This post is an expansion of tip #56 in our post 101 Graphic Design Tips for Business Success.

Go Home And Have A Creative Life

Not all of your artistic endeavors need to happen from behind your computer. It’s good for you to get out and your hands dirty. This is the only way that you actually explore and understand your creativity, and likes, to the fullest. A quote from the movie Auntie Mame (1958) sums it up, “Yes! Live! Life’s a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to
death!”

At a recent In-HOWse design conference, Stanley Hainsworth, founder of Tether and former creative director at Nike, Lego and Starbucks, stressed the virtues of personal projects. He encouraged his team at Starbucks to go home and have a creative life outside of work. The results were happy, healthy and inspired designers.

Other Forms Of Mediums

Remember how much you enjoyed arts n’ crafts as a child? You can still find stimulation from activities that required you to wear a smock (minus the paste eating). Spend time each week, even if it is just a few minutes, immersing yourself in an activity of your choice. Create watercolor cards for your friends, experiment with photography or sculpture. Japanese ink painting and oils introduce you to the nuances of shade and concentration. You don’t have to be good at it to give it a try.

Opening up your brain to other forms of mediums sharpens the skills you have and helps you develop new ones. An added bonus is that it’s a no-pressure way to release your inhibitions. You don’t have a client to impress or a deadline to meet. A new undertaking takes your mind off of the stress of the day and rejuvenates your way of thinking.