Have you always wanted to be creative but didn’t know where to start? Everyone wants to think more creatively, whether at work, home, or school. Finding a hobby in which to immerse yourself is the best way to bring out your creative instincts. A hobby doesn’t have to be one of the “arts” to inspire creative thinking. Activities like car repair, woodworking, and cooking all require problem solving and imagination. Learning a new skill will develop your ability to think creatively in all areas of your life. Following are some ways to spark your interest in a new hobby.

Brainstorm ideas.
What are you interested in? What do you have the time and resources to do? Start your new creative adventure by coming up with a list of ideas.

• Capture your interests with a mind map. Ernie Zelinski, author of The Joy of Not Working, suggests creating a Get-a-Life-Tree to visualize your past, present, and future interests. What hobbies did you have in the past? What do you like to do now? Can you spin off from a current hobby? What have you always wanted to do? Draw your mind map on paper or use an online tool like Bubbl.us.
• Collect ideas from others. Talk to your friends, family, and coworkers. What do they do in their free time? You might discover that the people you know have creative lives you never imagined. If any of their interests catch your attention, see if they’ll help get you started.

Research a new hobby before diving in.
Any activity is more fun when you have some idea of what you’re doing. Learn what tools and techniques you’ll need to get the results you want.

• Browse the library. Not sure what kind of hobby you’re looking for? Try browsing the new books in the 700s for arts and crafts, including jewelry, painting, photography, woodworking, and sewing. Look into the 600s for cooking and gardening, and the 006s for computer-related topics, like web design. For writing, try the early 800s. Or ask your friendly librarian for help.
• Focus your online search. Typing “knitting” into Google will get you millions of results. Try a more focused resource like the Internet Public Library or the Yahoo Directory.

Get daily exposure.
When you’re trying to learn all you can about a new interest, it’s important to maintain your enthusiasm. Don’t let too many days go by without learning or doing something related to your hobby.

• Find a blog related to your topic and subscribe to the RSS feed or email service. Try Google Blog Search to find the blog you’re looking for.
• Join a forum about your new hobby. Most forums allow you to subscribe by email to any topic. A daily reminder in your email will help keep you interested.

Take action.
Now that you have a basic knowledge, get started. The trick is to start doing soon after you start learning. Don’t get caught in the trap of just reading about a hobby. Get out there and do it.

• Take a class to learn some hands-on skills and meet other beginners with the same interests. Check out your local arts center, community college, or university for inexpensive classes teaching a variety of skills.
• Find a local group. When you’re researching online, be on the alert for local writing groups, sewing circles, or woodcarving conventions. Meeting others who share the same interest is a good way to immerse yourself.

Nothing gets my mind racing like starting something new that really engages my mind and hands. In future posts, I’ll share some of the techniques and resources I’ve used to explore my various interests.

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