Creative Outlets and Free Time

Hi friends! I’m joining in today’s Share Our Lives link-up, and the topic is Creative Outlets/Free Time. I’ll be honest—I got myself into a bit of an ‘overthinking-it’ cycle and wasn’t sure what I was meant to write about. Should I pick one? Do both? And what even counts as a creative outlet? Isn’t that just a hobby in disguise?

I’ve already shared a post about my hobbies, so I didn’t want to repeat myself. Instead, I figured I’d talk about both–creative outlets and how I spend my free time because a lot of creativity tends to happen when there’s a bit of space in the day. Let’s see where this takes me.

Creative Outlets That Inspire Me

I’m a huge fan of activities that give me a chance to be creative. I love playing with fashion, makeup, and skincare. I try not to get carried away with trends because, as you know, they change faster than we can keep up with. Instead, I stick with what works for me and sprinkle in some new ideas here and there.

I get a lot of inspiration from YouTube, especially when it comes to skincare routines or trying out new makeup looks. It’s a great way to learn something new, and one of these days I’ll nail that smokey-eye look. Or who knows—maybe the raccoon look will catch on, and I’ll be ahead of the trend!

Blogging is My Number One Creative Outlet

When it comes to creative outlets, blogging is hands down my number one. It ticks all the boxes for me because I get to chat about my week, life, and adventures, as well as reflect on things that are on my mind and things that I’m learning. I also get to share the things I love and explore ideas that have been swirling in my head. Best of all, I get to be creative with how I add visuals and design images using my favourite creative app—Canva.

Designing Small Spaces as a Creative Outlet

I love exploring small-space living, probably because my house is so small! I can easily spend hours learning about minimalist design ideas and one of my absolute favourite YouTube channels is Never Too Small. They focus on creating functional, beautiful spaces in small areas. I like to take these ideas and use them in my own home—it’s definetly a creative outlet for me.

Sharing Creativity with Others

Creative outlets don’t always have to be solo activities. I also love creating things that others can enjoy. At work, for example, I enjoy setting up dramatic play areas for the children. Back in the day, before the government threatened to reduce our funding if we didn’t extend the time children could attend, we had a solid 40 minutes before and after their day to plan and set up. That was my time to get creative and make props for pretend play spaces.

I’d make things like a pizza oven for our dramatic play area or pretend cakes for our bakery set-up. Sadly, there’s not much time in the day anymore for big creative projects like these. But it’s always great to see the children still enjoy them—although it doesn’t take long before everything is upside down! The pizza oven is still holding up—not bad for cardboard, aluminium foil, and a whole lot of plastic contact.

How Creative Outlets and Free Time Connect

For me, creative outlets and free time are completely linked. I find that my free time is when I can dive into the things that interest, inspire, and help me get creative. If I had no free time, I wouldn’t have the chance to explore my creative side and discover those outlets.

Then there are also times when free time means just that—free time. It’s the freedom to plonk myself in front of the TV and binge-watch something. Because I shouldn’t feel like I always have to be productive or creative. I just need to shush that nagging voice in my head that says otherwise!

Thanks so much for stopping by. It’s been great reflecting on how creative outlets and free time are connected in my life. I’d love to hear how you balance them, so I’m looking forward to reading your posts.

Wishing you all a creative and relaxing day.

Linking up with Adrienne, Dara, Jen, Joanne and Sarah