Rekindling Creativity in Your 20’s

A few days ago, I was in the car with my friends when one of them asked a question– “what hobbies are you guys getting into?”

On the surface, that's incredibly simple to answer. I could have said drawing, a hobby of mine since elementary school, or playing guitar, which I picked up in college. There was also sewing, writing poetry, and occasionally cooking– but the words never came out. My first reaction was none at all, just mindlessly sorting through lost hobbies like a deck of empty cards. 

The truth is, I haven’t really had the time to sit down with my hobbies like I did in the past. Creativity has almost become a luxury, an idea that I find is beginning to resonate with others in our generation. 

In 2025, burnout is seemingly inevitable. The world is in constant demand of our time, and our phones are always scheming to seize our attention. We are in a push and pull between the two, our potential slipping through the cracks of our fingers as we lose control of every moment. It's so easy for us to get stuck in this unending loop because of the chaos of daily life and the convenience of distraction. 

But there are two things I want you to remind yourself of: 

1.) You aren’t the only one who feels stuck in this routine.

And 2.) You are in control of your own reality. 

Since the conversation I had with my friends, I’ve been practicing being more mindful of my time and what I allocate it towards. While it upheaved feelings of lack and unfulfillment, it recalled the love that I always held for these hobbies. I knew a change had to be made, one that would take effort.

Here are some tips I’ve started to follow in an effort to reconnect with my creativity.

1. Ease Into It

If it’s been a while since you've indulged in anything crafty, you will likely not be as good as you once were. I know this can be hard to accept, and it feels like all of your skills have gone to waste, but that is not true. Your talent and skill is still there, you just have to warm back up to it. 

Whatever it was that used to bring you joy, introduce it back into your life in small doses. This will not only help you regain that skillset, but it will also make your projects less daunting. We already have enough to worry about in our lives, our hobbies are supposed to be remedies, not causes. So, take it one step at a time, and always remember to be patient with yourself.

2. Mindful Scrolling

I have been sick of my phone for years at this point. I know that spending hours on social media is not healthy and highly damaging for one's mental health. Yet, for some reason, my own negative thoughts and feelings about my phone habits don’t always stop me from indulging. So, I finally mustered up the courage to put on a Screen Time reminder.

I'm sure you've heard this before– from family, friends, your favorite creators– but it truly does work. I can attest to this, as it has kept me aware of the time I'm spending on my phone. The App Limit notification acts as a motivating force to click back into reality, giving back the control I desperately needed! Instead of getting lost in the algorithm, I am spending my free time picking up my old hobbies, interests, and projects. What took me an hour to learn on my guitar could have been lost to a screen, but it wasn't. Put those App Limits on!

3. Outcome, Not Effort

On occasion, If it wasn’t my phone or responsibilities holding me back, I would instead find myself paralyzed by the effort it would take to create something. I would hyperfocus on the details of it all– how long it would take to get the supplies, executing an idea, how I would fit it into my daily routine. What I thought was planning was just a form of overcomplication, and it would always hold me back from ever starting something.

Instead of focusing on those minute details (which in all honesty are always larger in our heads), you have to remind yourself of the outcome. How would it make you feel to pick up an old hobby? In short, it would make you feel proud, accomplished, uplifted, and probably less overwhelmed. We shouldn't put as much pressure on our lives as we do. A hobby is just that, and that's the joy of it. It is yours and entirely yours, no one else’s to control or judge.

All in all, we are all capable of incredible things. Sometimes, we just need to make a little more time and effort.