Riley Sheehey’s 30-Day Creativity Challenge

This month’s 30-day challenge is all about inspiration and creativity.

You don’t have to be a full-time artist to tap into your creativity. In fact, studies show that finding a creative outlet — whether it’s drawing, writing, painting, or dancing — can have major long-term health benefits like reducing overall stress and anxiety, and cultivating a positive mindset. 

That’s why we are so excited about this month’s 30-day challenge. We partnered with artist Riley Sheehey who came up with daily activities that you can do all month long to spark your creativity and maybe even find a new passion. 

Download the 30-day creativity challenge worksheet right here!

The 30-day challenge is a key feature in our best-selling goal planners for a reason: It’s a powerful way to start making big changes in your life in just one month. By committing to doing something small every single day, after 30 days, not only will you have picked up a new habit, but you’ll also be one step closer to the person you want to be.

And here’s the good news about being creative: There’s no one right way to do it! Whether you are journaling, dancing to a new song, baking something from scratch, or even just taking a mindful walk and noticing the sights and sounds around you, there are tons of different ways to tap into your creativity.

If you are ready to dive in, here are a few tips that Riley shared that help her get into a creative mindset, even when she’s feeling unmotivated or uninspired:

1. Try and set aside a moment each day to make something, even if it’s just a couple of minutes, and a quick drawing (or a new kind of sandwich, depending on what you like to do!)
2. This works more for drawing/painting, but I keep a list of “themes” or ideas/subjects to come back to on my phone for when I’m feeling uninspired
3. Collage! Whether it’s a digital collage of images from Pinterest or an actual scissors/paper/glue collage, when I’m in a rut, drawing inspiration from collecting other images always helps to jump-start creativity.”

Want to go even deeper with your creativity this month? In addition to our daily challenges, Riley also shared some ideas for larger projects that are perfect for days when you might have a larger stretch of time to devote to a project. Here are 16 bonus ideas to spark your inspiration:

1. Try block printing! Look up “linocut printing” online - order some supplies, and try it with fabric inks on a tablecloth.
2. Organize a camp out in your backyard (or living room, if it’s raining)
3. Host a dinner party and watercolor menus and/or place cards
4. Flash back to the days of summer camp and order some embroidery floss or hemp to make friendship bracelets
5. Host a scavenger hunt with your friends in the city/town where you live. Provide everyone with disposable cameras and a list of people, places, and things to take photos of.
6. Create your own floral arrangement/centerpiece from flowers from your grocery store or the local farmer’s market. Feeling ambitious? Use the arrangement as inspiration for a still-life watercolor painting or drawing. 
7. Use an old hardcover book to create an “altered book”- collage, cut, paste, paint, and draw on the pages of the book to transform it into a piece of art.
8. Using a flat board (cardboard or wood works!), old wine corks, and a hot-glue gun, create your own bulletin board. 
9. Dress up your wine glasses! Use multi-surface craft paint (or specialty glass paint) to paint your name (or the names of your friends/guests if you’re having a party) and/or pretty patterns on glasses. 
10. Have your family/friends create a “time capsule” filled with letters, significant objects of today, and lists of things you love (TV shows, books, movies, restaurants). Agree on a future date to meet and open it together. 
11. Design your own personal stationery! Use watercolors, pen/ink, etc. to illustrate your name (and possibly some embellishments). Either scan the drawing yourself, or take it to a local print shop to scan, then order stationery with your new custom letterhead.
12. Host a cocktail-making party/contest. As the host, make sure you have a fully stocked bar, and ask guests ahead of time what they’re making to make sure you have the right ingredients. Make “tasting cards”, and if you’re feeling up to it, turn it into a potluck, and have each guest bring an appetizer pairing for their drink!
13. Make something (a sculpture, drawing, painting, or object you can use) out of only what is in your recycling bin.
14. Paint/refinish an old piece of furniture.
15. Make your own candles! Most supplies are available at local craft stores- if you are looking for something quicker with less mess, rolling your own beeswax candles is a good place to start!
16. Draw your own seek-and-find. Include one person, place, or thing for each letter of the alphabet, then either send a photo to friends, or mail the hard-copy to a pen pal to complete.

We can’t wait to see how you get creative this month! Tag us in your progress on social media (@inkandvolt) — we would love to cheer you on!

Want even *more* 30-day challenge ideas? Check out our past blog posts here, here, and here for tons of inspiration, and keep an eye on our blog for future 30-day challenge collaborations!