19 Tiny Habits to Always Feel Inspired

have you ever had days that felt like a wonderful dream?

days when inspiration seems to be everywhere, as though the world has left little pockets of inspiration everywhere around for you to find, each one as sweet as a spoonful of honey slowly melting on your tongue.

this is the little world I want to invite you into today, my wonderfully ordinary world, where inspiration seems to be everywhere, where creativity tastes like bottled sunshine, afternoon light melts across the floor like warm butter, and every ordinary moment is filled with dreamy, whipped-cream wonder.

i think there is something so lovely about becoming the kind of girl with endless stories making up her being, rivers of words and poetry flowing through her thoughts. Someone who loves getting lost in creative worlds, who notices the tiny things that make an ordinary afternoon feel special, and who always seems to have something she wants to draw, write, make, or imagine.

because that dreamy, curious, imaginative part of yourself has always been there. And sometimes, all it takes is a few tiny habits to make a little more room for it again.

so today, I want to share 19 tiny habits to help you always know what to draw and keep that creative spark alive.

i think many people who force themselves to create are trying to bake a beautiful cake without adding anything to the bowl. They are asking themselves to create sweetness when they haven't given themselves much sweetness to taste.

you can't pour a warm cup of tea from a kettle that has never been filled, and creativity is much the same. It needs somewhere to draw from. It needs to be fed with beauty, curiosity, beautiful words, music, colour, conversation, books, walks, delicious meals, little discoveries, and all those seemingly insignificant moments that make every day feel like a wonderful miracle.

there's a quote I love: “Always fill your creative well first, and allow the world to benefit from the overflow.”

doing things that seem “not productive” is actually a wonderful way to find inspiration. Reading a book simply because the cover is pretty. Wandering around a bookstore without buying anything. Watching the sunset sky turn peach and apricot. Cooking something slowly, letting butter melt in the pan while the whole kitchen fills with its warm, nutty sweetness. Listening to music while staring out of the window, following the clouds for a while.

it's so easy to mistake these things for distractions from creativity, when really, they are the ingredients.

they are the vanilla folded into the batter, the jam tucked between layers of pastry, the handful of berries scattered over the top just because they make everything more delicious. They fill your little creative well with colours, flavours, thoughts, textures, and tiny moments of beauty, until eventually there is something delicious to pour onto the page.

so, fill your life first, until it begins to spill over. Taste it, wander through it, notice it, collect little pieces of it. Then let your creativity have the overflow. ♡

one little habit I love is adding fermented foods to my everyday meals. A few spoonfuls of yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, or a little bowl of miso soup can be such a simple way to take care of your body, and I love the idea of making this part of your everyday creative ritual.

the gut and brain are closely connected, and I love the idea that taking care of your gut can help fuel creativity too. Eating fermented foods every day is a wonderful way to support a healthy gut-brain connection, giving you a big burst of energy, creative joy and fresh ideas.

so perhaps add a little spoonful of yoghurt with honey and berries to your breakfast, some kimchi beside your lunch, or a warm bowl of miso soup in the evening. Let the little pleasures of a nourishing meal remind you that your body is part of your creative life too. These tiny things can become delicious little ingredients in your day, not only nourishing your body, but helping create the kind of inner environment where inspiration and those unexpected little creative ideas can evolve.

I love having cozy background sounds playing while I create, little sounds that let your room become whatever place you feel like visiting that day.

If I want to feel like I'm sitting in a café, I’ll put on a YouTube video with distant café chatter. If I feel like going on a little beach holiday, I’ll listen to the sound of waves. If I want to transport myself to the woods, I open a video with bird song and rustling leaves. And if I want to feel especially cozy, I’ll listen to a storm with rain tapping softly against the window. There is something almost as comforting as warm milk with honey about letting those quiet sounds wash over you while you create.

I think this is so much fun because you don't actually have to go anywhere physically and still be anywhere you want. A few simple sounds can make your home feel warmer and more lived-in, as though you've suddenly stepped into the middle of a beautiful, dreamy scene from a movie.

