many great creative minds go on creative retreats, work at cafes, or change their workspaces depending on the season.
Changing your environment leads to new neural connections which support creativity. This makes spring cleaning an excellent opportunity to redecorate, update, and mix things up in your creative workspace and home to support creative thinking and well-being.
In addition to changing your creative spaces, the act of cleaning can also support creativity. Cleaning can be anything from a mindful meditation practice that can support well-being, flow, and brainstorming to even self-expression.
Benefits of Decluttering Your Creative Life
- Better Focus and Less Distraction – Clutter makes it difficult to find what you need.
- Better Decision-Making and Problem-Solving Skills – Decluttering is problem-solving to improve your space and provide energy from accomplishment.
- Reduces Anxiety and Stress – Studies show clutter can trigger stress and avoidance, leading to bad habits.
- More Autonomy – With less stuff, you have more time and space to be free and let openness guide creative thinking.
CREATIVE WAYS TO CLEAN
- Gamify your spring cleaning with challenges, constraints, rewards, and other ways to add play.
- Pair brainstorming and meditation with your cleaning.
- Turn your Pomodoro breaks while working into cleaning moments to spark creative thinking.
- Dance and sing with music or create your own songs to express yourself and have fun while cleaning.
- Personalize your creative spaces with fun and engaging DIY projects.
- Learn or create your own cleaning hacks.
Tips
- Get inspired by interior design books for creative homes and creative workspaces.
- Add creative tools to your spaces that can support self-care, boost productivity, and more.
- Add new scents, especially seasonal ones, that inspire joy, relaxation, and creative thinking.
- Rearrange your furniture to bring new energy to your spaces to help build new connections in your mind that spark creative thinking.
- Use the Maria Kondo Method to guide your decluttering and help you determine which items in your house “spark joy”.
- Try the 12-12-12 challenge.
- Locate 12 items to throw away, 12 to donate, and 12 to return to their proper place.
- Start a desk-clearing habit to keep your creative space clear and ready for work every day.
- Add more plants that support creativity and well-being.
- Add warm, vibrant colors to your creative spaces.
- Let the sunlight in to feel happier and more energetic.
- Convert papers, notes, and other items to digital format for better organization and less clutter.
- Optimize your space for flow – Find obstacles and points that bring up negativity, distractions, anxiety, etc. and add conditions for flow.
- Change your artwork, desktop wallpaper, etc., to fit your spring goals.
Connect With Nature
Support the Creative Mind and Body With the Beauty and Inspiration of Nature
“Spring won’t let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again.”
― Gustav Mahler
Throughout history, creatives have been inspired and supported by nature. Nature has many health and creative benefits making spring a great time to get an inspiring boost and transition out of winter. If you experience winter blues (SAD), you probably wait for this moment.
Creatives have always sought nature as a tool for creative inspiration and well-being. Hemingway would design his days around creative work in the morning to enjoy the second half of the day in nature. Countless famous creative minds would go on long walks and hikes. Many would also pair creative hobbies with their love of nature to support well-being and creativity.
Why Is Nature So Important for Famous Creative Minds?
Studies show nature can enhance creative ways of thinking, lower anxiety and rumination, improve focus, mood, and more. Getting outside boosts vitamin D levels which may regulate mood and reduce depression, as well as other health benefits. The list of benefits goes on.
Find unique and creative ways to connect with nature this spring to not only support your creativity but also your health and well-being.
Tips
- Use nature to train your creative skills and support mental health. i.e., Observing nature through the five senses, following curiosity, and more.
- Plan a creative retreat based on nature.
- Try creative hobbies that connect creativity with nature, like gardening.
- Take your brainstorming and creative work outside with hikes, running, and other activities.
- Change your creative workspace by finding an Al Fresco cafe to work at.
- Get creative with your eating by going on a picnic to engage all senses.
Creative Gardening
Connect With Nature to Promote Happiness and Support Creative Ways of Thinking
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”
― Audrey Hepburn
Supporting nature isn’t only good for the environment. It’s also a great way to support happiness and creativity. Spring is the best time to start a garden to enjoy these benefits and support other healthy spring habits.
