Real-life examples of examples of creative goals examples to spark your next chapter

Everyday-life examples of creative goals you can actually stick with

Let’s skip the theory and go straight into lived, real examples of creative goals people set when they’re serious about changing their day-to-day lives.

Imagine these as journaling prompts. You can write: “My example of a creative goal for the next 90 days is…” and borrow any of these ideas.

Think about:

• Setting a 30-minute “creative block” three evenings a week to draw, write, or play music with your phone in another room.
• Committing to finish one small creative project per month: a poem, a short story, a watercolor, a song demo, a photo series, or a handmade gift.
• Joining a local or online creative challenge (like a 30-day sketch challenge or NaNoWriMo-style writing month) and tracking your progress in a journal.

These are the kinds of examples of examples of creative goals examples that move you from “someday” to “this week.”

Writing-focused examples of creative goals (for beginners and rusty writers)

If you’ve ever said, “I’d love to write, but I’m not a writer,” this section is for you. Here are some of the best examples of creative goals for people who want to explore writing without quitting their day job.

Try journaling about goals like:

• Write 300 words a day, 5 days a week, for 8 weeks. 300 words is roughly half a page—small enough that your brain doesn’t panic, big enough that it adds up. At the end of 8 weeks, you’ll have around 12,000 words: the beginnings of essays, stories, or a short book.
• Draft one personal essay each month about a life memory. These examples include prompts like: “Write about a time I felt completely out of place,” or “Write about the most surprising ‘yes’ I ever said.”
• Start a private newsletter for friends and family. Send one email every two weeks with a story, a reflection, or a list of things you’re learning. This builds your creative voice in a low-pressure way.
• Rewrite an old memory from two different perspectives. For example, a childhood move told from your point of view and then from your parent’s.

If you like structure, you can pair these goals with writing prompts from sites like Harvard’s Writing Resources to help you warm up.

When you’re journaling, you might write: “An example of a creative goal for my writing is to finish three short stories by December 31 and share them with one trusted friend.” That’s specific, time-bound, and measurable.

Visual art and design: gentle, realistic examples of creative goals

You do not have to be “good at art” to set art goals. You just have to be willing to be bad at it for a while. Here are some real examples of creative goals that work well for visual beginners.

Consider:

• Create one small piece of art per week for 12 weeks. These examples include a simple line drawing, a collage from old magazines, a digital sketch on a tablet, or a tiny watercolor postcard.
• Follow one online course or playlist from start to finish. Platforms like community colleges, public libraries, and some universities offer free or low-cost creative classes. Many public libraries in the U.S. list options through their sites or local .edu partners.
• Redesign one corner of your home each season. Use color, texture, and layout as your medium—think of your space as a living canvas.
• Start a “color diary.” Every day for 30 days, capture one color you notice—through a quick sketch, a paint swatch, or a photo—and label how it made you feel.

You can journal a sentence like: “My example of a creative goal is to complete a 30-day sketch streak, even if each drawing takes only 10 minutes.” That one sentence becomes a promise to yourself.

Music and performance: examples of creative goals for the shy and the brave

Music and performance goals can feel intimidating, but they’re also some of the most rewarding. Here are examples of examples of creative goals examples that fit both introverts and extroverts.

You might aim to:

• Practice an instrument for 15 minutes a day, 4 days a week, for three months. Keep a simple habit tracker in your journal.
• Learn one full song a month on guitar, piano, or voice, and record yourself at the end of the month to see your progress.
• Join a local choir, improv group, or community theater and commit to attending every rehearsal for one season.
• Post one anonymous performance video per month (unlisted or to a small group) to get used to sharing your work without the pressure of public likes.

When you write in your journal, you might say: “An example of a creative goal that scares me (in a good way) is to perform at one open mic night before the end of the year.” Fear is often a sign that the goal matters.

For motivation, you can look at research on how creative hobbies and music support mental health and stress reduction. For instance, the National Institutes of Health discusses how arts participation can support well-being and social connection (NIH).

Digital creativity: 2024–2025 examples of creative goals in an online world

We live in a time when creativity doesn’t just mean canvases and notebooks. Some of the best examples of creative goals in 2024–2025 live on screens and in communities.

Here are some modern, real examples:

• Create and publish one short-form video per week for 10 weeks. It could be a mini cooking demo, a time-lapse of your drawing, or a “day in the life” vlog. The point is the creative process, not going viral.
• Design and share a monthly digital zine or moodboard. Use free design tools to gather quotes, photos (your own or royalty-free), and color palettes that reflect your current season of life.
• Start a small creative blog or portfolio site and commit to updating it twice a month with new work, reflections, or process notes.
• Participate in one online creative challenge each quarter. Examples include Inktober-style drawing challenges, 100-day projects, or themed photography prompts.

If you’re journaling, you could write: “An example of a creative goal for my digital life is to post one original piece of creative content per week for three months and reflect on what I learned after each post.”

As you do more of this, remember balance. The CDC and other health organizations highlight how managing screen time and stress is part of overall well-being (CDC - Stress Management). Creative goals should support your life, not drain it.

Relationship and community-based creative goals

Not all creativity happens alone at a desk. Some of the richest examples of creative goals include other people.

You might set goals like:

• Host a monthly “creative night” with friends or family. Everyone brings a small project—knitting, drawing, writing, music—and you work quietly together for an hour.
• Create one handmade gift for birthdays or holidays instead of buying everything. It could be a poem, a framed photo, a playlist with a handwritten note, or a small craft.
• Start a neighborhood or online “creative swap.” Once a season, everyone shares something they made—recipes, art, playlists, zines—and trades.
• Collaborate on a family storybook. Each person writes or draws one page. Your example of a creative goal might be: “Finish one family storybook by the end of summer and print a copy for everyone.”

These goals feed both creativity and connection, which is a powerful combination for mental health. Organizations like the National Endowment for the Arts and NIH have highlighted how arts engagement can support social bonds and resilience across the lifespan (NEA/NIH Arts & Health).

How to turn these examples of creative goals into your own plan

Seeing examples of examples of creative goals examples is helpful, but the magic happens when you adapt them. Here’s a simple three-step way to turn any example into something that fits your real life.

Step 1: Shrink the goal until it feels slightly too easy

If your first thought is, “There’s no way I can do that every day,” the goal is probably too big. Instead of “Write every day,” you might say:

• “Write 200 words, three days a week, for the next four weeks.”

Instead of “Draw more,” try:

• “Create one 10-minute sketch on weekdays during my lunch break.”

When you journal, you can literally write: “My current example of a creative goal is embarrassingly small, and that’s on purpose.” Small goals are more likely to survive bad days.

Step 2: Attach the goal to something that already happens

Link your creative goal to a daily habit you already have. For example:

• After morning coffee → 10 minutes of journaling.
• After dinner → 15 minutes of guitar practice.
• Before bed → one page of sketching or reading a poem.

Behavior research from places like Harvard and other universities often emphasizes the power of habits and cues for behavior change. Attaching new behaviors to existing routines makes them easier to remember and maintain.

Step 3: Reflect weekly in your journal

Once a week, ask yourself:

• What worked?
• What didn’t?
• What felt surprisingly fun?
• What felt like a chore?

You can write: “This week’s examples include: I actually finished two sketches, wrote one poem, and skipped one planned session because I was exhausted.” That reflection is data, not a judgment.

This is where journaling shines. Instead of beating yourself up, you use your journal to adjust. Maybe evenings don’t work, but mornings do. Maybe daily is too much, but three times a week is perfect.

Using journaling prompts to design your own creative goals

If you’re still not sure what your personal goals should look like, try using prompts built around examples of creative goals. Open your journal and finish these sentences:

• An example of a creative goal that feels exciting (not overwhelming) is…
• If I had 30 minutes of protected creative time each week, I would probably…
• Three small creative experiments I could try this month are…
• The best examples of creative projects I’ve finished in the past are… and what they had in common was…
• If I wasn’t worried about being “good,” an example of a creative goal I’d secretly love to try is…

As you answer, notice patterns. Are you drawn to words, images, movement, sound, or making things with your hands? Let those patterns guide which examples of creative goals you choose next.

FAQ: Real questions about creative goals

What are some simple examples of creative goals for total beginners?

Simple examples include: writing in a journal for 10 minutes twice a week, taking one photo a day that captures your mood, learning the chords to one song per month, or making one handmade card for a friend each week. The key is that the goal is small, specific, and repeatable.

Can you give an example of a creative goal for someone with a very busy schedule?

Yes. An example of a creative goal for a busy person might be: “During my lunch break on Mondays and Thursdays, I will spend 15 minutes sketching, writing, or brainstorming ideas instead of scrolling on my phone.” Another example: “Every Sunday night, I will spend 20 minutes planning and prepping one creative project for the week.”

How do I know if my creative goal is realistic?

Ask yourself: Could I still do this on a stressful week? If the answer is no, shrink it. Real examples of realistic creative goals usually fit inside 10–30 minutes and don’t require a lot of setup. You should be able to describe your goal in one clear sentence with a when, where, and how often.

Do creative goals really help mental health?

They can. Studies and reports from organizations like the National Institutes of Health suggest that creative activities may support mood, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being for many people. Creativity isn’t a substitute for professional care, but it can be a supportive part of a healthy routine, alongside sleep, movement, and social connection. If you’re dealing with significant anxiety or depression, it’s wise to talk with a healthcare professional or check resources like Mayo Clinic or NIH for guidance.

What if I keep quitting on my creative goals?

You’re not broken; your goals are probably just too big, too vague, or too disconnected from your real life. Go back to the smallest examples of creative goals in this article and pick one that feels almost laughably easy. Make your first win so simple that you can’t talk yourself out of it. Then build from there.

The bottom line: examples of examples of creative goals examples are not there to make you feel behind. They’re there to give you a menu. You get to choose what fits your season, your energy, and your curiosity. Start small, stay kind to yourself, and let your journal be the place where your creative life slowly, steadily takes shape.