5 Creative activities to keep you busy during quarantine!

This is a weird Wednesday, right? There’s a lot happening considering the recent spread of Coronavirus and a lot of countries are recommending to stay home and isolated. Who can live like this? you might ask yourself. Well, as someone who has spent the last few years working from home, I can! And I thought it would be fun to make a list of my top 5 creative activities to do while staying home.

  1. Reading. If you follow me on Instagram and read my online letters, you might know that I’m constantly sharing reading updates about what I’m currently reading all the time! Ever since I was a kid and my uncle taught me how to read, I haven’t stopped. Reading might sound like a passive activity, yet it makes your imagination work more than any other creative activity! My advice to read more: make a subtle approach. Try to find a book you think you’ll like, find a cosy spot and create a ritual with tea or coffee and start by saying you’ll read one page today. 
  2. Painting. This has absolutely nothing to do with skills or tools. I’m pretty sure you have at least a blue pen and a piece of paper at home (lucky you when color pencils or gouache are in your drawers), then find something to draw, could be a photo on the internet (I have a Pinterest board for quick drawing inspiration), an image from a book or my favorite: what you have in front of you and start. Doesn’t have to be perfect, doesn’t even have to look like whatever you’ve chosen. The whole idea is to let your hand loose and your imagination fly. Don’t post it on Instagram, don’t share it anywhere, it’s for you only.
  3. Baking. This has been lately my favorite creative activity. It makes me feel completely happy and relaxes me in a different way: I don’t really need to think much about the outcome, I just need to follow the instructions of a recipe. Also, as a vegan, it gives me the chance to experiment and find out how to make traditional recipes replacing the ingredients with plant-based ones. If you want to start baking and want it to be super easy, I recommend bread.
  4. Board games & Puzzles. Am I that old-fashion? If there’s something Germany has taught me is that there’s no age, place or time where you can’t play board games. It’s a culture that literally enjoys their free time playing games. If you live with someone take the dust off that old monopoly and invite them to play. Stay cosy with snacks and some wine (or beer) and make a game night! If you’re by yourself, make a puzzle or play with legos. Unwind your mind by using your hands and focusing on what you’re doing at the moment.
  5. Be bored. Wan, again? What’s wrong with you? Hey! Doing nothing is actually great to encourage creative activity on the brain. Let yourself be bored in order to think in ways to entertain yourself. No, this doesn’t include Netflix or scrolling on your phone, even better. Put your phone on airplane mode and let yourself be bored til you can no longer take it and need to create something.

Other options: do yoga, meditate, journal (I wrote this so many times in the past months I didn’t want to say it again!), cook, tidy up your room, clean your closet… You might think that these are not creative activities, yet think twice: these are things that take you out of your routine and help you think, do and see things in a different, more creative perspective.

Do you have any others to share with us?

What do you think? Leave a comment!