CREATIVITY
Unexpected Canvases:
How JOy Sparks Creativity
I used to escape into an art studio to paint — big canvases, messy brushes, new mediums. It was a place where I could make bold moves without worrying about cleanup. Then Covid hit, the studio shut down, and suddenly creativity meant setting up at home. Which really meant… 15 minutes of setup, 10 minutes of painting, 30 minutes of cleanup. Brushes dried out, paints crusted over, and the joy started feeling like a chore.
Then I stumbled across makeup tutorials on YouTube. I realized so much of it was the same language I already knew: blending, layering, color theory. So I pulled out the only two eyeshadow palettes I owned and started experimenting.
To my surprise, I was hooked. It gave me the same thrill of creating — but with none of the setup dread. Sometimes I’d sit down and try an eyeshadow look right before hopping into the shower, knowing it would just wash off. And that was freeing. No pressure, no cleanup, just play.
Unexpected Canvases
It made me realize something: creativity doesn’t always show up the way we expect. For me, it shifted from canvas to my face. For others, it takes a completely different shape.
THE IRON CHEF
For one friend, who spends her workdays deep in data, creativity comes alive in the kitchen. She’s a natural with food and seasonings — never a scale in sight, just instinct. She’ll take a recipe from online, then bend it to her own flavor until it feels like hers.
A SECRET GARDEN
My cousin, a social worker, is drained by the weight of other people’s struggles all day. The last thing she wants is more talking when she’s home. Instead, she pours herself into her garden. Row after row of different varieties of fruit and vegetables, enough to share at harvest. It’s her quiet form of abundance.
THE COFFEE PRINCE
And then there’s my brother. A biologist, steady and logical by nature. During grad school, he fell in love with coffee — not just drinking it, but studying beans, learning to steam milk into patterns, offering hand-crafted cups to friends. I’ve never seen him more artistic.
Joy + Passion = Creativity
Different mediums, different stories — but the same thread runs through all of them. Joy. My friend in her kitchen, my cousin in her garden, my brother with his coffee, and me with a brush or a palette. Each of us found something that made us light up, and that joy is what sparks creativity more than any single activity.
That’s when I learned something important: creative hobbies don’t have to look the way they used to. Sometimes you just need a medium that fits your life right now.
So maybe the real question isn’t what hobby should I pick up? but what brings me joy today? Start there — and see where it takes you.
I relate to the coffee morning ritual although now I’m over the French press espressos and lazifying on the Nespresso for those more serious deep down first world issues! Holler if you ever see me in the OC, LA, SB, or Seattle☕️