Whelp, the stay at home order just got extended through the end of May in Illinois. The Jungels household has adapted as well as can be expected to quarantine life, the few notable exceptions being the fact that I am still WFBD (working from bedroom dresser) and the lack of accessible styling options that has left all of us (including Ruby) looking a bit like wookies.

As a creative, the thing I initially struggled with the most was finding creative inspiration. I’ve always relied on experience and exploration to fuel my creative spirit and open up my mind. Being confined to the same four walls for weeks on end was difficult to get used to. My creativity felt stifled and limited.

But the interesting thing I’ve realized? This quarantine has amplified creativity!  It’s opened up endless creative possibilities as we’ve all learned to adapt to an ever changing situation. And I’ve gone from being creatively helpless to being totally in awe of and inspired by how innovative we can be when we’re forced to step out of our comfort zones.

So if you’re looking for ways to get creative in your quarantine, we’ve got a list of the best ones we’ve seen so far below!

30 day challenge (or 100 day challenge if you’re feeling like an overachiever)

My Instagram feed has literally been covered in people embarking on 30- or 100-day creative challenges. If you’re wondering what one is, it’s a list of 30 things (one for each of the thirty days) and you have to create something everyday that corresponds with the item on the list. What I love about these is how you create is totally up to you. Maybe it’s a drawing or a watercolor or a collage or a Play-Doh sculpture. The world is your oyster, friend!

If you’re needing one, I created a challenge that’s travel-inspired. Click the image below to download the list and get creating!

Taking classes on Skillshare

Skillshare has been a game-changer for me in quarantine. Seriously. I love to learn, sometimes just for the sake of learning, and I’d been wanting to try Skillshare for awhile. So a couple weeks ago, I signed up and made a personal commitment to taking one class a day. They have classes on everything from calligraphy to graphic design to Excel hacks. My husband is currently working his way through piano classes and has been loving them (although “Hot Cross Buns” has been playing in a loop in my head for a solid week now).

Skillshare is a subscription based service and the monthly subscription is a little steep (about $20 a month) but if you google “Skillshare 2 months free” there are a million and one options for coupon codes that you can use to get your first two months completely free.  Do it, you won’t be sorry!

A good old-fashioned bake-off

Nothing like some quality time at home to bring out your inner Mary Berry. I saw someone the other day turn their love of baking into a friendly at home competition between her and her husband and I thought it was a brilliant idea. I am by no means a baking expert, but I once watched my husband scoop giant heaping cups of flour into a cookie recipe without leveling them off, so I’m pretty sure this is the one (and probably only) challenge I would win in my house.

Create homemade cards

My sister gets props for this because her handmade cards are seriously the best…

But I for one love that letter-writing and handmade cards are back in vogue. Who doesn’t love getting something in the mail that isn’t a bill, credit card solicitation, or subscription to a bow tie catalog that you don’t remember signing up for and don’t quite know how to cancel?

Take virtual tours or trips

For all the wanderlusters out there who are being incessantly bitten by the travel bug right now, I feel you. I don’t know about you, but somehow knowing that I can’t travel makes me want to travel more. So the fact that so many museums and tourist attractions around the world are banding together to offer virtual tours literally touches my heart. If you’re looking for some awesome lists Travel + Leisure has a good one (the Musee D’Orsay in Paris is a particular fave) and so does Refinery29 – you can actually virtually hike the Great Wall of China!

Design a scavenger hunt for your kids (or the kids in your neighborhood)

I saw this idea on Pinterest and my little third grade self (who still likes to make an appearance every now and then) got so excited about this idea. I used to love a good scavenger hunt. My imagination would run wild and I’d feel like I was hunting for buried treasure. But the idea can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. The versions I’ve seen are like a real life “Where’s Waldo?” where you take a walk around your neighborhood and find little things that you maybe wouldn’t see ordinarily and put them in a list for other people to hunt for on their walks.

Make inspirational art and hang it in your windows

These have been everywhere in Chicago and every one I see totally lights me up. They’re typically of a rainbow or just a sweet message of encouragement or solidarity, often done in crayon or magic marker. They are so simple, but they can literally make someone’s day. It’s creativity that gives back. 🙂

Try your hand at a new hobby

What’s a hobby you’ve always wanted to pick up but never had time for in the past? Photography? Cross-stitching? Oil painting? Crocheting? The lost art of feng shui? Well, you literally have no excuse these days. So whatever it is, do yourself a favor and give it a try! Jump on Etsy and search for kits to help you get started, buy one, and do the damn thing! It’ll help you AND it’ll help a small business, which can literally mean the world to someone right now.

We want to know all the ways you’re keeping creative these days, so drop more ideas in the comments!  Stay safe and keep those hands washed, friends!

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