How I stay creative when I'm avoiding writing

Some call it procrastination, I call it a redirection of energy

I don’t know about you, but I notice a huge difference in my mood when I’m actively being creative versus when I’m not. Over the last year, I’ve struggled with what my therapist has deemed executive dysfunction, something that’s kept me glued to my phone in an endless doomscroll. It’s funny because I reach for it for a dopamine rush but it’s never enough. It never quenches the thirst or provides enough happy hormones to sustain me like I think it will, not like creativity does. Because I’ve had the audacity to call myself “a writer,” I often feel guilty when I’m not writing. Sometimes, however, writing doesn’t hit the spot either. When I’m faced with a blank page and a mountain of impostor syndrome, it can be hard to get much out. I know the best way to push through writer’s block is to just write anyway, but sometimes I just need to feel better about creating in general. That’s when I find myself pivoting to other things.

Things like:

Clothing collages

I love scrolling on Pinterest perhaps more than the average person. I love the inspiration and the beauty, the mere abundance of creativity. No, I don’t love the incessant ads and overt product pushes, but that’s what an ad blocker is for. I’m very much a visual person (I’ve written before about how I have a blind mind’s eye), so it’s pretty much the perfect platform for me. Some of my favorite pins are outfit inspiration collages, which are a tool I’ve used to help plan out my own outfits (since I can’t tell what it will look like just by thinking about it and am too lazy to try everything on). There’s something so satisfying about seeking out new items or incorporating ones you already own and putting them together. It’s almost like playing with paper dolls, but for adults. I dare you to name something better. (Actually, wait, I can. See the second to last item of this list.)

Imaginary invitations

If you’ve been a reader of CEOverthinker for a minute (first of all, thank you for being here 🙏), you know how I love a good themed party. You know I love to embrace the extra, from the food to the decor – and even the dress code. As much as I love it, I will admit it can be a lot of work. Sometimes I just want to come up with the idea and make an invitation with a corresponding mood board just for fun. I’ve also experimented with making bachelorette itineraries with a friend and selling them on Etsy. Both are more accessible and easier to execute but still scratch that creative itch. Plus, they provide an outlet for all the puns I have inside me.

Home decor

Another thing I love to do because I’m mentally-visually impaired is design rooms and spaces on my iPad. Sometimes I do it for friends, sometimes I do it for myself, and sometimes they actually get brought to life for real. Overall, it’s just fun to imagine what a space could look like and how something as simple as paint or furniture can change everything. And let me tell you, it’s a hell of a lot easier than having to measure and drill anything or go to Home Depot eighteen times.

The Sims

When I think about my first love, it’s a close call between the boy who played Peter Pan in the 2003 live action film and the computer game The Sims. The Sims didn’t have crystal blue eyes, luscious eyelashes, and unsuppressed emotional expression, but it did have hours upon hours of exquisite entertainment. And before you ask, no, I was not one of those Simmers who killed my Sims. Rather, I was the kind that liked to build their houses, got stressed when they were late for work, and then cried when they died because I accidentally forgot how to turn off the aging feature. As the game evolved, the design features became more sophisticated and I became more enraptured. I always liked making new Sims and picking their outfits, but I loved building and decorating their houses. Once I discovered custom mods – custom items designed by game players/other artists outside of the game maker EA – it was game on, so to speak (and game over for my computer storage lol). I still play it to this day as a thirty-two-year-old. I essentially use the game as a CAD program, building out my iPad designs to see if they’ll work spatially (you know, without actual dimensions or really measuring anything) like I did with my friend’s house in the below video. Sometimes, if I’m feeling really wild, I’ll turn on a Joanna Gaines TV show and try to build the home in The Sims while I watch. For me, The Sims has it all. Playing it allows me to tap into my design brain while also activating my imagination like playing with dolls did when I was little.

Plain old pen/pencil/paint and paper

You’ll notice a lot of these things are digital. It’s true, I should probably commit to a digital detox. However, I do occasionally put actual pen/pencil/paint to paper. I used to do so a lot more when I was actively learning calligraphy several years ago. I still come back to it now and then, usually when I need to make a birthday card or wedding signage for a friend. It’s honestly another thing I procrastinate in the same way as writing because I feel like there’s more pressure to make it perfect. Unless you’re using a pencil, you really only get one chance and have to start over if you make a mistake. To combat this fear of messing up, I’ve been trying other things like Zentangles and mind maps that don’t require precision or perfection. I’ve noticed they help my brain relax, which is when creativity feels the best – which is how it should be.

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Author’s Note: What do you do to stay creative (or to procrastinate when you should be doing something else)? 🎨 I’d love to hear about it!