Adulting might sometimes feel like it’s sucking the creativity right out of you. 🫠
And while finding some fun activities for adults can reignite the creativity that may have been suppressed by the demands of daily life, it can be hard to do so — especially if you’re an artist.
Work, bills, hustling for your dreams, it’s so easy to forget how to have fun again and forget about the responsibilities for a little bit. But the thing is, embracing your inner artist through these fun activities for adults is really about rediscovering the joy in play — and turning that over to your art.
After all, there’s a reason we’re on an endless, happy journey to become a full-time artist — because, like a child, we want to do what we love!
These fun activities for adults are designed to reignite your creativity and bring joy back into your life.
🌀 How Doing Activities Helps You Be More Creative
Remember when you were a kid, and everything seemed possible? As we mature, we frequently neglect the importance of creative expression, losing touch with our innate sense of wonder, possibility, and yes, creativity. AKA — all key ingredients for living a creative life.
🧖♀️ It Frees Environmental, Bodily and Career Tension
We’ve all been there — hunched over a desk, muscles tight, mind racing with deadlines and to-do lists. It’s hard to be a fluid, artistic creative when you’re feeling wound up.
Engaging in fun activities for adults helps release that tension, both physically and mentally. When you’re relaxed, and more specifically (as I like to say) ✨cozy✨, your mind and body finally untighten and finally feel like it can be free-flowing again.
Think about it: have you ever had a great idea while in the shower or during a walk? That’s because you’ve given your brain a chance to relax and play — and aren’t focusing on “why don’t I have any good ideas?!”
🤗 It Embraces Your Inner Child
The child that saw a magic wand in a stick is still inside of you — they’ve just expanded their ability to create on a whole new level. Now, you can see an image on a canvas before you’ve even outlined it. You can hear a song from 3 chords. You can feel a choreographed dance in your heart before even starting to whip out your phone to record it.
When we engage in fun activities, we tap into that childlike sense of wonder and imagination. We stop worrying about being “good” at something and start focusing on the spiritual element that it’s always been. We remember, accept, and embrace the creative part of it and we stop worrying about how silly we might look — because we’re in service to the art.
🤸 It Gets You Moving
It’s no secret that sitting at a desk all day can definitely stunt your creativity (and probably your back, too!). Our bodies and minds are connected; when we’re physically stagnant, our thoughts can get stuck too.
Finding fun activities for adults gets us up and moving, shaking those loose mental cobwebs and getting our creative juices flowing. Plus, physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, which can enhance cognitive function and boost creativity.
When we’re having fun and moving our bodies, we’re more likely to enter a state of flow — that magical zone where time seems to disappear and ideas come effortlessly.
🫶 Fun Activities for Adults to Unleash Your Inner Artist
🎥 1. Outdoor Movie Night/Drive-In Movie
A warm summer night, twinkling stars overhead, and a giant screen playing your favorite movie.
Why is this great for creativity? It gets you out of your usual environment, creating a change of scenery to help physically move yourself away from the typical desk setup you’re probably in. It also engages with your senses — a larger screen, louder audio, and the warmth, the smells, and the sounds of air and nature.
👩🍳 2. Cooking Classes
Hobby classes for adults like cooking classes is a great way of embracing your inner child and getting yourself out of your comfort zone.
I, for one, am a horrible cook, so taking a cooking class can help humble me a little more and take me out of my comfort zone. Perhaps it can for you, too. 👩🍳
When was the last time you took a class — in person — in something you know very little about? (Chefs, take a step to the side — this isn’t for you! 😋) It’s also great for creativity because it engages all your senses. You’re smelling spices, tasting ingredients, feeling textures, and creating visually appealing dishes. It’s a full sensory experience that can inspire creativity in other areas of your life.
It’s enriching your body and mind, especially when you’re stuck behind a screen all day. Gotta get away from that incessant blue light!
🎳 3. Bowling
Adult game nights like going to a bowling alley can be that perfect balance of letting go and having fun! I used to frequent bowling alleys a lot when I was in grade school — then, I just stopped.
I always had so much fun at them — the crash of the pins, the laugh when my ball would get in the gutter, the retro decor that made me feel like I was back in the ‘90s.
Play, have fun, and take a few hours to stop worrying about dreaming up something new. Time out with friends doing something physical is always a great way to bring that inner child back out to play.
🧘♀️ 4. Go to the Yoga Studio
Yoga is about so much more than touching your toes (which, let’s be honest, can be a feat in itself for many of us after hours in the office or art studio).
A good yoga class challenges you to see your body and mind in new ways. You’re finding balance — both literally and figuratively — and that focus on balance translates directly into how you approach the rest of your day, off the mat.
And like I always say, getting up and moving is a great way of releasing creative tension.
🧗♀️ 5. Rock-Climbing
If you really want to challenge yourself and unleash your inner artist, give rock climbing a try. Adventure sports, like rock climbing, can challenge you physically and mentally — and talk about getting out of your head. You’re just focusing on not falling!
Even more important than that, though, you’re forcing yourself to be creative in how you move your body. You’re problem-solving within a few seconds, physically and mentally challenging yourself so you can see yourself from new angles.
The rock-climbing community is also infamous for being extremely supportive. And in a career that can feel competitive and lonely like being an artist, finding a community is exactly what can help us get out of our heads and thrive. 🌱
🎭 6. Going to a Black Box Theatre Show
I loved performing in the black box theatre at my college as my own little artist date. We’d put on new works, avant-garde performances, and experimental pieces. It was out-of-the-box and nontraditional. I loved being an audience member seeing something I could never predict. And even moreso, I loved being a performer getting to show the audience a different perspective.
These shows often push boundaries and challenge conventional storytelling. And as an audience-member, I would 100% of the time walk out of that show asking myself questions and wanting to create on my own. I’d get inspired by their use of space, lighting, and storytelling techniques. Not to mention, many black box shows have post-mortems, which are discussions following the show to talk about its topics and themes.
🎤 7. Finding a Trivia Night For Your Favorite Show
Trivia nights are fun on their own, but when they’re focused on your favorite TV show or movie? That’s next-level awesome. It’s a chance to geek out with fellow fans and flex your pop culture muscles — I’m still waiting for a New Girl trivia night to come to my area!
The friendly, competitive atmosphere can get your mind moving a little more than usual. I’m not usually on-edge when I’m working at my computer (and that’s a-okay with me!). But when I can be uber-focused on something that’s just fun? I’m there.
📚 8. Finding Free/Cheap Activities At Your Library
If you’re struggling to find things to do or a community in your area, look to your local library! Remember that these gems offer so many free and low-cost activities, even for adults. Writing workshops, book clubs, guest lectures, just getting yourself out to one of these could be a great way to get yourself out of your home and into something new.
You might even find some social clubs for adults that bring people together from different backgrounds in a shared space. Plus, simply being surrounded by books can feel so warm and cozy. 🥰
🌸 9. Find a U-Pick Flower/Fruit Farm
U-pick farms are such a fun, hands-on way to get in touch with nature. Strawberries in the summer, apples in the fall, flowers in the spring — the act of searching for that perfect fruit or flower reminds me of the simple beauty of nature.
I can somehow forget about all the clients, all the silly little problems that I have on my screen, and remember that nature will always be here for me, even when others might not.
💖 Live a More Creative Life: Subscribe To My YouTube!
If you’re a creative soul, just remember that your inner child is always there, waiting to come out and play to help your best art shine. Let’s talk more ways to live that beautiful, creative life of yours with love and creative discipline — over on my YouTube channel!