Listening to these sounds can help you so much to get out of the logical mind and get into the dreamy state of mind, where creativity can flow, because it’s relaxing and it sparks your imagination. Your entire room gets wrapped in that comforting feeling of being in a beautiful, dreamy place.

So, make yourself a cup of tea, put on your personal favorite ASMR sounds that make your mind feel soft and unhurried, and let them fill the room while you draw, write, paint, read, or simply sit with your thoughts. ASMR can create a lovely little pocket of stillness around you, and it can help you focus, slow down, and slip into the energy of creation in a very soothing, natural way.

I think one of the most effective ways to get inspired is simply to spend more time around inspired people, people who are already overflowing with their creativity. Watch other women talk about their creative projects, their favourite books, art supplies, artbooks, colouring books, or some little project they’re completely excited to make.

Thanks to the internet, we have so many beautiful ways to peek into other people's creative worlds whenever we want. I love watching someone talk about something they genuinely adore, because their enthusiasm can feel almost like a warm slice of bread with butter and honey. You take it in, and suddenly you want a little more.

Notice the love and excitement in their voice when they talk about what they're making. Listen to the warm, overflowing way they describe their ideas, the books they want to read, the drawings they want to make, or the projects they can't wait to begin. And let yourself be carried along by their enthusiasm. There is something so contagious about that kind of excitement. You don't even have to take anything specific from them. Just watch them, and before long, you will start seeing your own ideas with a little more sweetness too.

Sometimes, all you need is to spend a little time around someone who is already overflowing with the things you want to feel more of. Let their excitement be like a spoonful of something contagiously delicious, something that makes you want to pick up your pencil, open your sketchbook, and make something of your own.

there are so many little corners of the internet that feel like tiny dreamworlds.

you can travel somewhere beautiful, discover a strange little website, look through someone else's window, walk through a beautiful house you've never seen before, or simply spend five minutes exploring something you would never have thought to search for.

treat the internet like an enormous cabinet of curiosities, full of tiny doors you can open whenever you feel like traveling somewhere else.

there are so many websites out there that let you virtually travel to distant places from your chair, almost like looking through a window into someone else's little corner of the world. You can wander through virtual homes and cottages, explore different landscapes, or simply stumble across wonderfully silly things like rotating sandwiches.

here are some.. interesting sites I found:

• Rotating Sandwiches: watch sandwiches slowly rotate forever. They’re wonderfully silly and oddly satisfying to watch, and you might use them as delicious drawing references.

• Cute Internet: wander through pretty bow imagery and let the colours, shapes, and tiny details inspire your own illustrations, outfits, or character designs.

• UI Colors: play around with colour palettes and save the combinations that make you feel inspired.

• MyFridgeFood: enter the ingredients you have at home and let unexpected food combinations give you ideas for drawings, recipes, or little illustrated scenes.

• WindowSwap: look through windows from around the world and imagine who lives there, what the room smells like, or what kind of story might be happening beyond the glass. This is such a wonderful place for daydreaming, writing, or sketching.

• Castle Green Homes Virtual Tours: wander through beautiful homes and collect little ideas for your own dream rooms to illustrate.

• Broadgate Farm Cottages Virtual Tours: explore the cottages and imagine spending an entire slow afternoon there. Notice the details you might want to appear in your own drawings.

i think there is something beautiful about letting your mind visit places it has never been before, even if you never leave your chair. Think of these websites as little digital treats for your imagination. Take a little bite whenever you feel like exploring, and see what catches your attention.

the buttery sweetness of scones baking in the oven, the powdery perfume your aunt used to wear, the clean smell of rain drifting through an open window… a comforting fragrance can help take your imagination to the most wondrous places.

perhaps that's why fragrance feels so closely tied to daydreaming. A single little breath can create an entire atmosphere, a place, a person, a season, or a beautiful feeling of calmness or appetite. Sometimes one familiar scent is enough to bring an old memory rushing back, or make you suddenly imagine somewhere you've never even been.

so I love the idea of enriching your creative imagination with your favourite fragrances. Let your room smell like whatever makes you feel happiest: candy canes and peppermint, fluffy marshmallows, warm gingerbread, cinnamon, natural soap, strawberries, toasted coconut, or freshly baked bread.

make scent a lovely little part of your creative rituals. Light a candle, wear a perfume, make a cup of something fragrant, or simply keep a little bottle of your favourite scent nearby while you draw and create. Let the sweetness linger in the air, and perhaps, along with it, a few forgotten memories and new little ideas will begin to rise.

make drawing part of your ordinary moments instead of planning for a dedicated art session.

if an idea appears, act on it as soon as you can. Even if it's only half-formed, put something down on paper, a tiny sketch, a colour combo, a little note. Just bring it into the world before the moment passes.

creativity loves speed, so try to react as quickly as possible when a creative idea appears. Catch that feeling right away, once it appears, and act on it fast. Scribble something in the margin of a book, write down a strange little thought while you're waiting for the kettle to boil, or make a tiny sketch once something caught your eye. Catch the little sparks while they're still warm, before they have time to disappear. It doesn't need to be finished, and it doesn't even need to make complete sense yet.

i actually think that mindfully scheduling specific creative times or days and preparing a perfectly tidy desk with all your art supplies laid out in front of you can oftentimes do pretty much the opposite of sparking creativity. It can create a sense of pressure, because you're deciding in advance when you are supposed to feel inspired. A dreamy, creative mind needs freedom and space to breathe, and doing more things spontaneously can immensely help you with that.

and try bringing this into the rest of your life, too. Turn it into a habit to become more spontaneous in your life. Swim completely naked under a full moon. Take a different road home. Sit somewhere you've never sat before. Buy a pastry you've never tried and eat it slowly on a bench. Or stay outside a little longer than you intended simply because the night air feels wonderful against your skin.

There is something delicious about doing little things spontaneously, without needing them to become anything more than a beautiful moment.

step outside your schedule a little more often and try doing things for no better reason than, I wanted to. Some of the most inspiring thoughts can appear in exactly those moments when you do things without a clear intention, without chasing anything, without looking for anything particular at all.

keep the things that inspire you the most, like novels, artbooks, coloring books, magazines, poetry collections, sketchbooks, always close within comfortable daily reach. Keep them close enough that you can simply pick one up and flip through it whenever you feel like you need a little spoonful of inspiration.

the same goes for your art supplies. Keep at least some of your favourite pencils on your desk during the day, so you don't always have to get up and take them out of a drawer or shelf whenever you feel like creating.

make it as easy as possible to start creating at any moment, without needing much preparation.

when the things that inspire you and the things you need to create are always within arm's reach, you can seemlessly get into the creative flow much faster and much more naturally.

become full of gratitude and appreciation, and you will become a magnet for it. I've noticed that the gentler I speak and the more beautiful words I use, the gentler my world starts to feel. I think the words we surround ourselves with can change the way we notice the world. There is already so much sweetness and inspiration around us, and sometimes simply putting it into words helps us see it more clearly.

warm words feel a little like a warm, nourishing bowl of homemade soup.

so, try feeding your mind beautiful language as much as possible. Try to make the way you speak and think a little more dreamy and poetic. Read beautiful prose and poetry, listen to thoughtful words, and collect little phrases that inspire you. Even listening to videos like this one can be a lovely way to get into that dreamy, creative state of mind.

i also love keeping a list of beautiful words, names, little sentences, and fragments that I stumble across or that randomly come to mind. Not just quotes, but words that simply sound beautiful to me. Looking through that list can be surprisingly inspiring when I want to draw, because it immediately brings me into that dreamy, ethereal little mood where ideas begin to appear.

