If you spend more time than you want to admit fantasying about the “what ifs” on a daily basis to the point that it may be making you almost ill, I would like to make a suggestion – stop. I am not trying to be the pessimist here, but the truth of the matter is, many of us are unable to just walk immediately out of our job into our dream occupation in one clean swoop due to tough economic times and the reality of bills. Instead, while you keep your dream on the back burner until you can make your move, see if you can incorporate these 5 Creative Ways to Get Through Your Day:

1) Breaks - Use your breaks to work on your craft such as crocheting, needlepoint, writing in your journal, or jotting down music. Fifteen minutes may not seem like a lot of time, but it adds up fast if you get two a day, 5 days a week, that’s 2.5 hours! You can email, chat or blog with other creative friends that inspire you and have uplifting exchanges. If you don’t have creative friends and have access to a computer, find a creative blog online to converse with other creative people to get your juices going on your coffee break.

2) Lunch Hours – Just think what you could do in a whole hour. If you can, that’s time to get out so you can think and do. I skipped a couple lunch hours a week so I could lengthen two a week to take a dance class on my lunch hour. It made my whole week just knowing I was going to go to that class. I would wear my gear under my professional work clothes. If you’re a writer, take your notebook and head out to different locations to observe people or if you’re an artist take your sketch book out for an hour. Photographers can get lunch hour photo shoots.

3) Incorporate Your Creative Talents In Your Job – Whatever your creative talents are, even if they aren’t in your job description, find a way to utilize them on the job whenever the opportunity arises. Artists can always design book covers, brochures, posters, and displays. Writers can always write articles, newsletters, employee handbooks, and pamphlets. Photographers can take staff or company photos for publications. Graphic artists can do Power Point Slide Presentations. If you have a special unique talent, encourage your employer to run a piece in their employee newsletter to showcase what you do. Artist’s talents really fascinate people.

4) Display Art at Work – Make your work place a creative space to work in. Even if you work in a lab, see if you can squeeze in a little framed graphic of art on your desk to lift your artistic spirits. I brought in a pastel drawing of my own and put it on the wall behind my desk. It was the first thing people saw when they came in to see me.

5) Take Enrichment Seminars Offered by Your Employer – A class that I took was called “Self Assessment and the Transformational Processes” which taught participants how to define their skills and how to apply their strength to future career decisions in one’s natural life niche. Oddly enough, even though my employer sponsored this class, I found out I was totally in the wrong career. I spent most of the class doodling on my paper and telling the class I wanted to be an artist and a writer. That class was thirteen years ago. A lot has happened since then. Today I’m an artist and a writer.

Outside of working hours, Community Centers and Recreation Departments are always looking for people in the community to teach evening or Saturday classes in areas of individual’s specialties. Whatever your talent is, if you feel really passionate about it, enough to teach others, consider teaching during your “off hours” a couple nights a week.

Things don’t always happen overnight. Then there are times you do have to make a big leap of faith to get out of unhappy circumstances to find your creative life. Only you know when and how to go about making the trickle or jump into your creative passions. Until you can jump in with both feet in these financially hard times, try to relax and bring some of your creativeness into your work life to help you get through.