How to Use My Phone to Stay Creative?
The Smartphone. Smart-phone. While it was originally invented to simply give us access to the Internet, play music, and send messages, today, they’ve become so much more. Both a full-fledged creative studio and, at the same time, a Pandora’s box. Balancing between distractions and productivity, how can we make it work?
Ideas & Tips
Ideas & Tips
Ideas & Tips
21 août 2025
4 min
The 🧠📱 is the most powerful tool we all have at our fingertips. Capable of so many tasks, it can support our projects, guide us through daily life, and help us reach long-term goals. And yet, it’s also the most distracting tool imaginable. A dopamine generator attached to our hands.
So, how do we strike a better balance, using it only for creativity, idea generation, and support in creativity, while avoiding the trap of endless distractions?
How and Why Should We Use Our Phone to Be Creative?
Sometimes, as creatives, we’re faced with a blank page or a mental fog—it’s up to you what you call it. The result? No ideas, a sense of panic, and maybe even impostor syndrome.
The best idea is to turn to the internet to boost our minds, to give it a kind of refresh. There are plenty of fantastic tools online. But there are also a lot of “false friends,” tools that seem helpful at first but can end up being more harmful than anticipated.
Social media is a perfect example. You’ve probably already scrolled through Instagram’s Explore tab, sifted through TikTok trends, and yet… nothing. