Find Joy in Creativity 

Listen to Music

Stream for Free
Do you want to stream music without the commitment? There are options to stream music from top streaming services without  cost or commitment. And right now, couldn’t we all use a break? Review the list below of no-cost music streaming: 

• Tidal: The streaming service is offering a 30-day free trial

• Spotify: Take advantage of the option for free streaming. 

• Pandora: As long as you don’t mind a few commercials, listening won’t cost you. 

Live Artists
Music is creativity. In fact, some artists aren’t at home creating without music. Though it has been disappointing to have live shows and concerts canceled in response to Coronavirus, many artists have implemented some ingenuity to continue to share their music with fans. How do you tap into these opportunities for a free, live-streamed concert? First, make sure you’re following your favorite artists on Instagram and Twitter (this is where they’re likely to post upcoming live-streams). One of the most popular live-streams is DJ DNice’s Homeschool. For over a week now, DNice has been spinning records live on Instagram. At times, over 100,000 followers have joined the party! 

Youtube Streams
Youtube has a ton of free, continuous streams. Some of them are even accompanied by cool graphics and visuals. And if you prefer dope beats or calming tunes to play in the background while you work or create, check out this list of lo-fi beats to help you relax, create, or study. 

• Lo-fi Hip Hop Radio

• Chillhop Radio

• Quarantine Lo-fi Beats

Watch and Chill Do you want to be inspired by the visuals that go along with your favorite tunes? Check out Viemo for fuller sensory experience. You can watch, collaborate, or create. Join for free. 

Read Books

Leisure Reading
Do you have a list of books you’ve been meaning to read, but haven’t found the time? Reading a new book is a great way to escape the current crisis for a while and get lost in a another world.For the next month, Scribd’s library — which includes millions of ebooks, audiobooks, magazine articles, and more — is available to anyone, free, for 30 days through this link. There is no credit card or commitment required. Ready to read? Here’s the link. 

Scholarly Content
Colleges, universities, and K-12 schools have closed to flatten the curve and help stop the spread of Coronavirus. But that doesn’t mean that students aren’t thirsty for discovery. Perhaps you can use this time to research that culture, religion, or language that you’ve been curious about; after all, exposure to new ideas can often spark creativity. Project Muse making scholarly content temporarily available for free on their platform. Check it out here.

Children’s Books
Do you have little ones? While schools are closed, Audible is offering a large collection of their children’s and young adult books for free. The collection includes titles across six different languages. Audio books can be a fun way to extend learning, get kids excited, and expose them to new languages. And you never know, you might be inspired, too! Want to check it out? Here’s the link.

Create

Creative Courses
As a creative, you’re also a life-long learner. While you are stuck indoors, consider enrolling in an online course. Creative Boom shares a list of 50 free online courses for creatives and entrepreneurs. 

Podcasts 
Podcasts are great ways to gather and disseminate stories, information, entertainment, and news. Almost every streaming platform, including YouTube, offers podcasts. And if you don’t find one that you love, you can launch a podcast of your own. Check out this list of podcasts that are popular among creatives: 

• How I Built this with Guy Raz

• Side Hustle Pro

• Short Wave

• The Accidental Creative 

Care for Each Other

Send Love and Encouragement
Just because we cannot physically gather with our friends, family, colleagues, and community, doesn’t mean that we should not continue to show love and encouragement with each other. How do you maintain feelings of closeness and offer support while practicing social distancing? 

• Create a short video sharing tips for staying positive and post it on social. 

• Read others’ blogs and posts, view their content, and then take the time to call, email, or text positive feedback. 

• Schedule a virtual brainstorming session and help each other come up with ways to convert in-person, or brick-and-mortar services to digital offerings 

Repost on Social
If you see it, share it! In just a few seconds, you can help a fellow creative to amplify their message, product, or service. This is a great way to support your community and increase a sense of connectivity. 

Leave 5-Star Reviews
Top-notch reviews can convert to dollars. Right now, many creative businesses have seen a significant drop in revenue. But a great review can mean attracting new customers or gaining sponsors. So if you’ve had a great product, service, or experience with a creative entrepreneur, take just a few minutes to leave a glowing review.  

Build Community

Gather Virtually
Just because you cannot hang out with your fellow-creatives, and business partners at your local coffee shop, doesn’t mean that you cannot have an engaging, fruitful, synchronous gathering. Don’t resort to only sending emails and text messages. Use one of the many free video chat and conferencing platforms to meet. You can still host your book club meeting, host a collaboration session, or even watch a new movie together using Netflix Party. 

Share Resources
There’s lots of information out there and it comes at via social media, web searches, podcasts, email, or even a text message from a friend. You never know what resources might help someone else. So share, share, share! Here are a few great places to start: 

• Black & Brown Founders 

• Impact Hub Baltimore 

• Baltimore Community Foundation

• Warnock Foundation

• Baltimore Corps

Collaborate in New Ways
Many have had to pivot quickly to stay afloat during this COVID-19 pandemic. If you had not previously operated remotely, there’s certainly an adjustment period. But there are a bunch of tech tools that make virtual collaboration much easier. Check them out below. 

• Asana: web and mobile application designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their work

• Airtable: a cloud collaboration service 

• Slack: use Slack instant messaging to organize conversations, share files, and get answers faster

• Loom: Loom allows you to communicate with ease, speed, and personality; record yourself, your screen or a specific app, with or without your camera. 

Invest in Each Other

Order Curbside Pickup
Many restaurants, bars, and bakeries are now offering curbside pickup and other contactless food delivery options. You can continue to enjoy your favorite eats, support your local community, and adhere to CDC guidelines. Local Baltimore businesses and organizations like Kiss Tomorrow Hello and Hotel Revival, have even found ways to support small restaurant businesses that didn’t have a brick-and-mortar location, by providing kitchen space and a curbside pick-up location. Be sure to follow your favorite eateries on social for up-to-the-minute updates. 

Buy a Gift Card 
Some businesses just cannot operate right now; adhering to health and safety guidelines and working together to slow the spread of Coronavirus has forced some businesses to close its doors. But, you can still help these businesses thrive during these difficult times. You can support small businesses and solopreneurs by purchasing gift cards. Eventually, the curve will be flattened and we’ll be able to gather in public again. And when we do, you’ll have a great gift card to redeem in exchange for your favorite products and services. 

Shop Online
Virtual shopping is still alive and well! Browse the websites and e-stores of small businesses and place an order. This is a great way to get great merch or virtual services while you’re at home. 

Celebrate Each Other

Give to Others
Every little bit helps. If you are able to donate money to a creative entrepreneur, that’s amazing and it will be deeply appreciated. But if you don’t have disposable income to share, you can still exercise a generosity of spirit. Can you use you skills or expertise to offer a virtual lesson to a creative? Perhaps you have great finance skills, or maybe you are a wellness professional; share your knowledge with others to help them thrive during these difficult times.

Share Resources
There’s a ton of great information that creatives can access: how to apply for emergency funds or request deferments on bills and other payments, there are even webinars and courses geared towards small-business owners. However, we all know that we’re inundated with information every day and don’t always catch every post or news story. So, if you hear about a resource that might help a creative and/or small business owner, please share!

Collaborate in New Ways
We know that many events, celebrations, and gatherings have had to be canceled or postponed. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t still important to celebrate each other. Try using technology to connect and collaborate in innovative and exciting ways.