sometimes a single word can create an entire atmosphere: moonlit, honeyed, velvet, porcelain, dewdrop, sugared, wildflower, lullaby, candlelit, apricot, featherlight.

you could even begin imagining that the world has its own little dreamy dictionary, where ordinary things have sweeter names. Instead of always calling things by their ordinary names, try giving them new ones. Morning dew becomes grass glitter. Sunrise becomes blush hour. Raindrops become little water pearls. Clouds become heaven fluff drifting slowly across the sky. Moonlight becomes sleep silk gently draped over rooftops. Birdbaths become tiny angel ponds, and sheep become pillow babies grazing quietly in distant fields.

i think this way of describing things can slowly become the way you see them, too. Using those words can feel like adding an extra spoonful of honey to your tea, making an ordinary moment just a little sweeter. Suddenly, an ordinary walk becomes much more inspiring simply because you're noticing it through a more playful vocabulary.

when you spend time reading or listening to beautiful prose, every corner of your mind fills with the scent of warm bread, butter melting into golden puddles, strawberry jam shining like little ruby hearts, and honey that tastes suspiciously like bottled sunshine. Some of that language stays behind in your mind, like the lingering spicyness of moss and leaves right after the rain, and it will help you form inspiring thoughts in a beautiful way.

you collect little pieces of language without even realizing it, and later they can reappear as the most beautiful thoughts, images, colours, characters, or drawing ideas.

i think one of the sweetest secrets to feeling inspired is learning how to enjoy the tiniest things in your own life. The laundry basket, a grocery store trip, the familiar streets you've walked a hundred times, a sink full of dishes, cutting a peach over the kitchen counter, waiting for the kettle to boil.

there can be so much beauty inside these little, repetitive moments when you begin to look closely enough. Train your mind to get inspired faster by the sweet little ordinary things already surrounding you. Notice the way soap bubbles catch the light while you're washing the dishes. Make soup slowly, letting butter melt and onions soften until the whole kitchen smells warm and golden. Dance to happy music while you're cleaning your room.

and to get into this habit more naturally, try writing down the smallest beautiful thing that happened today.

it doesn't need to be important. In fact, the smaller, the better.

maybe you had the most wonderful dream. Maybe you noticed sunlight beaming through the window this morning. Perhaps your tea tasted unusually flavorful, you heard a beautiful quote, a stranger smiled at you on the street, or you heard birds singing outside your window. Maybe someone held a door open for you, you found a particularly beautiful leaf on your walk, or your sheets felt wonderfully cool and soft when you climbed into bed.

write it down. Write about anything that makes your inner world feel dreamy and full of joy.

take that tiny moment, and then make it bigger. Savour it like a delicious little bite. Write about it as though you're trying to remember every little detail. What did the air feel like? What colours did you notice? What could you hear? How did the light fall? What did the moment make you feel?

turn it into a whole little world. Decorate the page with stickers, coloured pencils, tiny drawings, flowers, stars, layer everything together like the most beautiful little dessert you've ever made.

when you begin doing this regularly, you will start to notice those things more naturally throughout your days. The more lovingly you collect these tiny moments, the more of them you begin to see.

it's almost like going through your day with a little basket, gathering strawberries wherever you find them. A little sunray here, a pretty word there, the sound of rain, the smell of cinnamon, a flower growing through a crack in the pavement.

And before long, you may find that your ordinary life has become an endless little pantry of inspiration.

i think one of the sweetest things we can give ourselves is permission to dream again, the soft, wonderfully unrestrained kind of dreaming we had as children, when imagination didn't need a plan and absolutely nothing felt impossible.

spend a little time simply daydreaming. Imagine and invent whimsical worlds, your dream home, the places you would love to visit, or the houses you would reside in if everything were possible.

when we are children, we do this so naturally. We shamelessly imagine entire worlds and become completely enchanted by them. There is something so beautiful about that kind of dreaming, the way one little idea can make you feel excited simply because it exists in your mind. You start thinking about all the possibilities, all the little doors you could open in your imagination.