Studies have found a 120 minutes a week in nature is enough to improve your well-being. Other studies have found being in nature reduces stress and anxiety while enhancing creative thinking. These positive effects don’t even begin to express the other benefits of gardening, the healthy food you get from your garden, and more.
If you have sustainable zero-waste goals and also want to support your creative mind, start a garden. Learn DIY projects and creative ways to recycle to create a healthier and more creative garden based on zero-waste challenges.
Tips
- Creative Composting:
- Shredded cardboard, paper, and newspaper
- Tea and coffee
- Pencil shavings
- If you don’t have an outdoor space for a garden, make an indoor one.
- Create a design that your garden can grow into.
- Research or invent your own DIY projects to add some creativity to your garden.
- Plant fruits and vegetables to support creative cooking.
- Practice mindful gardening and make a meditation spot for relaxation in your garden.
- Grow plants that you can turn into pigments for natural painting.
Creative Fitness
Try New Creative Ways to Stay Motivated and Healthy With Unique Fitness Techniques and Creative Habit Stacking
“You’re only one workout away from a good mood.”
― Unknown
Perhaps the most valuable spring habit for supporting creativity is getting active. With warmer weather and nature blooming, it’s time to get outside and enjoy the wonders of nature and all the activities it opens up.
It can be challenging to start and keep healthy habits during the winter because of demotivating elements. In spring, the opposite is true. Using the many benefits of spring, you can create healthy habits and routines that can last the whole year, which makes this season perfect for starting new habits, especially healthy ones that get you active and support well-being.
How Does Fitness Support Creativity?
- Exercise can improve convergent thinking, brain health, sleep quality, and more.
- There are many unique and creative ways to get in shape that can support creativity, health, and even build creative skills.
- Exercise is a very effective form of treatment for depression, stress, and anxiety, which lays the foundation for creative flow.
- Famous creatives throughout history have paired their creative routines with creative fitness, especially activities in nature.
- Movement in all its forms supports self-expression and creative thinking.
Tips
- Stack creative habits with outdoor activities like a brainstorming run, walk, or hike.
- Join new communities based on your creativity and activities to meet new people in active ways.
- Discover creative ways to get in shape
- Learn a new hobby to express yourself and your creativity.
- Start small and work up to longer active times.
- Studies show that 120 minutes a week is enough to start gaining the health and creative benefits of nature.
Creative Detoxes and Cleanses
Kickstart Change and Get a Fresh and Healthy Start to Support Your Creative Goals This Spring
“Every moment is a fresh beginning.”
― T.S. Eliot
Winter is a time of preservation, maintenance, and inward exploration. Because of this, we can become stagnate and pick up unhealthy habits and toxins in the body. These can cause conflict when transitioning into a new season. To get the most out of spring and achieve your creative goals, try a detox and cleanse to refresh your system and start anew.
Spring brings growth, renewal, and change both physically and psychologically. It’s a greening season when we plant new crops and start new habits. To ensure you’re letting go of the winter and the previous year’s bad habits, align your mind, body, and spirit with your creative and health goals.
There are many ways to detox and cleanse the body, and it’s not always dietary. Even a digital detox can benefit the creative mind and get into a spring mood, especially with sunnier days and nicer weather for outdoor activities. Doing a detox can help release toxins from winter, kickstart metabolism, balance hormones, and more to support Spring habits for creativity and well-being.
Claimed Detox Benefits
- Reduces inflammation, leaving you with fewer body aches, stiffness, swelling, and fatigue.
- Improves energy and mood.
- Aids weight loss and digestive health.
- Strengthens the immune system.
There are many examples and anecdotes about the benefits of doing a detox or cleanse. However, research is still somewhat incomplete. Be sure to research and consult with professionals if you’re new to detoxes and cleanses. The most important part is staying hydrated and enjoying the many creative and health benefits of water.
