In a world that constantly asks us to do more, creating space to simply be has become a form of self-care.
Contrary to popular belief, creativity isn't something reserved for artists. It's a way of slowing down, expressing yourself and giving your mind a break from constant notifications, meetings and to-do lists.
Interestingly, many artists don't rely on inspiration alone. They build small daily rituals that help them feel calmer, more present and ready to create. The good news? You don't need to be a professional painter to borrow these habits.
Here are seven simple creative self-care rituals you can start today.
1. Protect the First Few Minutes of Your Day
How you start your morning often shapes the rest of it.
Instead of immediately reaching for your phone, give yourself ten quiet minutes before the outside world arrives. Make a coffee, open the windows, stretch, or simply sit with your thoughts.
This isn't about creating the perfect morning routine. It's about beginning the day intentionally instead of reactively.
Many people find that this small pause helps reduce stress and makes them feel more focused throughout the day.
2. Move Your Body Before You Ask Your Brain to Create
Creativity does not only happen while you are sitting at a desk. Sometimes, the best way to loosen a stuck idea is to move first.
A short walk, a few gentle stretches, cycling, gardening or dancing around the kitchen can help create a transition between a busy day and a calmer creative session. The movement does not need to be strenuous or turn into another goal to achieve. Even a few minutes can help you step away from emails, responsibilities and repetitive thoughts before you begin painting, writing or making something with your hands.
There is research behind this connection. In a Stanford University study, Marily Oppezzo and Daniel Schwartz conducted four experiments comparing people’s creative thinking while sitting and walking. Walking improved performance on tasks involving divergent thinking (the ability to generate several possible ideas) and the effect often continued for a short period after participants sat down again. The researchers found the benefit indoors on a treadmill as well as outdoors, suggesting that the act of walking itself played an important role.
The findings do not mean that every type of exercise automatically makes someone more creative. A later systematic review found promising but still limited evidence that short periods of moderate exercise may support creative thinking, while also noting that many existing studies have methodological limitations.
The practical lesson is simple: movement can be a useful creative reset, not a magic formula.
Before an evening painting session, try walking around the block, stretching your shoulders and hands, or putting on one song and moving until it ends. Rather than asking yourself to switch immediately from work mode into creativity, give your body a few minutes to help your mind make the transition.
You might return to your canvas feeling less restless, more attentive and more open to the process, even when the goal is simply to paint the next small section.
3. Create a Ritual Around Your Creative Space
One reason creative hobbies feel so relaxing is that they create a sense of ceremony.
- Lay out your brushes.
- Choose your favourite mug.
- Light a candle.
- Put your phone on silent.
- Play a playlist you love.
These tiny actions tell your brain that you're entering a different kind of time—one where there are no deadlines, notifications or expectations.
If you're just getting started, our guide on how to do paint by numbers walks you through everything you'll need before picking up your first brush.
4. Make Something Without Trying to Be Good at It
As adults, we often forget what it feels like to create simply because the process itself is enjoyable. We cook because dinner needs to be made, write because work requires it and take photographs because we plan to share them, which means creativity can slowly become tied to productivity, performance or approval.
Creative self-care works differently. It gives you permission to make something without needing it to be useful, impressive or ready to show anyone else. You might paint, bake, draw, arrange flowers, journal or experiment with colour simply because the activity feels absorbing and satisfying in the moment.
The goal is not to produce your best work. It is to spend time doing something with your hands, focusing on the next small step and allowing yourself to enjoy the process without constantly judging the result. This can feel especially restorative for people who spend much of their day making decisions, solving problems or working towards measurable outcomes.
That is one reason paint by numbers can be such an appealing creative ritual. The structure removes the pressure of starting with a blank canvas, while the act of choosing colours, filling each section and watching the image gradually emerge still creates a genuine sense of involvement and accomplishment.
Using a guided canvas does not make the experience less creative. It simply changes where the creativity sits: in your concentration, your technique, your colour choices and the way you bring the final painting to life.
For a deeper look at that debate, read Is Paint by Numbers Art or Cheating?
5. Spend More Time Looking at Nature
Nature has always been one of the greatest sources of creative inspiration.
So next time you're going out, notice the colours of leaves after rain, the changing light during golden hour, the patterns in flowers, the texture of stone or the sound of the sea.
You don't need to travel far to notice beauty. Simply paying attention to your surroundings can help quiet a busy mind while naturally training your eye for colour and composition.
If you're interested in how colour influences mood, our beginner's guide to colour theory is a great next read.
6. Empty Your Mind Before Filling It Again
Creativity and mental clutter rarely work well together. When your mind is occupied with unfinished tasks, upcoming meetings, shopping lists or small worries, it can be difficult to settle into an activity that requires patience and attention.
Before beginning a creative session, try spending five minutes writing down whatever is taking up space in your head. This could be a practical list of things you need to remember, a few sentences about how you are feeling or an idea you do not want to lose. The writing does not need to be polished, insightful or even organised; its purpose is simply to move some of that mental noise onto the page.
This kind of brief journalling can help create a clearer boundary between the demands of the day and the quieter activity you are about to begin. Instead of trying to suppress every distracting thought, you acknowledge it, record it and give yourself permission to return to it later.
Once those thoughts feel safely captured, it may become easier to focus on the next small creative action, whether that means mixing a colour, filling one section of a canvas or sketching without a plan. The aim is not to empty your mind completely, but to create enough space for concentration, curiosity and enjoyment to return.
7. End the Day with One Screen-Free Creative Hour
We often spend our evenings switching between emails, messages, television and social media without giving our brains a genuine opportunity to rest.
Replacing just one hour of screen time each week with a creative hobby can feel surprisingly restorative.
And you've got multiple options: reading, knitting, gardening, building legos, completing a puzzle, or spending an hour painting.
Paint by numbers is particularly well suited to evenings because it combines structure with creativity. You don't need to decide what to create and you simply enjoy the process of watching the artwork gradually come to life.
If you're curious about the science behind this, explore How Paint by Numbers Helps Your Mental Health and Why Hobbies Are Good for Your Mental Health.
Creativity Doesn't Have to Be Productive
One of the biggest misconceptions about creativity is that it should always lead to something impressive: a finishing piece of artwork, a side business, a printed book, a masterpiece.
Sometimes, creativity simply helps you slow down and it gives your mind something gentle to focus on. It reminds you that making something with your hands can be just as rewarding as scrolling through your phone.
Whether that's painting, gardening, baking or journaling doesn't matter nearly as much as making space for it in the first place.
If you're looking for an easy way to begin, explore our collection of modern paint by numbers kits, designed in London to help you create beautiful artwork while enjoying a slower, more mindful evening.
