How to Spark Your Creative Side in College
Interesting classes. Collaboration. New experiences. Hard work. Career training. College isn’t a time to lose your creative juices. In fact, if you’re gearing up for a new school year at college, now is the time to prepare for a successful year—and that includes making sure you create the right atmosphere for your creativity to thrive. The more creativity you use, the more creative you become. So with fun school supplies, new people to meet in your classes, and crazy conversations during late nights, here are some ways to have a semester full of excitement, creativity and straight A’s.
1. Work by a window.
Some of my favorite study spots in college were located by great big windows that let the sun shine in. Getting natural light is so important to maintain happiness, motivation and creativity. When setting up my dorm room, I would always position my desk in front of a window that way in the colder months, I could study from the comfort of my room and still get a dose of the outdoors.
2. Use fun school supplies to motivate you.
I am a huge proponent of cute school supplies and decor items to dress your desk for success. Growing up, I would always scout out folders, pens and notebooks to organize all my school work. Even though it’s my first year out of college, I was able to go to Office Depot to pick up some fun supplies that will come in handy for my job and my blogging space. I was excited to see that they had a huge selection of teal and gold notebooks, folders, clipboards and desk accessories — some of my favorite colors. Definitely check out the Divoga® Gold Struck collection if you like this style too. With affordable options, Office Depot and OfficeMax stores have unique supplies perfect for college students and bloggers alike.
3. Find a hobby you love.
After reading Daisy’s post on finding a true hobby, I am truly convinced that hobbies spark our best creativity and that pursuing hobbies in college is a must. Hobbies bring joy and inspiration to our lives and are essential to success in college and maintaining and important school/life/work balance. If you are athletic, perhaps join a sports team. If you love art, join a painting club or take a ceramics class. Looking for some creative adventure? Get involved in an outdoor adventure club on campus. Last year at school, I started to make travel journals and watercolor paintings, hobbies I still love now! I even made sure to pick up some more Washi tape and pens from Office Depot to use in my journals and creative hobbies this season.
4. Keep a journal.
Along with finding a hobby, I highly suggest keeping a journal to keep you creative. This can be a gratitude journal or a diary. It can be a one-word journal, or a list journal. Whatever you decide, writing for fun only helps us become better writers. And in between all the college essays and reports, having your own space to write your thoughts and process college life will help you reflect on your goals and next steps for your college career. Start by browsing for journals online or in your local stores, and then take 10 minutes out of your morning or night routine to reflect on your day. Carrying around a notebook also ensures that you can right now genius ideas at any time of the day. You’ll always have a source of creative inspiration!
5. Put learning new things first.
They say that the first couple years in college are all about discovering yourself and what you like to do. I think this is semi-true—I explored different majors in college and learned a lot of new things about myself. However, the other side of this learning process is learning more about the world and its people—all about history, science, current issues, the struggles people have, sustainable solutions, how things are made, organizational structures and how to best communicate with others. We learn more about ourself and our role in the world when we get out of our comfort zone, put others before ourselves and find out where our strengths can make the biggest difference. It’s a bit of a paradox, but this is how creativity works: having the desire to learn new things and learn how you fit into the story. Biggest piece of advice for creativity? Have the guts to learn as much as you can, even if something doesn’t interest you right away. You never know how it will be useful in the future.
So are you ready to go to class with a sudden burst of creativity? Are you ready to have awesome school supplies to boost your confidence and success in your studies? Gear up for the new school year and remember that you are uniquely creative and that your creativity will make a big difference in this world.
Thank you to Office Depot, Inc. and Her Campus Media for sponsoring this post and helping college students come back to school in style! All opinions expressed are 100% my own.