Make Space for Art: 6 Small Ways to Bring Creativity Into Everyday Life
When was the last time you did something creative without needing it to achieve anything?
Not for work. Not for Instagram. Not because you wanted to become an artist.
Just because you enjoyed it.
For many of us, creativity has slowly become something we schedule around everything else. We visit an exhibition when we have time, draw when we feel inspired, or listen to music when the day finally slows down.
But what if art did not need to be an occasional activity?
What if it became part of how we live?
There is growing evidence that it can be good for us. A major World Health Organization review examined more than 3,000 studies and found evidence connecting arts engagement with health promotion, prevention and wellbeing. More recent research from University College London has also found an association between regular engagement with arts and culture and lower measures of epigenetic ageing.
The research is interesting, but perhaps the more useful question is simpler: How can we make art part of everyday life without turning it into another task?
1. Look at one artwork properly
We spend an enormous amount of time looking at screens, but very little time actually looking.
Try something different.
Choose one artwork and spend five minutes with it. Do not immediately read the artist's statement. First notice what you see. Where does your eye go? What colours stand out? Does the work feel calm, uncomfortable, familiar or strange?
You do not need an art-history degree to have a response.
The act of paying sustained attention is valuable in itself. Research into arts engagement increasingly points towards emotional regulation, cognitive stimulation and opportunities for reflection as some of the ways the arts can support wellbeing.
2. Make something badly
This might be the hardest one.
Draw without trying to make a "good" drawing. Paint something that nobody will see. Take photographs on your walk. Make a collage from old magazines.
The point is not to produce something impressive.
One of the useful lessons from artists' own practices is that improvement comes from repetition, experimentation and allowing yourself to make mistakes. Regular practice can also make creativity feel less intimidating because you stop treating every attempt as a final product.
You are allowed to make something terrible. In fact, that may be exactly what you need.
3. Replace scrolling with discovering
How often do you open Instagram intending to look at one artist and find yourself scrolling for 40 minutes?
Digital platforms have made discovering art incredibly easy. Use that access—but do not let discovery become the entire experience.
Find an artist whose work interests you. Read about their practice. Save an exhibition you would like to visit. If possible, see the work in person.
Recent research highlighted by UCL suggests that the frequency and diversity of arts engagement may matter, while the researchers also encourage moving beyond purely digital experiences where possible.
The internet can introduce you to art. But sometimes, you need to stand in front of it.
4. Make art social
Art does not have to be a solitary experience.
Visit an exhibition with a friend. Join a workshop. Go to an artist talk. Discuss a painting with someone whose interpretation is completely different from yours.
The WHO notes that arts activities can combine social interaction, emotional expression and cognitive stimulation, while participatory arts can contribute to connection and wellbeing.
And there is something refreshing about talking about a painting.
Unlike a work meeting, there is rarely a single correct answer. You can disagree and still keep talking.
5. Follow curiosity, not trends
You do not have to understand every important artist.
You do not have to like what everyone else likes.
If an artwork confuses you, stay with it for a little longer. If you dislike an entire art movement, try asking what its artists were attempting to do before dismissing it.
Artists learn this way too. Looking at unfamiliar practices can introduce new ideas, techniques and ways of seeing.
Curiosity is more useful than trying to develop "good taste."
6. Create a small ritual
You do not need two free hours every Sunday for creativity. Ten minutes can be enough to begin.
Sketch while your coffee is brewing. Listen to an album without opening another screen. Photograph something interesting on your commute. Visit one gallery a month. Keep a small notebook where you write down artworks that stayed with you.
The recent UCL research is particularly interesting here: people who engaged with arts and culture more regularly showed associations with lower epigenetic ageing measures than those who engaged only once or twice a year. The researchers emphasise sustained, manageable engagement rather than dramatic changes to your routine.
That is a useful way to think about creativity.
Little and often. Not another obligation. Not another productivity goal. Just a regular invitation to pause, notice and make.
Art does not need to fix your life
There is a tendency to turn everything we enjoy into a wellness intervention.
Art does not need to become another item on your self-improvement list.
You can look at a painting because it moved you. Make something because your hands wanted to. Visit a gallery because you were curious. Talk about art because the conversation was interesting.
The health benefits are meaningful, but they are not the only reason art matters.
Art gives us opportunities to slow down, pay attention, express ourselves, learn something unfamiliar and connect with other people. The evidence increasingly supports these experiences as contributors to wellbeing, while also reminding us that arts engagement works alongside, not instead of proper healthcare and other forms of support.
At Artlune, this is how we like to think about art. Not as something reserved for galleries, collectors or people who already know what they are looking at.
Art belongs in everyday life.
So perhaps do not wait for the perfect weekend to visit an exhibition or the perfect idea to start making.
References
World Health Organization. What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being? A scoping review. 2019.
University College London / Oxford Academic. Does leisure activity matter for epigenetic aging? Analyses of arts engagement and physical activity in the UK Household Longitudinal Study. 2026.
Artsy. 5 Art Habits That Can Help You Live Longer. 2026.
University of Arizona Health Sciences. How creative arts support mental health in daily life. 2026.
Draw Paint Academy. 7 Simple Practices Which Have Helped Me Improve as an Artist.
Tessa Koller, Medium / Illumination. 7 Ways Art Can Enrich Your Life and Health. 2023.
Samantha Barnes, LinkedIn. A Human Advantage: 10 Ways Art and Creativity Improve Our Lives. 2025.
