Art Before Breakfast + 5 Tips For A More Creative Morning

Have you heard about about “Art Before Breakfast“? Because if you haven’t, you are about to become a huge, huge fan. I will admit that most mornings, tapping into my artistic side is the last thing on my mind. It’s mostly focused on coffee and… coffee… because coffee. However, this isn’t the case for Danny Gregory, the author and artist of this guidebook. And let me tell you, this guy’s got it going on. “Art Before Breakfast” offers up a zillion creative prompts to complete no matter how early your wake up call is. Better still? They take only 5 to 10 minutes to master, no matter your skill level or schedule. It’s a practical and positive book filled to the brim with strategies, techniques and materials to use. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?

The idea of injecting creativity into the early morning is something I’ve taken to heart. I know that the idea of being productive in the wee hours isn’t something that sounds that appealing, but I’ve found that leaving for the “real world” after focusing in on my artistic attempts gives me a sense of accomplishment. It feels good to finish an artistic project before breakfast! It’s definitely one way to start the day on the right foot. Here are the little ways I’m infusing art into the morning.

1. Take A Minute (Or Ten) To Meditate And Focus

The time before the day begins is a sacred, sacred period of the day. Be it five minutes to breathe before heading out the door, or a half an hour to sip tea and read the news, it’s crucial to really take advantage of the quiet of the morning.

2. Write Out A Thought Or Intention For Your Day

The power of the pen, ya’ll. Create a sentence or sentiment for your day. Whether it’s “dude… at least it’s Thursday?” or “you are worthy, you are empowered” or “let’s finish up the project today”… choose a thought that will guide the day towards an intentional, productive and creative one.

3. Find Your Place

Cozy yourself up in your spot. You know, your chair, your table, your nook, your cloud bed. This is your domain baby! Claim your place, make it your creative spot for the morning. Admittedly, mine is my kitchen table. But it’s still my little zen spot!

4. Choose Anything Over Facebook & Twitter

Get off Facebook and Twitter! That’s right…. get. off. them… at least to begin your day. The internet is too much of a deep, dark hole to fall into that early! I’m not necessarily saying that all social media apps are worthless to your artistic ventures. No way! God knows Instagram and Pinterest can provide anyone with some serious inspiration. But it’s pretty apparent that Facebook and Twitter are used primarily for starting conversations, not sharing work. Start the day inspired by other creatives and their work, tackle an podcast episode (check out this list here made by my friend Sara!), or doodle your dog instead.

5. Choose An Activity

Here’s where the fun comes in! Complete a ten minute exercise from “Art Before Breakfast” or do what you whatever you please! Maybe you’ll list all the colors you see in your kitchen, maybe you’ll sketch, maybe you’ll create the best freaking breakfast smoothie ever, maybe you’ll learn how to play your favorite song on ukelele. Just doing a small dose of an artistic activity is sure to get your wheels turning in the right direction.

If you haven’t guessed it already, I cannot recommend books like “Art Before Breakfast” enough. If you missed my list of must-have books for creatives and free spirits, you’ll definitely find guidebooks similar to this one on there as well. Happy mornings to you guys! Now, it’s time for me to write a haiku on poached eggs (you think I’m kidding)…