00:00I'm Lucie Fink and this is 5 Days of Creativity.
00:05Hey peeps, welcome back.
00:08It's me, Lucie.
00:09Today we're talking about something very near and dear to my heart.
00:13Not my boob.
00:14Creativity.
00:15Before we start, give this video a thumbs up if you like creativity.
00:19Everything I produce is an exercise in creative expression and idea generation and imagination expansion.
00:25But sometimes I hit a wall and I'm like, what the...
00:33Excuse me.
00:34How on earth will I ever make another interesting video if I can't think of any new ideas?
00:39So this video is for people who feel like that all the time.
00:42I tapped into the mind of one of the most badass, colorful, inimitable super women I've ever met in my
00:49entire life.
00:50Piera Gilardi, the creative director and co-founder of Refinery29.
00:56She came by my desk today in the office and this happened.
01:01Hi Lucie.
01:02So my first tip for you is to spruce up your space and surround yourself with inspiration.
01:08I'm looking at your desk and it's pretty bland.
01:11I think that you could do better.
01:13Let me show you my space.
01:15Welcome to my office.
01:17Wow.
01:17Piera's office looks like a unicorn had explosive diarrhea.
01:22That sounds really disgusting, but I meant that in the best way possible.
01:26So having all this visual inspiration around me helps me to come up with ideas and it kind of triggers
01:31little thoughts.
01:32She has beautiful framed pictures all over the place, plants, tons of tchotchkes, candy, artwork, toys, games, you name it.
01:39So after seeing her interior design, I went to work myself on a much smaller scale.
01:45I went to the plant district and bought brightly colored cacti to line up in a row.
01:49I used hot pink gaff tape to line my computer monitor, hung up some brightly colored ice cream prints, and
01:55put twinkling lights everywhere.
01:57And now going to my desk every morning is almost like taking a mini journey to the most creative and
02:03imaginative part of my brain.
02:05Wow, Lucy.
02:06So much better.
02:08This is awesome.
02:10Give me a high five.
02:17Sometimes when I'm getting ready for the day ahead, I look in the mirror and I realize that my morning
02:22routine is always the same.
02:24And not only that, but I'm usually multitasking.
02:27So while I'm getting dressed or putting on my makeup, I'm also racking my brain about an upcoming project or
02:32trying to think of some brilliant new creative idea.
02:35Hello, Lucy.
02:37Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
02:37Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
02:39Sorry.
02:40It's me.
02:40It's Piera.
02:41Sorry.
02:42So sometimes thinking too hard on something is too much for your brain to handle.
02:46So you need to give your brain a break.
02:47Get out of your brain, into your body, go outside, go for a walk.
02:52Good idea.
02:54Hi.
02:55Piera's advice had me changing into comfortable clothes, putting on sneakers, and opting out of the subway.
03:01Instead, I walked all the way down to the Refinery29 office.
03:07I read a Refinery29 article that said that spending time in nature, particularly in a green space, can help relieve
03:13stress.
03:14And I don't know about you, but whenever I'm feeling less stressed, I feel like my mind is freed up
03:18and I can come up with more creative ideas.
03:22Truthfully, at this time of year there's not much greenery, but I stopped at every little bit I could find.
03:27Even the little fake green planters along the side of the road.
03:29And, of course, City Hall Park before heading into work.
03:32And it really helps open up your eyes to how much is going on around you, how many people live
03:36in the same city as me, and how many creative ideas we just have yet to come up with.
03:43Sometimes when I wake up in the morning and I'm feeling creatively stifled, I try to come up with these
03:47ginormous creative ideas to get me out of the rut.
03:50I'll scroll and scroll and scroll through my phone endlessly until I find something that inspires me.
03:56Good morning, Lucy.
03:57Don't scroll past me.
03:58I have an important thing to tell you.
04:01So, creativity doesn't have to be earth shattering.
04:03Think about a couple small ways to add a little flair, pizzazz, and rendezvous into your morning.
