With the whole world spending more time at home now, more people have significantly more free time in their day. The question is what to do with this time. There’s a lot of talk online from some who say we need to keep being productive while others say it’s okay to take some time off to really feel everything and process the big change in society we are currently experiencing.  I think both arguments are valid. The world had previously been conditioned into productive machines and it’s this mentality that makes people feel dissatisfied when they aren’t continuously working. It’s also important for humans to have some form of routine as we are creatures of habit. A routine helps to keep us focused on goals and keeps our mental health in check, stopping us from worrying about all the negatives. A good way to keep our minds busy while still enabling our bodies to take a break from the normal is by learning new skills. This is the best time to figure out your creative talents and work on them. There’s always been that complaint of never having enough time to work on a new skill. Well now you have all the time in the world. Here are a few creative skills you can learn and practise during this time with a couple of resources to help you in perfecting them.

1.       Sewing

Sewing is a great skill to learn. It teaches you patience and offers you a wonderful sense of accomplishment once you complete a project. Sewing allows you to work on a variety of projects that you would have otherwise have to purchase. For example, sewing can help you work on your home decor. An easy sewing project could be sewing pillows or cushions for your beddings and sofa sets. If you’ve been dying for a home revamp then this is an easy and fun way to start. Another really useful sewing project you can work on is making DIY facemasks. During this pandemic, a lot of countries have been having shortages of protective equipment to keep them safe from spreading or contracting the virus. Making for yourself and those in your home masks to use when you need to go outside to do grocery runs is a good way to help in minimizing the spread and ultimately flattening the curve. Here’s a good video you can watch to get you started in how to make a DIY face mask. https://youtu.be/S9RWII2-5_4

2.       Drawing and Painting

This is a really good idea to help you express yourself, release inner tensions and just have fun. I know you’re probably thinking if you’ve never done this before where you even start from. There are a number of great resources and tools online to help.  Artists Network offers some free art tutorials for both painting and drawing lessons.  Check out some of their courses on their website https://www.artistsnetwork.com/free-art-instruction/ In addition, make use of resources you already have at home as tools for your painting or drawing as opposed to buying new art equipment which can be quite expensive.  Some of these could be to use crushed coffee granules mixed with water as a water colour/paint. Food colouring is also another creative option to use as paint. Mix the food colouring with water and flour to create a nice thick texture of paint.

3.       Cooking and Baking

Cooking and baking is definitely a skill that most of us have been brushing up on. With the restrictions from going into restaurants or in some countries even from ordering in fast food, a lot of people have been forced to make more home-cooked meals. Try to make the cooking experience fun and more of a hobby as opposed to a task. Try out new interesting recipes and treat yourself and your family to some yummy treats. Take time to cook with your partner or family member in your free time. It’s a great way to bond and spice up your relationships as well because who doesn’t love food. It’s also a good time to explore more healthy eating and food ingredients. If you’re up for it you could even challenge yourself to do a lifestyle change where you try out new eating habits like veganism.  Whatever you do with your cooking, make it enjoyable and a learning curve. We really love some of @kaluhiskitchen’s recipes. She’s a Kenyan food content creator and even has a published e-book with 50 delicious recipes. If you’re looking to try more African authentic dishes her platform would be a good place to start

4.       Writing

This would be the best time to start journaling your thoughts. You don’t have to be the best writer or really good with words to journal. Journaling is personal but really helps to release tension and emotional stress. With everything going on in the world, you may be finding it difficult to process or even air your thoughts and opinions with others around you.  Journaling is a great solution as it will still feel like you are airing out what you’re feeling and therefore taking a load off your chest while still remaining personal and true to yourself. It’s also really important to document your story and preserve history because these are really vital times people. If you’re more used to writing maybe this is the time to start working on that book you’ve been saying you’ll start yet have never started. Find inspiration from everything that’s happening around us, from your dreams, aspirations and from reading other great authors as well. It could also be a great time to start a blog for your business. With everything slowly shifting online it’s becoming more and more important to build a presence online for your business. A really good way to do this is by starting a blog where you can share stories about your brand including its mission and vision. This will help create awareness, improve your SEO and help customers relate more to you hence building a more committed audience/customer base.

Whatever creative skill you decide to try out we hope it gives you the best joy, satisfaction and distraction you need during these trying times