Tips
- Research and seek help from professionals to find a detox and cleanse that works for you.
- Stay hydrated and drink more water. Most detoxes are about eliminating foods for some time, so be sure you’re drinking enough water.
- Focus on Sleep. Sleep is the most important time for the brain to reorganize, recharge and eliminate toxins in the body.
- Reduce or eliminate your intake of sugars, processed foods, alcohol, and salt.
- Get outside and get active. Physical activity helps lower inflammation and supports the body’s detoxification system.
- Not all detoxes and cleanses deal with diet. Try a Digital Detox to reclaim your time and energy from distracting electronics.
Creative Spring Cooking
Fill Your Belly and Your Mind With Spring Recipes and Food That Boost Creativity
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if not has not dined well.”
― Virginia Woolf
Spring cooking revolves around fresh, healthy, and light foods. With the creative and health benefits of cooking, you can find many recipes to help support your transition into warmer and more active months with healthier foods to support creative thinking and healthy living.
Seasonal Spring Foods and Spices (USDA Seasonal Produce Guide)
- Apples
- Apricots
- Avocados
- Bananas
- Greens
- Kiwifruit
- Mushrooms
- Pineapples
- Strawberries
Although many cooking styles are practiced year-round, some are unique to the season, like grilling in the spring and summer. Besides using unique seasonal ingredients, practice creative cooking techniques that pair with spring activities and habits.
Creative Spring Cooking
- Focus on cooking healthy foods (Greens, fruits, light & balanced)
- Get creative with colorful spring salads
- Eat the rainbow – Cook like a painter, and make your plate colorful and enticing
- Bring people together (BBQ, Pot lucks, theme dinners, etc.)
- Cook/eat foods that boost energy
- Try new ways of cooking and spring recipes from around the world
Best Creative Spring Recipes
- Colorful Salads
- Spring Salmon With Veggies
- Lemony Tortellini Soup with Spinach and Dill
- Herby Dutch Baby With Smoked Salmon
- Pesto-ish Risotto
- Mushroom Toasts with Watercress and Chives
- Spring Minestrone
- Beet and Ricotta Hummus
- Spring Vegetable Stew
Tips
- Visit a farmer’s market
- Try the Blindfolded Baker challenge to have fun and collaborate with loved ones.
- Use creative boosting ingredients.
- Get inspired with the perfect recipe from these creative spring cookbooks.
- Visit creative food and drink festivals in the spring.
- Find creative recipes from unique cookbooks.
- Find creative healthy recipes from health cookbooks.
Creative Spring Travel
Plan Creative Retreats, Explore Destinations, and Seek Unique Experiences This Spring
“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.”
― Seneca
We build up a lot of energy during the solitude months of winter, leading to a burst of travelers in the spring. If you’re planning a creative spring break, weekend getaway, family vacation, or a creative retreat, plan your spring travel in ways that take the stress out of the busy travel season.
Spring is one of the busiest travel seasons, and for a good reason. What better time is there to visit a destination than when it’s at its peak beauty? When everything is blossoming and bursting with life after a cold winter, spring destinations are inspiring and revitalizing.
Tips
- Avoid traditional accommodations – Seek creative places to stay
- Talk to the locals to find perfect times and travel secrets
- Don’t follow the crowds – Go early, late, during meal times, etc.
- Swap ‘must-visit’ for ‘lesser-known’ – Go off the beaten path
- Plan around festivals and events to miss crowds
- Plan travel around unique experiences.
- Plan a creative travel retreat to start new habits and finish projects with unique experiences.
- See travel problems as learning and creative problem-solving opportunities.
- Travel through your senses: smell, taste, sound, touch, and sight.
- Join creative activities while traveling to learn from other cultures.
- Set creative and personal travel goals.
Learn Something New
Expand Your Mind and Knowledge With Books and Resources to Capture Your Curiosity and Support Creative Thinking
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
― Albert Einstein
Without curiosity and a thirst to learn, the flame of the creative spirit withers away. Learning is part of the creative process. It builds new connections in the brain and opens opportunities for innovation. Wake up your creative mind after a restful winter by learning new things, following your curiosity, and challenging your creative mind.
There’s a reason why preparation is the first phase of the creative process, and the process is circular. There’s always more to learn, and you can’t learn everything at once. When you adapt your learning process to the seasons, you embrace change and flow.
Why Creatives Should Always Be Learning
- Work and learn from the experience of others. Working with people who have different perspectives or areas of expertise can result in better ideas and outcomes.
- Connecting and working with others can also inspire intrinsic motivation.
- Sharing what you’ve learned can help you better understand what you’ve learned and inspire novel perspectives.
Tips
- Gamify your learning with challenges, constraints, and rewards.
- Create a knowledge bucket list of things you would like to know and understand.
- Break down and test your knowledge of your creative passion to find new areas to improve and learn.
- Teach someone something to improve your own learning and creativity.
- Follow your curiosity, visit a museum.
- Learn a new language for a future trip.
- Set summer reading goals / Join a book club.
- Join a class to learn something new.
- Network and meet other creatives in the community.
Creative Spring Events and Festivals
Connect and Celebrate Spring With Creative Communities and Traditions That Support the Season
“Every day is a good day. There is something to learn, care and celebrate.”
― Amit Ray
Every culture around the world celebrates spring with festivals and events to inspire people to get outside and soak in the beauty and life of spring. If you’re looking for new ways to connect with creative communities, have fun with others, learn new things, and of course, get outside in creative ways, attend one of the many events and festivals that happen in the spring.
Spring festivals and events are a great way to pair with other spring habits and activities, like travel. You can plan a creative retreat around events or simply find one in your local area to experience a new side of your hometown.
Best Spring Festivals & Events
- Songkran – Thailand (April 13-15th)
- Texas SandFest (April 14-16th)
- California Poppy Festival (April 21-23rd)
- Las Fallas – Spain (March 1st)
- Holi – India (March 8th)
- South by Southwest – Texas (March 10-19th)
- Cherry Blossom Festival – Japan (End of March)
Tips
- Boost creativity with culture and food by attending creative food and drink festivals around the world.
- Stack other spring activities and habits with events and festivals.
- Create your own events and festivals with friends and family.
- Network and meet other creatives at events and festivals based on your creative passions.
Spring Reading
Wake Up Your Creative Mind, Relax in Nature, and Soak in the Sun With a Good Book
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
― Dr. Seuss
Reading might not seem like a spring habit with all the other activities starting this season that gets energy pumping and our bodies moving, but it’s always a good time to slow down and read a good book.
Reading in the spring is a great way to support rest and still get the healthy benefits of spring nature and sunshine by changing your cozy winter area for reading into a spring one or getting outside to read and relax.
Choosing What to Read
- Discover the latest creative books from this Spring reading list 2023
- Read stories and biographies from the lives of famous creative minds
- Create your own reading list
- Follow curiosity
- Set a reading goal for learning something new
- Join or create a book club to collaborate with others
- Read what inspired and influenced other creative minds
Tips
- Separate Your Fiction and Nonfiction Reading – Studies show fiction reading is better for nighttime and can aid in better sleep.
- Set the Mood – Decorate your space with candles, tea, and other elements to relax into your reading.
- Start a Book Journal – Track what you read, how it made you feel, and what you learned from it to inspire creative thinking.
- Immersive Yourself in the Book – Put your phone on silent, use smells associated with the book, and play atmospheric music associated with the book.
Spring Meditation
Cultivate Energy and Transition Into Spring With Meditations That Support the Season
“The thing about meditation is you become more and more you.”
― David Lynch
If winter meditations are focused on rest and reflection, spring meditations are about cultivating energy and mindfulness.
Stillness might not seem like the best method to build energy, but stillness is about centering and cultivation. Focusing on this moment connects your thoughts to your next steps so you can move with purpose and intention. Do you want to enjoy spring to the fullest without being distracted by anxious thoughts? Center yourself with meditation to soak in the moment to the fullest.
