How to Find Creative Hobbies That Fulfill You During Your Career Break

Your career break can be the perfect breeding ground for personal growth and exploration. Here’s how to find creative hobbies that serve you in this chapter.

I believe that creativity is an innate human skill. Something, each of us is born with. Often, we forget the creative freedom of our childhood. But, by simply being a bit more curious about our consumption habits, we might find the path back to a sustainable creative hobby that piques our interest, teaches us new skills, and allows us to express ourselves freely. 

Today, I’m going to challenge you to become a detective of your own life and notice clues that will point you in the direction of a sustainable creative hobby you might like to pursue. 

We will discuss how to make the most of your career break and get your creative energy flowing.

Pay Attention to What You’re Consuming

First, start to become aware of what you're consuming. Follow a ton of food bloggers, chefs, or food stylists on Instagram? Maybe cooking is your jam. Moved to tears by brilliant poetry, novels, or creative writing?

Try your hand at crafting a short story of your own (an online class through places like Catapult or Story Studio can get you started). Spending hours in a museum or gallery admiring all the colors, shapes, and texture of the work that surrounds you? Take an art class and give painting a spin (New Masters Academy offers affordable online classes taught by artists working in the field).

I often find that what we consume digitally and in real life, is closely related to what inspires us to create.

I often find that what we consume digitally and in real life, is closely related to what inspires us to create. Just start to notice what invites you to linger a bit longer in your day—and know that whatever it is, is a clue to what you might want to create in your life. Don’t be afraid to try lots of things, and build something unique to you that sparks your soul! 

As you begin to hone in on one (or a few) creative practices you’d like to bring into your life, it’s important to build this habit in a sustainable and approachable way so that you will practice most days. 

As much as I am a no-rules person when it comes to pursuing creativity, I’ve found, through years and years of trial and error, that having a few guidelines to keep it simple and inspirational are helpful at removing roadblocks and excuses in your day.

How to Turn Your Hobby Into a Habit

Here, my five best tips for inspiring your creative hobby:

1. Stay Consistent in Your Routine and Keep It Short

As you start any new habit, beginning in small doses at a consistent time of day, helps the habit to just stick. For me, that’s starting with short creative bursts first thing with my morning coffee. Even 10 to 15 minutes, before the rest of my house is awake and needing me! Tying my creativity to my morning caffeine ties a new habit to a well-established habit, ensuring that I make it happen. As you start, start small, start doable and just start. You’ll soon find the benefits and fun from this little sliver of time so rewarding, you’ll start to sneak a few extra minutes in each day. 

2. Focus on the Feeling, Not the Outcome 

The goal of daily practice, or any creative habit in my book, is to simply enjoy the process. To increase joy and purpose, and to invite a few minutes of connection and reflection into your days. This time spent creating, quiets the anxious mind—reducing stress and increasing happy thoughts in your brain and body.

Staying present, and focused on these emotions and feeling of flow is the point of this daily work. The actual art/meal /music you make? Who cares? Sometimes it will be terrible. Sometimes it will be great. But that’s not your focus, or your why for pursuing creative hobbies. Focus on the process, the benefits, the fun, the feelings and let the outcome just be. 

3. Make the Setup Special 

Once you’ve identified the creative hobby you will pursue, invest in a few special items and supplies that will make you happy just to be using them! This can be really wonderfully pigmented watercolors, or a beautiful vase repurposed to store pencils, brushes, or cooking utensils.

For me, I like to display my supplies in visibly curated arrangements in the spots that I make in frequently. It keeps me accountable, and beckons me to return to my practice if I’ve taken a few days off—just by it’s sheer beauty. Whatever works for you, keep it organized, visible and inviting. The set up is so important because it sets the tone and the mood for your practice. 

4. Set a Goal for Your Practice

Yes, I know. This is a hobby. But, goals are good. For me, I focus on fun and learning in my creative practice, which helps to keep me out of my head and out of my inner critic voice.

Having a why in mind for your own creative hobby helps you to commit to making it happen, most days. It keeps you accountable and keeps your focus on why carving out the time to make something, most days, is good for your soul. 

5. Keep a Bank of Inspiration 

The two biggest hurdles when starting a new creative practice, are carving out the time and not knowing what to make. For this purpose, I like to keep a bank of inspiration in Pinterest and my phone’s camera roll of ideas I’d like to explore in my daily creative sessions. They might be another artist’s work, a room that is inspiring in color, or a patterned tile I want to build from. Having inspiration at my fingertips ensures I’m never without a creative idea to explore.

Start Somewhere

I hope that you’ll begin your creative journey soon, and find the time well spent in your days. Pursuing creativity means pursuing love, joy, calm, beauty, mess, play, and flow all at the same time. Doing it most days will leave you inspired and ready to bring your best self to the rest of your day! 

Read more:

6 Motivational Workbooks to Inspire Growth in Your Career Break

Editor’s note: A version of this story first appeared in 2019. It has been updated for timeliness.