So ask yourself: What if?

make those imaginary possibilities beautiful places to visit. Let yourself walk through them. Draw them. Write about them. Make little lists of things your imaginary home would contain. Design your dream garden. Describe the view from your dream bedroom window. Invent the name of a tiny village where you would happily disappear for a month.

give yourself permission to dream that way again. Let yourself imagine things just because they delight you. There is something deliciously freeing about allowing your imagination to become enormous again.

i think one of the loveliest ways to spark your creativity is to spend a little time with your younger self again. Think back to the things you naturally loved before you ever had to think about whether they were useful or worth pursuing.

what did you love? What made you lose track of time? What did you naturally gravitate toward? Maybe you were always drawing little pictures, making up stories, collecting flowers, dressing up, building tiny worlds, reading for hours, or filling notebooks with whatever happened to be on your mind.

go looking for those little things again. Look through old drawings, childhood notebooks, photographs, favourite books, toys, collections, or anything else that still exists somewhere in a cupboard. Notice what makes you smile before you've even had time to think about why. You might find an old fascination that still feels strangely warm in your hands.

and ask yourself those wonderfully simple questions:

What did I love?What made me lose track of time?What did I naturally gravitate toward?What did I make simply because I wanted to?What did I find fascinating before I cared whether anyone else found it interesting?

borrow a few of those things from her, they might lead you back to that one beautiful place that you were once in.

there is something so sweet about returning to the little things you loved making, noticing, collecting, and filling your days with. So often, the things that delighted you as a child can become little breadcrumbs leading you back to the kind of creativity that feels most natural to you now.

i think one of the most inspiring things you can sometimes do is nothing at all.

slow down enough to hear yourself think. Drink your tea slowly. Walk slowly. Eat your meal slowly. Sit beside an open window and watch the curtains move in the breeze. You are a living, feeling, imaginative creature, and you were always meant to have time to simply soak in the sweetness of being alive.

rest is not the opposite of creativity. It is the little garden where creativity grows.

i might make herbal tea with little hints of rose, lavender, or citrus, depending on what sounds good that day. I’ll open a window and let the fresh air move through the room. If it’s raining, I’ll light a candle. I’ll cut up an orange and let its bright, sweet fragrance fill the kitchen. I’ll put on the softest clothes I have and take my time brushing through my hair.

it’s amazing how many ideas appear when we are simply relaxed. In the shower, while walking, cooking, folding laundry, or doing something simple with our hands. Sometimes an idea appears just before falling asleep, when your mind has finally become quiet enough to make room for all those feather-light thoughts.

i think this is why creating little pockets of breathing space in your day can be so lovely. You simply give your mind a little rest, and suddenly all sorts of delicious little ideas have room to float in. ♡

i love the idea of creating a little cloud corner in your home where you can rest, daydream, read, sketch, or simply sit with a cup of tea.

make your bed with fresh linen and mist it lightly with lavender. Open the windows and let sunlight and cool air drift through the room. Add flowers wherever you can, fresh daisies in a little glass, pressed flowers in frames, floral pillowcases, a bouquet of pink roses. Maybe there is soft pink ruffled bedding, vanilla candles, your favourite perfumes displayed on a little tray, and white furniture adorned with tiny bows and roses.

and make the room feel edible, too.

like honey cakes cooling beneath linen towels. Bowls filled with peaches, nectarines, cherries, and pears. Glass jars of raspberry jam catching the afternoon light. Fresh herbs drying beside the window. Butter melting into warm sourdough. Little chocolates arranged in pretty dishes for afternoon tea.

let the open windows bring in birdsong, the perfume of flowers, and the cool evening breeze. Create a place where every little detail makes you want to relax, to sit down, slow your movements, and let yourself simply be there for a while.

