The Hot Girls Guide To Creativity 🎨

Spring is our season, girlies!

Mar 23, 2025

“Once something is important to you, it never leaves your mind. If you always dreamt of being a singer songwriter and you never did it, you will be haunted by that by the age of 70. Because it’s still right here—stored in the back of your mind. It’s something that’s meant for you, that’s trying to call to you. You see your dreams, you either pursue them, or they fucking haunt you.” - Mel Robbins

I sat at a round table, picking at vegetarian lasagna, surrounded by women 10-20 years my senior. It was the first evening of a writing workshop with Cheryl Strayed at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York and the cafeteria was buzzing with anticipation for the first session of the class. Dinner conversation was mostly sharing creative ideas, divulging how long we had been writing for and what we hoped to gain out of the experience.

The women at my table had incredible stories, and everyone seemed eager to share them on the page, but up until this point, life had gotten in the way. Jobs, children, marriage, divorce—the theme was that it was finally time to carve out space for their stories. I remember nodding and feeling proud of us for sneaking away from our respective homes for a weekend, but there was also a low, grumbling I felt in the pit of my stomach. A warning? Or perhaps just an intuitive hit.

Don’t let life get in the way of your dreams. Chase them now. Don’t wait 20 years.

I very clearly remember not wanting to be 60 or 70 years old with a book idea still rambling around in my brain unfulfilled from a decade ago. Or a business idea. Or any creative idea for that matter. I’m pretty sure I will be a woman in my 60s and still attending writing workshops like this (I am who I am!), but I truly hope by then that I won’t have a laundry list of unfinished projects—of unfulfilled dreams. That idea alone haunts me.

Something clicks in my brain the minute the weather warms up. I’ve discovered that my own creative juices start to overflow in the spring. Perhaps it’s because this is literally the season of creation (flowers blooming, baby bunnies bopping around etc.). It’s also a time filled with personal milestones that inspire me to write (my birthday is at the end of May, for example) I also can’t help but think about the spring of 2019, which was one of the most creative times in my entire life. (I was in a creative bubble with a friend writing a musical for two months—perhaps I’ll save that story for another post) The weather makes me nostalgic for it. My body remembers it. I literally start having dreams about my creative ideas by mid-March.

Finally, for the astrology girlies, the first day of spring marks the first day of Aries season. My moon sign is in Aries, and this season always gets me hype. Aries energy is ambitious and competitive—it’s the excitement that comes when you initiate a new project. It’s time to goooo.

So today, I’m inspired to share a little kick in the pants to create the thing, whatever it is for you, and to not wait. Sure, there are spring life resets and refreshes, but what about your creative ideas? The stories that lie dormant all winter and are ready to spring forth like freaking flowers in spring?

I have my own creative garden—ghosts that are threatening to haunt me into my 70s if they aren’t made manifest, and I really don’t want that for us, ya know? You have to chase your ideas. You have to put in the time. And even if you don’t have a creative idea you’re following—maybe you’re simply curious about something. A new hobby perhaps, that seems like fun but you’re not sure about. There are a billion ways to be creative and spring is the perfect time to do it—so here are a few ways to invite it in this season.

Brain Dump

Julia Cameron of The Artist's Way coined the term morning pages, and I have a hunch that if you’re reading this, you probably already know that free writing whatever is in your brain first thing in the morning is not a new concept. I want to share though, for all the perfectionist girlies (hi, it's me), that it’s really ok if these pages are a mess. Scribbles. Nothing needs to make sense. You don’t even need to be productive, as in like, writing about anything specific. Morning pages bump creativity because it’s literally not about thinking, it’s just about dumping. When you let go of thinking, little gems can pop out. But at least in my experience, they don’t come unless you let go.

Brene Brown said a great permission slip you can give yourself is to start your morning pages with a line at the top that says “This is where I make my mess.” Slay.

Turn Off Your Damn Phone

This is the reminder I need literally at all times. Scrolling social media requires a lot of energy because there is so much to see! Consuming content fills up your brain with other people’s ideas. This can be fun and helpful for sure, but when it comes to your own creativity, you won’t find it scrolling. Instead…

Get Quiet

Oh my gaaaahhhhh another reminder I need all the time! Ok so by get quiet I mean remove distractions. Meditate, go for a walk, a drive etc. Creative ideas are energy. They float around in the air, and you’re not going to be open to them if you’re too busy scrolling. This is why you get your genius ideas in the shower, or walking your dog. I’m working on a little something where I literally get my story ideas in meditation. Like I literally meditate and am like, ok, what comes next? And I get an answer if I sit long enough. I learned this in my yoga girl era—meditation solves everything. Have a question about your life? Meditate. Not sure about a decision to make? Meditate. Turn everything off and get quiet—I bet your answers are in your subconscious. You know what to do.

Act Quickly

There’s a story I’ve been seeing recently about Michael Jackson recording songs in the middle of the night. He would wake up with a song idea, call his producers and tell them they needed to go to the studio immediately, or else Prince would record it first. WILD.

The idea behind this is that creative ideas aren’t ours, they just are. They want to be created, and if you’re not the one to do it, they’ll find someone else. I’ve written about how this idea has made me feel anxious in the past, and I still believe it’s ok to be gentle with yourself and your ideas, but I do think there’s something to acting quickly. Not necessarily because you’re fearful your idea will go to someone else (although, if that vibes with you, stick with it), but more because the fire is with you now. Ride the thrill of inspiration as it comes because I guarantee you it fades. Plus, it’s so fun to get an idea and act on it immediately! Don’t let your brain get in the way, let your heart lead.

Try Something New

There’s magic in being a beginner again. Perfectionist girlies, it’s ok to not be good at something at first! I know UGH but it's true! When you put yourself in a new environment with new people, learning a new skill—this opens the door for a potential rebrand of your life. What if you love the new thing? What if you learn something new about yourself? What if it boosts your confidence?? Elizabeth Gilbert says a creative life is just about following your curiosities again and again. So get curious, and try the new thing. Cause why not?

I hope you found this helpful, and I hope it inspired you to get off your phone and make something. Whether it’s a loaf of bread, a painting, a song, or a journal entry—spring is the season where the creative girlies shiiiine. Have you been feeling an urge to create something new? Tell me about it in the comments! I’d love to hear about it and cheer you on 🥰

Happy creating!

xx, Kristen

PS. I want to share with you—this week Older, Wiser, Hotter hit 1k subscribers! Omg! Thank you so so much for being here. 🥹 The Substack community is so wonderful, and I’m so happy and grateful to be writing, sharing and connecting with you here. Sending so much love and gratitude—this is just the beginning! 🤍