Creative blocks. Real or imagined? Having worked in creative industries for the past 20 years, I can relate to days and even weeks where it feels like there’s a blockage. At times, ideas flow, and turning them into meaningful creations seems as natural as a bee making honey. At other times, I seem to get caught up in that honey and end up trudging through my days questioning whether I should have just worked at the local shop.
In reality, I have no idea why we expect our bodies and brains to be at 100% peak performance and efficiency 100% of the time. Isn’t that incredibly unrealistic?
And yet, we have a meltdown or at least mild anxiety when things are not flowing as we would hope. Rather than trying to force things when these downtimes arise, I’ve decided to take a more long-term approach. It involves keeping my brain fresh with little creative tasks each day. All of this is possible thanks to a free app called Messier.
This is part of a regular series of articles exploring the apps that we couldn't live without. Read them all here.
Available for both Apple and Android devices, this super simple app is a breath of fresh air that keeps me moving in the right direction. At its core, Messier is a collection of creative practices and activities that can be done when you have a few spare minutes in the day.
Creative lessons center around drawing, dancing, cooking, tapping, and much more. Each one tells you what areas you’ll grow in, such as learning to express emotions or increasing your learning ability. Step-by-step instructions guide you from beginning to end. If you need any help, there are also some helpful hints.
I also appreciated the ‘Try Variations’ section in each lesson, which is perfect if you want to return to an activity you loved but with a slight twist. Every lesson you liked can be saved, so you have the ones you enjoyed the most all in one place.
One of the things I love about this app is that the activities can be enjoyed on your own or with others. I prefer a mixture. Sometimes, I just want to get some headspace and have a good old creative moment on my own, but it’s also great to partake in the same activity with others. Being able to compare what you’ve created and learn from others is a lot of fun, and it also helps you see the pros and cons of other creative approaches.
I’ve particularly enjoyed using the app with my children. There is the perpetual pull of devices, and it can be a real challenge to help them see the benefit of offline creativity. As they get older, they’re increasingly moving from pen and paper to other mediums, and I think there’s something lost from not engaging with things like art and music as the years roll on.
The activities are split into different categories. If I’m honest, the interface looks like Netflix, but with different content. One of those categories is ‘Family-friendly’ and it provides a set of options ideal for doing with others. One of my favorites is the ‘empathy through art’ activity, which requires you to listen to a person share a story before translating that into a drawing or a sketch. It's through activities like this that people are brought together and experiences are shared.
To help create a sense of momentum and achievement, there is a profile section that details your weekly progress and your current and longest streak. This provides a quick and straightforward way to see how well you’re doing at engaging with the app and, more importantly, partaking in the creative exercises.
One of the things I think is seriously lacking about the app is the ability to photograph or record your creations so that you can see your past creations. This would also provide the added benefit of seeing if you’re making any progress within specific mediums of art or music.
That aside, the Messier app has brought me significant new joy. Filling some of those moments in a day with a purposeful creative exercise rather than scrolling through social media has been wonderful. It's made me try new things that I would never have thought of without a little nudging. So, if you’re after some creative spice in your life, try the Messier app.