Meditation is an empowering habit for all walks of life and has been so for thousands of years. This spring, start a meditation habit to support personal growth and fuel creativity in a way that also supports your well-being.
Tips
- Make meditation a habit by doing it at the same time and same place every day.
- Try different types of meditation. To find what works best for you as well as keep things fresh and spark creative flow.
- Use your breath as an anchor when the mind begins to wander.
- Start a meditation journal to track progress and explore thoughts that may arise.
- Start with guided meditations, move to music, and then practice in silence.
- Build or update your meditation space to support a new season, or go outside to meditate in nature.
- Try unique and creative ways to meditate to keep your mind active and fresh.
- Meditate in VR for unique immersion and visualization.
- Use meditation apps to help you build your mindful practice.
- Find unique meditation tools and gadgets to support your mindful practice.
Creative Play
Let Go of Stress, Get Outside, and Rediscover Your Inner Child in Fun and Creative Ways That Make You Smile
“This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”
― Alan Watts
Play is an important and often overlooked part of the creative process, lifestyle, and even workplace. Studies have shown play can support learning, problem-solving skills, burnout, and more. No matter your age or season, learning how to play in unique ways can be your ticket to unlocking new levels of flow, creativity, and happy life.
Play can be different for everyone, as well as be different in every season. Winter play can be cozy, while spring and summer play can be adventurous and energizing. In early spring, the Earth tilts causing daytime to get longer, which means more sun. This, of course, leads to warmer weather and nature bursting with new life and colors. All of these elements can motivate and create new ways to play.
How to Boost Creativity Through Play This Spring
- Find spring activities that help you live in the moment.
- Learn what play means to you with bucket lists, exploration, and experimentation.
- Reconnect with your inner child through old hobbies and nostalgia.
- Add constraints and challenges to everyday activities, habits, and your creative process.
- Pair play with spring elements like good weather to find play through movement, such as creative fitness, dance, etc.
- Don’t overthink or take activities too seriously.
Tips
- Gamify habits by adding new challenges, constraints, and rewards.
- Find activities that help you live in the moment.
- Play board games with friends and family.
- Learn from kids and watch movies to inspire your inner child.
- Turn your Pomodoro breaks during working hours into fun activities with games.
- Get playful with your brainstorming sessions by playing with legos, going for a run, playing an instrument, and doing other fun activities.
- Learn how video games can boost creativity, including games that boost creative skills, games about creative living, and more.
Creative Spa Day
Stay Healthy and Happy With Spring Self-Care Habits Like a Relaxing and Creative Spa Day
“Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.”
― Eleanor Brown
Whether it’s at home or on a trip to a wellness center, self-care should be a priority year-round, and what better way to support self-care than with a spa day.
Creatives throughout history have taken breaks from their work to enjoy a bath or even work in the bath, like Dalton Trumbo and Agatha Christie. Water is an essential ingredient in self-care, which means you can easily support self-care at home with a warm bath and add to the environment in creative ways to be immersed and relaxed.
How to Make a Creative Spa Day at Home
- Set your intention
- Plan and prepare for what you’ll need
- Create an immersive environment that engages the senses (Music, scents, plants, color lighting, etc.)
- Set spa day boundaries with friends and family you share space with
- Plan healthy, rejuvenating, and creative boosting snacks
- Practice mindful exercises like meditation to clear the mind and stay present
Tips
- Plan a spa day to end your spring cleaning day.
- Plan self-care retreats like a visit to a hot spring in Colorado or unique retreat programs.
- Use a spa day to build new healthy and creative habits that support self-care.
- Incorporate spring activities, habits, and seasonal items to bring you joy and add unique twists to your spa day:
- Hydration routines
- Spend the day in nature
- Set up your space with scents and wellness tools that inspire relaxation.
- Prepare your space, food, drinks, etc. beforehand so you can spend more time relaxing.
- Turn off your electronics but keep a pen and paper nearby to write down ideas if inspiration strikes.
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.
