{"id":54665,"title":"How to have fun and be Creative","description":"A picture of Sea Containers hotel, the Oxo Tower, and the London Eye.","content":"

Follow these simple steps to be creative, have fun and find headspace.<\/h2>

<\/p>

I have always found it easy to feel anxious. Not in a dramatic, end-of-the-world way, more in the quiet background hum of \u201cwhat if\u201d and \u201chave I forgotten something\u201d that can follow you from kettle to keyboard. Over time, I have learned to live with it, and for over a decade I have experimented with small, practical ways to drag myself out of a hole.<\/p>

One of the most reliable tools I keep coming back to is creativity.<\/p>

Not \u201cpaint a masterpiece\u201d creativity. Not \u201cmove to Berlin and become a tortured artist\u201d creativity. I mean the ordinary kind. Making something with your hands. Taking a photo because the light is doing something interesting on a brick wall. Writing a paragraph that tells the truth. Building something small, just because you can.<\/p>

Creativity liberates the mind<\/u><\/a> because it gives your thoughts somewhere to go that is not a circular argument with yourself.<\/p>

Why creativity frees your head<\/h2>

When your mind is busy, it tends to recycle the same material. Worry is repetitive by design. It keeps tapping you on the shoulder with the same questions, even when it has no new information to offer.<\/p>

Creativity interrupts that loop.<\/p>

  • It turns noise into focus.<\/strong> When you\u2019re making something, even something simple, your brain shifts from rumination to attention. You are looking, choosing, adjusting, listening.<\/p><\/li>

  • It gives you a sense of agency.<\/strong> Anxiety often feels like life is happening to you. Creativity is you doing something back. You might not control everything, but you can control this brush stroke, this sentence, this photo, this tiny decision.<\/p><\/li>

  • It creates a \u201cbefore and after\u201d.<\/strong> You started with nothing. Now there is something. That matters more than we give it credit for.<\/p><\/li>

  • It slows time down in a good way.<\/strong> Some of the best headspace is just your brain being in the room, instead of ten minutes ahead or ten years behind.<\/p><\/li><\/ul>

    Fog of Mind has always been about this idea: headspace is not a luxury and it is rarely created by grand gestures. It is created by small resets, better boundaries, and honest conversations before things hit crisis level. Creativity fits that perfectly. It is a reset you can actually do on an ordinary Tuesday.<\/p>

    Creativity does not need permission<\/h2>

    A lot of adults quietly believe they have to earn creativity. As if it is only valid if you are talented, or productive, or planning to sell something.<\/p>

    That is a trap.<\/p>

    Creativity is allowed to be useless. It is allowed to be playful. It is allowed to be scruffy around the edges. In fact, it often works best when it is not trying to impress anyone.<\/p>

    If you want a simple rule: create something that cannot be \u201cwon\u201d.<\/strong>
    No scores, no likes, no competition, no \u201cshould\u201d. Just you and the thing.<\/p>

    That is why a quick photo walk can be more therapeutic than a full hour of scrolling \u201ccreative inspiration\u201d online.<\/p>

    The difference between consuming and creating<\/h2>

    Most of us spend a lot of time consuming. News. Feeds. Videos. Opinions. Productivity hacks. Even wellbeing content can become another thing you \u201ctake in\u201d without doing anything with.<\/p>

    Consumption has its place, but it rarely liberates the mind. It often adds more tabs to the mental browser.<\/p>

    Creating closes tabs.<\/p>

    You can feel it in the body. Shoulders drop. Breathing changes. You stop bracing.<\/p>

    And here\u2019s the bit people forget: you do not need a big project.<\/strong> You need a small action that brings you back to yourself.<\/p>

    Practical ways to use creativity as a reset<\/h2>

    \"A<\/p>

    These are deliberately simple. Low effort. No big kit. No perfect conditions.<\/p>

    Take one photo, properly<\/h3>

    Pick a subject: a window, a street sign, a cup of tea, the way the light hits a wall. Then do three things:<\/p>

    • step closer<\/p><\/li>

    • step back<\/p><\/li>

    • change your angle<\/p><\/li><\/ul>

      That\u2019s it. You are training your attention. Your mind stops chasing and starts noticing.<\/p>

      Write a \u201cfield note\u201d instead of a journal entry<\/h3>

      Journalling can feel heavy if you\u2019re already overwhelmed. A field note is lighter.<\/p>

      Try this format:<\/p>

      • Where I am:<\/strong><\/p><\/li>

      • What I can see\/hear:<\/strong><\/p><\/li>

      • What I\u2019m carrying today:<\/strong><\/p><\/li>

      • One small thing that helped:<\/strong><\/p><\/li><\/ul>

        Four lines. No pressure to be profound. Just honest.<\/p>

        Make something with your hands<\/h3>

        Lego, sketching, model kits, cooking, fixing a drawer that\u2019s been annoying you for six months. Hands-on creativity is underrated because it is physical. It gets you out of your head and back into the room.<\/p>

