College life can test even the most creative folk; trying (and in my case, regularly failing) to balance classes, homework, finals studying, extracurricular activities, co-op applications, a session or two at Marino and a social life means there’s not a lot of time left over to flex those creative muscles. Even if you’re a relatively creative major, like English or Film, there’s usually boundaries to whatever you’re whipping up – and grades to consider – which means finding opportunities to experiment is more difficult than fighting a Demogorgon.
But never fear, Spring Break is here! A week away from class is the perfect opportunity to recharge your creative batteries. Here are some completely ungraded and totally carefree ways to reignite your inventive spark. Hey, maybe you’ll even find a way to integrate them into your semester schedule?
Indulge in nostalgia with an adult coloring book
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Remember when you were a little kid and didn’t have any responsibilities? Remember how you didn’t even care about coloring outside the lines? Let’s do that again! An adult coloring book is the perfect way to act like a five-year-old while still being artistic. There are countless cool collections out there, but I have a soft spot for this Golden Girls one, available pretty much everywhere books are sold. Etsy is also chock-a-block with coloring books – why not support someone else’s craft while honing your own?
Watch an oh-so-aesthetically pleasing film
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Movies have the power to change the way you view the world around you – so why not soak up the vibes from pretty cinematography and apply that lens to your everyday life? Call Me By Your Name and Lady Bird are recent aesthetically pleasing releases that will make you view Boston in a whole new way, but old favourites like Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom, and Sofia Coppola’s Maire Antoinette also do the job nicely.
Read a (non-class prescribed) book
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If the college mentality is still clinging on and you absolutely must feel like you’re accomplishing something even when you’re relaxing, try Book Riot’s 2018 Read Harder Challenge. With suggestions like ‘a book published posthumously’ or ‘a book about nature’, you can create your own reading list that will kick-start your imagination by forcing you to read outside your preferred genre. Or you could devour a book about creativity itself, like Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic (author of Eat, Pray, Love).
Treat your eardrums to fresh hits
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You’ll be surprised what a walk in nature (if New England doesn’t put on a total snow show), while listening to some new tunes will do for your creativity. Better yet, get those inventive juices flowing with a specially curated Spotify playlist like Creativity Boost or Creative Day At Work.
Write a wacky short story
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Sick of penning essays and theses? I feel you. But writing can be fun when you’re not worried about the perfect placement of a comma. Try writing a stream of consciousness piece; a diary-like, word vomit entry straight from brain to page. Or you could take a prompt from this list and jot down the first idea that pops into your head. No planning. No agonising over ‘who’ vs ‘whom.’ Just straight-up imaginative writing.