Do something creative outside your field. Image licensed via Adobe Stock
Your brain needs gentle coaxing, not a creative boot camp. Here are 10 ways to ease yourself back into making things.
Everyone hates coming back to work after Christmas, and that’s not really surprising. After a summer holiday, at least there’s a soft landing: half the office is still away, the buzz slowly builds, and you can ride that energy back into the groove. January, though, is another story.
Everyone’s back at once; tired, broke and mildly irritated. Dry January removes one of civilisation’s great coping mechanisms. And suddenly we’re expected to feel motivated again, with the chocolates and vibes that powered us through Christmas markedly absent.
So how do you get your creative brain going again? I’ll be honest: for most people, there’s no instant switch. But actually, that’s fine. Because let’s face it: nobody expects you to create a masterpiece on 5 January.
So don’t try to overachieve. Instead, lower the bar and gently coax your creativity back to life with small, low-pressure actions that actually work. Here are 10 to choose from.
1. Do some surface-level tidying (not inbox zero)
Forget inbox zero. That way lies madness. Instead, set a timer for 15 minutes and do the obvious stuff: delete spam, archive newsletters you’ll never read, maybe reply to one low-stakes email you’ve been avoiding since December.
You’re not aiming for perfection here. You’re just clearing enough mental space to breathe. Finishing a small, contained task gives your brain a sense of momentum… and that alone can shift your mood more than you’d expect.
2. Revisit one old idea you abandoned
Struggling to come up with new ideas? That’s completely normal. Instead of forcing it, look backwards. Dig out an old notebook, a half-finished file or a saved post you once loved. Find one idea you were genuinely excited about and look at it again with fresh eyes. You don’t need to commit to finishing it. The point is to remember what curiosity feels like. Often, reconnecting with that earlier excitement is enough to restart your creative engine.
3. Do a creative warm-up that isn’t client work
Before touching “real” work, give yourself 20 minutes to play. Doodle. Write nonsense. Rearrange type. Take photos of mundane objects. Make something deliberately pointless. This isn’t procrastination; it’s stretching before a run. You’re reminding your brain how to move without the pressure of outcomes or approval. Nothing needs to be good. It just needs to exist.
4. Change where you work for a morning
If your desk feels soaked in pre-Christmas stress, move. Work from a different room, a café, a library, the kitchen table; anywhere that isn’t your usual spot. A change of scenery nudges your brain into paying attention again. It also breaks habits such as compulsively checking email. Sometimes the fastest way to get unstuck is simply to sit somewhere else.
5. Put one inspiring thing in the diary
January can feel endless, so give yourself something to look forward to. Book an exhibition, a talk, a workshop or a gig. It doesn’t need to be soon. In fact, sometimes further away is better. Having something in the calendar creates a sense of forward motion. It also reminds you that inspiration still exists beyond your screen and your to-do list.
6. Consume creativity in a different medium
Sometimes January just demands you shake things up. So if you’re a designer, listen to a fiction podcast. If you’re a writer, watch a dance performance on YouTube. If you’re an illustrator, read some poetry. Creative cross-pollination sparks unexpected ideas by removing the pressure to “learn something useful”. It’s input without homework, which is exactly why it works.
7. Set a 10-minute timer
This one works in any discipline. Set a timer for 10 minutes and make something. One paragraph. One sketch. One terrible poster about your favourite biscuit. Ten minutes is short enough to feel doable and long enough to create momentum. When the timer ends, stop. No polishing, no fixing, no judging. You’ve done the thing, and that’s enough.
8. Look at your work from three years ago
If confidence is low, this always helps me. Scroll through old projects or portfolios and notice how much you’ve actually progressed. You’ll cringe at parts of it. Good. That means you’ve grown. You may also rediscover ideas or techniques worth revisiting now, with better skills and more perspective.
9. Reorganise a small corner of your workspace
If you’ve seen too many ‘New year, new you’ posts on Instagram, you may be tempted to reorganise your entire studio. But in reality, that’s usually too much. Instead, just focus on one drawer, one shelf, or that pile of stuff on the corner of your desk. This works because physical movement helps unstick mental blocks. You may also rediscover tools or materials you’d forgotten about, which can help spark fresh ideas.
10. Copy something you admire
Here’s another exercise that works well for me. Find a piece of work you love (a poster, a painting, a piece of writing) and deliberately recreate it. Copying is something you did a lot of as a child, but many of us stop doing it as adults. Yet it’s a great way to take the pressure off being original (which can be exhausting) while still engaging your creative brain. Artists have been doing this for centuries, after all: there’s a reason master studies exist.
The point isn’t perfection
None of these ideas requires you to feel inspired, motivated or brilliant. They just ask you to show up and do something small. And that’s because your creative brain doesn’t need a dramatic relaunch. It just needs kindness, variety and permission to warm up slowly. So pick one thing from this list. Do it today or tomorrow. See what happens. You might be surprised how quickly your creativity comes back when you stop demanding so much from it.
