#lowkeycreativity

embracing the barest minimum

Can we make a hashtag happen?

We've certainly struggled to make anything happen. But we learned from it.

Find #lowkeycreativity on Instagram + see below for more.

And remember, we're still bad at this.

#lowkeycreativity is the barest minimum. It's stripping the idea that "creativity is good for you" of all expectations and guilt. It's learning to look at what you can do in any given situation.

"Nothing" is a valid answer here. All "shoulds" are off. There is always "try again later".

The Plan:

  • actionable prompts & ideas

  • for staying sane and at least nominally creative

  • in times not conducive to either.

Tip: Doodling

low key drawing

One pen or pencil, any scrap of paper, and off you go.

Random lines and shapes, fill them in with patterns or colours.

Try to be as lazy and bad at it as possible.

(See how Natalia doodles.)

Tip: Bitmoji / Avatar

low key self-expression

Make yourself a Bitmoji (or some other online avatar) if you feel like expressing yourself, but don't have much creative energy. Tell us what you learned about yourself in the process.

Tip: New Instagram

low key blogging

Pick something you have a lot of, like mugs, or pencils, or forks, or puzzle pieces.

Create a new Instagram account dedicated to this.

Whenever you feel like it, take a picture of one and post it. Make sure it's not a good picture.

No captions or hashtags. Maybe one hashtag (maybe #lowkeycreativity). Tag us. We will like all your posts!

Tip: Crappy Cooking

low key cuisine

Make the saddest meal you can think of with what you have at hand.

Pasta with Ketchup. Microwave potatoes. Nutella from the jar.

Now fancy it up as much as you can through spices or decoration.

Add Herbs the Provence to the pasta. Make a toothpick hedgehog out of the potato before eating it. Mix some chilli powder into the Nutella.

Tip: Plant Something

low key gardening

If you have access to some soil, take any pot (can be a yoghurt pot or a mug*), fill it half with soil, stick in half a tomato (or smaller, as long as there's seeds), cover it with soil. Keep moist. It will grow.

If you want to raise the ensuing plants to adulthood, YouTube has you covered.

(*drainage holes are ideal, but only needed if you can't stop yourself from overwatering)

Tip: Photograph a Number

low key photography

Photograph the number of the day and submit it to @100daysprojectscotland

Tip: Dress Up / Make-Up

low key styling

Pick a theme from the Stay Home - Dress Up group on Facebook. Do the laziest dress-up you can think of.

Tip: Your Space

low key diy

Put labels of any sort on your spice jars, or label your plants. Sort your books by size and/or colour (you can always put them back again later). Arrange your bed sheets by colour. Or your socks.

Tip: Meditate? Just Breathe

low key meditation

Breathe in, two, three, four.
Hold, two, three, four.
Breathe out, two, three, four.
Hold, two, three, four.
- counts as a meditation, especially if you tune into how that feels while you do it.

Tip: Watch Someone Paint

low key painting

Watch someone paint. Gathering ideas and inspirations in the back of your brain is creating.

Tip: FB Journal

low key writing

Pick a topic and write a short Facebook post on it every day.

Give it a hashtag and sign off with the same emoji every time.

See how many days you can keep it up.

Tip: Track the Sun

low key mindfulness

Pick a spot on your wall that gets hit by the sun, and mark where the sun is at the same time each day.

Watch it move as the days go by.

Especially cool around the days of the Solstice, when it changes direction.

(See how Dani tunes into the sun's rhythm.)

Tip: Bath or Shower

low key self-care

Not because you smell, not because you must: simply because it feels nice.

Bonus Nudge: Participate

Please absolutely feel free to tag anything you deem suitably low-key, and suitably creative - and watch it appear in our feed below 🦊🧡