7 activities people with a creative soul are naturally drawn to

Some people just can’t help themselves.

They see a blank page and want to write, hear music and want to play, walk outside and feel the itch to capture the light with their phone camera.

If you’ve ever wondered why certain activities pull at you more than others, chances are your creative side is showing.

These aren’t things you force yourself into—they’re things you’re naturally drawn to.

Let’s get into it.

1. Spending time in solitude

Einstein once said, “The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.”

I’ve found this to be true. Some of my best ideas arrive not in a group brainstorm, but when I’m alone in a quiet café or on my porch at night.

Solitude creates space. Without the constant noise of other people’s opinions, your own thoughts can breathe and expand. That’s when connections start to form and creativity sneaks in.

If you’re someone who craves those quiet hours, it’s not because you’re antisocial—it’s because your mind thrives in the stillness.

2. Walking without a destination

There’s something about moving your body at a slow pace that stirs the imagination.

Charles Dickens walked up to 20 miles a day to clear his head, and Beethoven took long strolls through the woods. Even Steve Jobs was famous for his walking meetings.

And this isn’t just romantic lore. A landmark series of experiments at Stanford University found that participants produced 60% more creative ideas while walking than while sitting.

I’ve noticed this too. When I hit a wall while writing, I lace up my shoes and head out for a walk. By the time I’m back, the problem has usually untangled itself.

3. Picking up a pen

Journaling has always been a go-to for people who can’t quite get their thoughts straight until they see them on paper.

It doesn’t matter if you write in a leather-bound notebook or a $1 spiral pad from the corner store. What matters is giving form to the formless.

Sometimes I’ll start writing about my day and suddenly land on a phrase that sparks a new idea for an article or photo project. Writing isn’t just recording—it’s discovering.

4. Making music

Even if you’re not a musician, you probably know the urge to hum, tap your fingers, or build playlists that feel like little works of art.

Music draws us in because it bypasses logic and goes straight to emotion. It’s why you’ll find so many creative people—from painters to coders—obsessed with sound.

For me, it started with indie music blogging. For others, it might be teaching themselves guitar on YouTube or mixing beats on free software. Either way, music acts like a tuning fork for the soul.

5. Immersing in nature

Have you ever noticed how your mind feels different after time outdoors?

Fresh air has a way of blowing open the mental windows we didn’t know were stuck shut. Whether it’s two hours in a forest or ten minutes in the park, nature feeds creativity.

That’s why I carry my camera whenever I go hiking. A play of shadows on a rock wall or the way clouds scatter over the Pacific can spark entire ideas for stories or images.

Nature doesn’t just relax us—it reframes the way we see the world, which is exactly what creative souls crave.

6. Playing without a goal

As kids, we didn’t need a reason to play—we just did it. Somewhere along the line, many adults forgot this.

But for the creatively wired, play still shows up. It might look like doodling in the margins of a notebook, experimenting with recipes, or messing around with photo filters just for fun.

Play isn’t about results. It’s about exploration. It’s where imagination stretches and recombines into new shapes.

Whenever I let myself play, I notice how much freer and sharper my work feels afterward.

7. Seeking meaning in emotion

Creative people rarely numb themselves. Instead, they turn their emotions into fuel.

I was reminded of this recently while reading Laughing in the Face of Chaos by Rudá Iandê. He writes,

“Our emotions are not barriers, but profound gateways to the soul—portals to the vast, uncharted landscapes of our inner being.”

That line stuck with me because it reframed how I think about anxiety or frustration. Instead of treating emotions like obstacles, what if we treated them as clues?

This insight inspired me to stop fighting my own inner tides and instead let them guide me into projects, ideas, and even conversations I’d been avoiding.

And if you’ve got a creative soul, chances are you know exactly what that feels like.

The bottom line

You don’t choose creativity—it chooses you.

Whether it’s the pull of solitude, the rhythm of walking, the mess of play, or the rawness of emotion, these activities aren’t random quirks.

They’re signals pointing to a deeper way of seeing and making sense of life.

And the more you follow them, the more fully you live.