As many of us try to extricate ourselves from our screens and bring our lives further into the real world, we’re faced with one truth: getting offline can be quite boring. But while leaning into boredom might be uncomfortable, I’ve found that discomfort can be a welcome challenge. The good kind of friction. It’s also an opportunity for discovery, which is why many of my friends are embracing analog hobbies like needlepoint and watercolor painting. It’s no surprise that our impulse when we stop consuming is to create.
For me, boredom didn’t just lead me back to the activities I enjoyed as a kid but to the feeling of creating just for the sake of creating. It suddenly wasn’t about a result or an assignment. Seeing creative projects as obligations turned them into big, scary obstacles that had to be perfect to feel finished. However, by leaning into low-pressure creative hobbies, I am learning that the best way to exercise my creative muscle is to prioritize process and play. The more I make, the more I want to make—which ultimately improves my work and my mood.
READ: I’m a Perfectionist Trying to Have Hobbies—and Learning It’s OK to Suck at Them
So this summer, I am creativemaxxing. I want to create more so I can feel more creative (and ultimately spend less time scrolling on my phone). To do that, I’m making a bucket list of small, medium, and large creative projects I want to try before summer’s end.
Sound like the kind of creative challenge your summer needs? Keep scrolling for more on what a creative bucket list looks like and how it can help you spend your free time more intentionally this summer.
What is a creative bucket list?
Last year, in an effort to maximize my summer, I wrote down a summer bucket list full of activities I wanted to make time for. This year, I’m going one step further by making a similar bucket list just for creative projects. From writing a short story to taking a ceramics class, it includes all the creative activities I want to dabble in this summer. Instead of treating these endeavors as hobbies that require a long-term commitment, I’m giving myself the freedom to try a bunch of new things just for the sake of doing something creative.
Why make a creative bucket list?
My summer bucket list wasn’t just about checking off random boxes—though the dopamine hit from completing each task was real. It was about being intentional with my days so the summer wouldn’t pass me by. In the same vein, I am not just throwing together a random list of creative activities to fill up a page. I want to be intentional about the projects I choose so my list feels both doable and the right amount of challenging. That means including a few projects that fall outside of my most familiar mediums. For example, anything to do with writing is my creative bread and butter. Most of my usual projects are writing-based: poems, songs, short stories, and even more fun ways to journal. But I want to stretch my capacity by being creative about what I am engaging in creatively. The goal is to expand how I think of creativity, so my list will include a range of creative activities from cooking and gardening to DIYing and painting.
A creative bucket list also gives me extra motivation to complete my projects instead of letting them languish unfinished. To check off the task, I’ll have to finish it. I’m reward-motivated, so checking off each activity will help me create more than I ever have. Plus, using the list as a framework will help prevent me from getting into a rut or letting too much time lapse between projects because I didn’t know what to make next.
How to make your own creative bucket list
When I made my summer bucket list, I split my list into three categories: small adventures like trying a new coffee shop or eating a soft-serve swirl, medium adventures like going on a day trip or to a concert, and big adventures like taking a summer vacation or hosting an elaborate party. I decided to lay out my creative bucket list the same way, with a list of small, medium, and big projects that I want to complete.
Very important: To gauge where a project falls, I try to be super honest with myself about how long it takes and how much it takes out of me. Writing a poem, for example, would fall in the small category, but writing a song—complete with lyrics and a melody—is a much more involved task. Breaking the list up into categories also helps me keep things realistic. I am not trying to write a novel, fill an entire sketchbook, and sew a whole new wardrobe by the end of the summer. Instead, I’m focusing mostly on small and medium-sized projects with a few larger ones mixed in for the weeks when I have more time.
Creative bucket list ideas
Here are 30 ideas to put on your creative bucket list:
Small projects
- Paint something with watercolors
- Scrapbook a page in your journal
- Write a poem
- Visit a museum or gallery
- Sketch something you see outdoors
- Make a mind map to brainstorm an idea
- Customize a canvas tote bag with paint
- Make a “summer soundtrack” playlist
- Come up with your own cocktail or mocktail recipe
- Write a letter to a friend or to your future self
Medium projects
- Take a ceramics class
- Make a summer vision board with magazine clippings
- Transform a piece of thrifted furniture
- Write a song
- Bake and decorate a cake from scratch
- Paint a canvas to display in your home
- Complete a needlepoint project
- Curate and hang a gallery wall of artwork
- Try a dance class (or learn a dance online)
- Make a friendship bracelet or a DIY charm necklace
- Host a craft night with friends
- Create a cookbook of favorite recipes
Big projects
- Write a short story
- Update a room in your home (with paint, wallpaper, etc.)
- Attend an open mic night
- Learn to play a new instrument
- Make a short film with your friends
- Host a dinner party complete with custom menus and DIY decor
- Sew, knit, or crochet a piece of clothing
- Write an essay (bonus points if you publish it on Substack)
Langa Chinyoka, Contributing Writer
Langa is a Los Angeles-based writer and strategist. She is currently an editor and content strategist at a marketing agency. Her work has appeared in The Paris Review, British Vogue, Highsnobiety, Eyeswoon, Camille Styles, The Good Trade, and more.