there is something so lovely about making yourself a beautiful place to rest. When your surroundings feel this sweet and inviting, it becomes much easier to slow down, notice the sunlight, and give your imagination a little room to breathe. ♡

i think one of the kindest things you can do for yourself is make every possible aspect of your daily life as comforting as possible. Be kind to all five senses, give yourself beautiful things to smell, touch, hear, see, and taste. Simply make your surroundings delicious enough that your imagination wants to come out and play.

ask yourself: What would make me feel safe and cozy right now?

sometimes the answer will be a long bath, with milk and honey swirling through the water while the whole room fills with the sweetest fragrance. Other times, it might be putting on an oversized sweater and the warmest socks you own, brushing your hair slowly, or curling up beneath a blanket with with a book and something soft to hold. Sometimes it's simply making a cup of tea because the warmth of the mug feels lovely between your hands.

give your nose something delicious to discover: a vanilla candle, lavender oil, a little spritz of perfume, the scent of fresh bread, or the bright citrus fragrance of an orange being peeled at the kitchen table.

give your skin something soft: freshly washed sheets, fluffy socks, a favourite sweater, a warm bath, or a blanket that feels like being wrapped in a cloud.

Give your ears something gentle: birdsong through an open window, rain tapping against the glass, quiet piano music, the soft crackle of a candle.

give your eyes something beautiful: flowers in a little vase, sunlight moving across the wall, a bowl of ripe fruit, a sky full of clouds, or your favourite books stacked beside the bed.

and give your mouth something you genuinely enjoy. Make yourself a dreamy little lunch of nuts and berries, sandwiches with soft cheese and fresh herbs, something warm from the oven, or a colourful plate of fruit, perhaps eaten outside, on a blanket beneath the trees.

let yourself be comforted by the world. You are allowed to make your own little life feel tender and abundant.

and by the time I sit down with my sketchbook, I often feel as though I've already begun creating. I have been collecting little sensations without even realizing it, filling myself with lovely colours, textures, scents, flavours, and sounds. ♡

don't make the things you love drawing a one-time thing. Draw them again and again. Over time, they become familiar, almost like old friends, and drawing them begins to feel deeply comforting.

you don't always need to search for something completely new to draw. I think the loveliest creative path is simply noticing what already makes you happy and giving yourself permission to make much, much more of it.

there is something beautiful about creating from a place of such deep familiarity that the act itself begins to feel like coming home. ♡

save the things you never seem to grow tired of looking at, and turn them into your own ultimate inspiration folder, a deeply personal little collection, filled only with the things that always inspire you.

whenever you find something that makes you feel inspired immediately all the time, save it to that folder. Over time, you'll have a folder full of images, colours, details, and ideas that you genuinely love looking at, ready to return to whenever you want a little spark of inspiration. ♡

one of my favourite ways to get inspired fast is to draw tiny things.

there is something wonderfully satisfying about creating miniature drawings. Draw your favourite lipstick, a perfume bottle, a tiny dollhouse, a bowl of cherries, a tiny teacup, a tiny bedroom inside a jam jar.

tiny drawings don't take much time. They don't require an enormous sheet of paper or an entire afternoon of uninterrupted concentration. I think that's what I love about miniature things: they are little concentrations of joy.

there is something so delicious about miniature drawings. Each little line feels like a tiny treat, a small indulgence you’re giving yourself. Like the first bite of an incredibly buttery croissant that contains everything you love: the golden pastry, the flaky layers, the warm butter, the sweetness of jam. You can pour all of your attention into one little thing, and every line becomes a tiny indulgence.

you don't need to create a masterpiece. Create a crumb. Create a sprinkle. Create one tiny, delicious little thing, and pour all the love you have into it.

i think we sometimes overlook how much happiness can be packed into the smallest things.

if this article sounds like your cup of tea, I would absolutely love to have you stick around and watch butterlines develop into a cozy, safe, inspiring creative haven that I think the internet needs more of, so please subscribe, and make yourself at home. ♡

here's the story of how i reignited my creative spark after years of feeling uninspired, in case you need a gentle nudge back toward the things you love.♡