15 Things to Boost a Girl’s Creativity

 A creative girl does not necessarily come up with their own ideas. On the contrary, the most creative people are just very good copycats who know how to make something their own. Here are some ideas for girls who would like to be more creative, but don’t know where to start.
 
Write! If you aren’t already a writer, start today. Begin by writing about anything- your greatest wish, your biggest fear, what you ate for lunch, or a lengthy description of your sister’s 7th birthday. I’ve made a habit of writing in my mind; putting things into sentences and paragraphs and chapters, so when I get to a computer or a piece of paper I can let it all out before I forget it. Focus more on quality, and not on quantity. Once you get quality figured out, quantity will come naturally. Try your writing skills on these genres:

• Write a novel (or a short story)
• Write a song- if you can’t figure the music out, just write a parody of someone else’s song, or have someone put the words to music.
• Write poetry- this is essentially the same as songwriting without the music.
• Post regularly in a blog- even the free blog hosting websites (like Blogger) have neat features. It’s also fun when other bloggers comment on your posts!
• Write regularly in a private journal.
• Write articles for newspapers, magazines, or websites (like this one).

Music can boost your creativity like nothing else. Choose to listen to all kinds of music; even the boring genres, like classical. I’ve actually come to like classical music, just from listening to it every day. Jazz, folk, rock, and blues are some that you might like.

• Play an instrument. I’ve picked up several in the last few years, after playing piano for many years. You can try stringed instruments (violin, guitar), brass instruments (trumpet, trombone), percussion (drums), and wind instruments (flute, clarinet). Focus first on learning basic music skills, like knowing the notes and reading music, and then you can focus on your specific instrument. I like to sit down and just play around with my instruments sometimes. This helps me get to know them like the back of my hand.
• Cook without a recipe. You’ve done this before if your cupboard has ever been “bare”. Try substituting ingredients, or making two recipes into one. For example, one time I went to make granola, only to find that there was not enough oatmeal. So I made “granola muffins” instead. It helps if you know how to use herbs and spices, and have basic cooking skills.
• Sew without a pattern. Start with something simple, like a purse. Once you’ve accomplished that, you can move on to more complicated things like skirts and dresses. It helps if you know what the basic shape of pattern pieces are. A good way to learn this is to take apart old pants, shirts, and the like, and put them back together again. Want another challenge? Try making the same pair of pants a size smaller, or a size bigger.

Art is the height of creative expression, in my opinion. This will enhance your creativity like nothing else.

• Paint (on anything) – furniture, paper, walls, ceiling, clothing. Start with easy figures like birds, flowers, and sky, and then try harder ones like animals and people.
• Draw. Make your own illustrations for greeting cards, journal entries, letters, and for the refrigerator.

Prepared kits and instructions stifle creativity.

• Make something out of junk- old books, clothes, broken furniture, even discards like baler twine or plastic bags.

Reading is tantamount to becoming a creative girl. Untold numbers of wonderful unused new ideas lie waiting in books. Read voraciously:

• Read classic literature, like Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen, and Verne.
• Surf the web. Have a long list of favorite websites, and subscribe to them or visit them regularly.
• Read do-it-yourself books. I go through these at the library like there’s no tomorrow. Even if it’s just a skim-through, one interesting idea or new skill is worth the effort.

Creativity sometimes comes naturally, but more than anything, it is practiced and worked at. Good luck.