Outside of writing, I mean. Remember when I talked about stretching yourself to write in different genres? I also want to encourage you to practice different forms of art.
Here's something writers often forget: writing is an art. Which makes you not only a writer, but an artist. Pretty cool, right?
A lot of artists are skilled in more than one area. They may prefer painting, but also be good at sculpting. They may like theater, but also sketch well. Writers are no exception. You have the ability to think creatively and artistically within you. Writing is just a medium of that ability. You can try other ones.
You might not be good at one right away, but it's worth trying. You can paint, draw, sculpt, make miniatures, play an instrument, act, or sing. There's options within these, too! You can use watercolors, acrylics, crayons, markers, pens, pencils. You can play guitar, piano, flute, saxophone. You can do improve or comedy or theater. You can knit, sew, crochet. There's so many options of art to try.
Now, why am I suggesting you try one? Is it just because I feel like you might have an untapped talent and I want all of you to bring as much art into the world as possible? Yes, but not just that.
It will help your writing.
How? Think about writer's block. Think about the last time you felt creatively drained and the last thing you wanted to do was write. While your writing needs to get done, writing when you aren't feeling creative won't necessarily revive your creativity. Similar to the idea of stepping back, which I talked about here, doing something different can help.
Like drawing. Or painting. Or knitting a scarf. Try doing a different creative activity and see if that gets your brain moving a little. By doing something else that isn't writing, you may be able to kick start your writing process by not focusing on it for a bit.
Plus, you never know, you might be an excellent painter. Or pianist. Or actress. Or whatever other form of artist you choose to try to be.
Do you have a creative hobby besides writing? Do you find it helps you write?
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