Why does creativity matter? You hear people talk about creativity and innovation all the time nowadays, and these two notions have become so talked about that the majority of us confuse creativity with doing art and think that as long as we can’t draw or paint, we’re not creative or not creative enough. 

In this article, I am willing to share with you four reasons why absolutely everyone should practice an art form or a creative skill, even if they’re not artists. 

Creativity isn’t necessarily a characteristic you’re born with; it’s a trait that can be developed and honed through habit.

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Do I have to be an artist to practice a creative skill daily?

Growing up, I loved drawing; it was a big part of my identity. However, I never treated that as a talent, I have always practiced it and wanted to make it part of my career. 

On the other hand, I made sure for the past eight years to practice a creative skill daily! A creative skill, not necessarily drawing, or painting, just any creative skill that could come to mind. And since then, I learned how to code, I learned how to use design software, I learned digital marketing, and video editing. About a year ago, I learned creative writing and launched the blog where you’re reading this article right now. All of it came from trying and practicing different creative skills on daily basis with no previous plans or expectations.

How much time should we invest in practicing a creative skill?

There’s no secret recipe to this. As little as 15 min of focused work per day has the power to change your mindset and life. Something other than your job! just a creative craft that you know nothing about or you know little or even know a lot about, there’s always more to learn.

Write, edit videos, draw, try clay, origami, anything even if you have no plans on turning it into a business, ever.

Choose one creative skill a month, and spend as much time as you can afford daily working on it. And if you feel like keeping it as a habit for more time, go ahead and do that.

Let’s take a look at my case. I’ve spent at least one-hour writing daily for the past year, and since then, I’ve gotten so good with words,  my articles have been read by thousands online and offline, and I make a part-time living through writing. And here are 4 reasons why you should do that too: 

1- Getting a motivation boost

This might sound funny, but I never had the mindset of working an office job until I started blogging and writing articles. It fueled me with passion. Getting good at writing made me passionate about waking up on a Monday, heading to the office to get work done, and then posting to my blog. It made me do the exact same thing for the rest of the week just so I can have a calm escape moment and type my ideas and insights down for future articles. Writing gave me some reprieve from all the noise, nonsense, bs, and petty annoyances of the world and my day-to-day life which I am sure any other creative skill would give you.

2- Compounding creativity

Whatever you’re choosing to practice will compound, may it be a craft, skillset, or audience, whatever it is, you will notice the progress just like gym sessions compound to give you abs later on. You don’t notice it in the first week, but after a while, you don’t even remember what you looked like before.

3- Patience is rewarding

By following the daily practice of a creative skill, you are teaching yourself patience, openness, and commitment that will give you back a reward. Your little hobby could turn into something big if you let time do the work. Minutes of focused work each day isn’t much if you take the time to block it out. But down the road, big things can happen.

4- Creativity serves in other aspects of life

I understand that some of us have more corporate mindsets than others. Creativity doesn’t only serve art and creative fields. Developing a creative mind means allowing yourself to think differently. The only way to stimulate creativity is by immersing yourself in trying different creative skills.

Get started, and get creative! You never know the possibilities that come with opening up to new worlds.