        Put a time limit on it<\/h3>

        Creativity expands to fill the space you give it, which is lovely, but not always practical. If you are tired or busy, set a timer for 15 minutes and make something small.<\/p>

        The point is not to finish. The point is to return to yourself.<\/p>

        Photography, nature, and the long lens idea<\/h3>

        \"a<\/p>

        I have found photography to be one of the cleanest ways to create headspace. It keeps you in the present. It asks you to notice light, shape, and timing. It rewards patience without demanding perfection. You don\u2019t need a fancy camera, and the one in your pocket (your phone) is capable of taking awesome images.<\/p>

        That\u2019s why my next purchase will be a Fujinon 600mm lens<\/strong>, perfect for those moments in nature where you do not want to intrude, you just want to witness.<\/p>

        A long lens is basically permission to be still.<\/p>

        It is for the moments you cannot plan: a bird landing where the light happens to be right, a fox pausing at the edge of a path, a quiet bit of movement in the trees that would be gone if you rushed it. You are not chasing the world. You are letting it come to you.<\/p>

        And that, in its own way, is a mental health practice.<\/p>

        A note on my new venture<\/h3>

        I have started a new venture with Woz Radio, which gives me a space to talk more openly about motivation, endurance, and the messy practical business of being human. The same theme keeps showing up, whether I\u2019m writing, recording, or taking photos:<\/p>

        We do not need to fix everything. We need small ways to breathe again.<\/strong><\/p>

        Creativity is one of the best ways I know to do that. It is not therapy. It is not a magic cure. It is a tool, and it is available to you right now.<\/p>

        Try this today<\/h3>

        Pick one:<\/p>

        • Take one photo with intention.<\/p><\/li>

        • Write a four-line field note.<\/p><\/li>

        • Make something small with your hands for 15 minutes.<\/p><\/li><\/ul>

          Then notice what changes. Not in your whole life. Just in your next hour.<\/p>

          Headspace is often that simple. Not easy, but simple.<\/p>

          If this resonated, stick around. Fog of Mind is built for ordinary days, not just crisis moments, and I\u2019ll keep sharing what genuinely helps in real working life.<\/p>","urlTitle":"have-fun-and-be-creative","url":"\/blog\/have-fun-and-be-creative\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/have-fun-and-be-creative\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/editionsphotography.co.uk\/blog\/have-fun-and-be-creative\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1769893819,"updatedAt":1769931720,"publishedAt":1769931719,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":423118,"name":"Editions by Studio W"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/e2fuhhgqwk3di5wn5nddmkj0bym4bhfcnftnmpygg8dfh1xx.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/e2fuhhgqwk3di5wn5nddmkj0bym4bhfcnftnmpygg8dfh1xx.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/e2fuhhgqwk3di5wn5nddmkj0bym4bhfcnftnmpygg8dfh1xx.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"How to have fun and be Creative","metaDescription":"Creativity can quiet anxious loops and restore focus. Simple ways to create headspace through writing, photography and nature with these easy steps.","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":54543,"title":"Read this if you want to improve your mental health","url":"\/blog\/read-this-if-you-want-to-improve-your-mental-health\/","urlTitle":"read-this-if-you-want-to-improve-your-mental-health","division":423118,"description":"A Fog of Mind essay republished for Editions Photography on finding headspace through walking, photography, and a simple energy audit.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/u9vguz5cok8xmzwue3yaqxxalwk8mlx2xcjfxg96uc4mhkiy.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/u9vguz5cok8xmzwue3yaqxxalwk8mlx2xcjfxg96uc4mhkiy.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":54296,"title":"The Amazing Patagonia Special I Want to Experience","url":"\/blog\/the-patagonia-special-id-actually-enjoy\/","urlTitle":"the-patagonia-special-id-actually-enjoy","division":423118,"description":"A Top Gear-inspired Patagonia dream: electric-blue VW campervan, two Fuji cameras, my brother along for the ride, and glaciers, peaks, and wildlife.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/xmdv5jxa7cnvyobv5ct8englbdlxtmyuev4kjx3xksu5jxh3.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/xmdv5jxa7cnvyobv5ct8englbdlxtmyuev4kjx3xksu5jxh3.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":54237,"title":"Snap: A Yorkshire Word Worth Framing","url":"\/blog\/snap-a-yorkshire-word-worth-framing\/","urlTitle":"snap-a-yorkshire-word-worth-framing","division":423118,"description":"Barnsley roots, Yorkshire pride, and one perfect word: \u201csnap\u201d. Learn what it means, why I made it a print, and shop the Yorkshire Collection.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/y0mhymdxsj6conmnsyw146zcjfjzcf8jkijav1hslccaym7y.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/y0mhymdxsj6conmnsyw146zcjfjzcf8jkijav1hslccaym7y.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}