04:08This morning I dedicated a bit of extra time to designing my day.
04:13Starting with my outfit.
04:14I am not a big fashionista and I do not normally put a lot of thought into what I'm wearing.
04:19But today was all about mixing and matching and trying my best to look at clothing the way I look
04:24at video production.
04:24I wanted my outfit to tell a story about my thought process and to also have the same uniqueness that
04:30a work of art does.
04:31So I'm wearing this flowy floral shirt, this jean skirt, tights, and pizza socks.
04:36Your mindset really does start to change when you see yourself wearing something that's a little different and colorful and
04:42outside of the box.
04:46Next, I really wanted to dive into and up my breakfast game.
04:50Today, I took a longer moment for myself and I really assembled and arranged my breakfast the way an architect
04:56would design a house.
04:59I made a beautifully designed smoothie bowl topped with colorful fruits, coconut flakes, granola, cocoa nibs, the works.
05:10For me, this was more of an artistic exercise rather than a culinary cooking experience.
05:15But I, of course, had a very, very tasty payoff.
05:19And it reminded me that art is everywhere.
05:23Who knew that lining up strawberries and pineapple could be so stimulating?
05:37So, inspiration is really different for everybody.
05:41It's kind of like dreams, it's slippery, it's weird, you don't know what's going to work.
05:45So, for example, for me, museums are really inspiring.
05:50How do you feel about museums?
05:52Eh, they're okay.
05:53See? It's different for everybody.
05:55So it's so important that you think about what really makes you tick.
05:59What makes you feel inspired, feel energetic, feel excited, just have so many...
06:04Whoa!
06:05Sorry.
06:08Huh?
06:09Discovering what makes you creative can feel like a daunting task.
06:12But really, it's just about being completely honest with yourself and understanding what you really love.
06:17Maybe it's music.
06:18Maybe it's gardening.
06:19Perhaps it's feng shui.
06:21For me, it's images.
06:23Stop motion is just a series of images that, when played back to back, tell a story.
06:27I love composing the shots and lighting the set.
06:29Looking at pictures can inspire me in a way that nothing else in this world can.
06:34So today, I gave myself time to dive deep into photos that inspire me.
06:38Because I'm such a visual person, I wanted to look at all of these photos at once,
06:42so I printed them out and I made a giant inspiration board.
06:46This is going right next to my newly decorated desk at work,
06:49and I'm going to look at it every time I need a little bit of creative juice.
07:03What are you waiting for?
07:05I'm waiting for Piera.
07:06Isn't she going to like pop in or something?
07:10Land on my shoulder?
07:11Sit on the couch?
07:14No?
07:14Since Piera wasn't showing up,
07:16I decided to round out the week trying out some tips of my own.
07:20Something that I know I love to do when I'm feeling creatively stuck,
07:23or really just all the time,
07:25is listen to motivational speeches and podcasts.
07:30Hey Lucy, it's me Piera,
07:32and you're listening to Piera's Podcast.
07:36I'm just kidding.
07:37I don't have a podcast.
07:39Not yet, at least.
07:40You thought I was going to leave you hanging.
07:42No way.
07:43I just wanted to push you to figure out what your tips are.
07:46And you killed it.
07:48Great tip.
07:49I love podcasts.
07:50My personal favorites right now are Making Oprah and the TED Radio Hour.
07:55So you see, there are a million ways to live more creatively,
07:59and many of them are really simple.
08:01After learning from Piera this week,
08:02I'm so excited to implement her tips into my daily life.
08:05And she's also inspired me to look for creativity in obscure places,
08:09like a smoothie bowl.
08:10I would love to hear your tips,
08:12so comment below,
08:13share this video with a friend in need,
08:15and let me know what you want to see next time on Try Living With Lucy.
08:18Bye!
08:20Hey guys, thanks for watching.
08:21Click here to subscribe to us on YouTube,
08:23and here to watch another episode of Try Living With Lucy.
08:27Bye!
08:27Bye!
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