6 Creative Activities Anyone Can Do While High
Cannabis is the perfect complement to many creative activities. There’s something about how cannabinoids affect the brain that seems to lift barriers, allowing us to consider and experience things in a new way. The tricky thing about cannabis, at least for some of us, is resisting the siren call of inactivity. With thousands of hours of entertainment literally at our fingertips, binge-watching, games and social networking can suck us in for hours, sapping motivation to actually create something! Below are a few simple activities anyone can do, almost anywhere, with minimal fuss and cost that can help you channel artistic energy and get you creating!
Sketching:
Sketching is one of the cheapest and most portable visual art activities you can participate in. All you really need is a pen or pencil and some paper, but some mediums are better than other when you’re high, especially for novices.
Charcoal: Charcoal is a great choice for sketching when using cannabis. The medium is extremely forgiving and it’s easy to fix things you don’t like. You don’t need to get all fancy with tortillons and whatnot, all you need is a box of charcoal, some tissues, your finger and a sketchpad. It can get kind of messy, but that’s part of the fun! Plus, you only need to look to your own neighborhood or yard for inspiration. Head to the park, beach or lake for some nature sketching or take your materials downtown and try your hand at urban landscapes and people.
Pencils and Colored Pencils: Although all you really need is a Ticonderoga #2 and a scrap of paper for pencil drawing, if you’ve got the cash, treat yourself to a few drawing supplies. A pencil set with varying degrees of softness/hardness, a sharpener and a kneaded eraser is the perfect collection and fits easily into a pencil case to take anywhere. If you prefer working in color, colored pencils give you precision and fun colors. You don’t need to splurge on PrismaColor but they’re nice!
Pastels and Chalk: If you like getting messy and vibrant colors, pastels might be for you. The right paper is important when using chalk and pastels, so definitely invest in a decent sketchpad if this is the medium you choose. A box of pastels or chalk and a pad of paper can easily be taken anywhere. Just don’t forget the baby wipes!
Painting: On the opposite spectrum of portability is painting but it’s still possible. You don’t need to tote around an easel and artist’s box. Watercolor is the easiest to manage on the go. A baby food jar, water, a few brushes, watercolor paper and a box of paints is about all you need. There are also colored pencils that blend with water if paints are too messy. Still seems too complicated? Try water painting! Your local art store has special boards that you can “paint” or draw on with a brush and water. The image disappears as it dries and you can use it again and again.
Photography:
For this activity, all you need is your phone! Alone or with a friend, head out and take some creative shots with your phone’s camera. Don’t just snap away. Pay attention to composition and subject. The best part is you can go somewhere you’ve been a hundred times and still find new things to see when you’re looking through a lens. Or, you can go somewhere new and get outside your comfort zone. There are a million things to photograph wherever you are, from people and creatures to architecture and flowers. Mix it up with a new photography app or try macro photography! Later you can edit the ones you like and maybe try #4.
Digital Art:
With today’s computers and tablets, the sky is the limit when it comes to digital art. You can pick up GIMP for free on most operating systems and have access to the same quality of tools as Photoshop. With the addition of a stylus or digital pen, you can draw, paint, manipulate photos, and more at a nearly professional level. You can do this in your living room or out in the world. Take photos with your device and edit them on the fly, add fantastic elements or experiment with collages, special effects and color.
Coloring:
Remember how much fun you used to have coloring as a child? Well, there’s a reason adult coloring books have made a huge comeback! Whether you use a real paper coloring book or one of the many coloring book apps available, coloring is a relaxing and creative way to spend an afternoon. There are literally hundreds of coloring books available on Amazon from complex to simple or you can likely find a smaller selection at local toy and book stores. Go old school with a 64 box of Crayolas or get precise with colored pencils. Some people prefer digital coloring. You can change your mind and recolor pictures easily. Plus, you don’t need anything more than your phone and a finger!
Character Portrait:
Maybe visual art isn’t your thing and instead you’ve been kicking around an idea for a book or short story. Sitting down to write can easily be one of the hardest challenges to overcome when it comes to writing. A creative and beneficial activity you can do anywhere is to create a character portrait. Choose a character and begin to write down everything you know about them. You can start with a physical description if you find that easiest, but really challenge yourself to consider what this character would like, dislike and do in their day-to-day life. Do they have a favorite song? Food? Hobby? How do they dress? Are they a morning person, an introvert, a social butterfly? Where did they grow up? Who are their family members? You get it. The more of a backstory and solid profile you have of your characters, the more convincing your writing will be. If you make them real to you, they’ll be real to your readers!