Any personal trainer will tell you that cross training is good for the body. 

If you swim, walk. If you walk, lift weights. If you lift weights, run. If you run, swim. You get the drift. Muscles become familiar with the familiar, even a bit sedated, so switching it up invites muscles to respond in fresh ways. 

As a writer finishes a project, writer muscles often head for the hammock and a bit of nodding off.  Instead, challenge yourself to a bit of cross-training in your writing life with a new form of creativity. 

Creativity begets creativity. 

Any creative will tell you that it gets lonely from time-to-time in the world of words and art. You begin to talk to yourself. You begin to doubt yourself. You begin to think that no one gets what you are up to in your craft. You’re not even sure you know what you are up to, come to think of it. 

Leap into a new lake of learning. Enjoy a new view. 

Take a course. Be willing to unravel knotted thoughts among new writing colleagues and offer them some encouragement and daring along the way. 

Try out a new form of writing: poetry, a magazine article, a devotional, a short story. 

Find a local art class and dabble in watercolors. In one class, I savored chocolate as I’ve painted how it tastes. Shapes and colors expressed what words could not. I’ve journaled, sketched, painted, and created mind maps at intersections where unexpected connections occur. 

Wondering about pickleball? Find a court and some new friends. 

Curious about paddleboards? Wake up your core as you stand and paddle. 

Interested in autumn gardening? Call the local extension agency for their upcoming workshop schedule. 

Always wanted to make croissants from scratch? Check out the offerings at your local kitchen store. 

Creativity stirs the air with hope and furthers our way as a writer. 

So how about you? Ready for some creativity cross-training?

Featured images are courtesy of Bruno Nascimento and Toa Heftiba, respectively, on Unsplash.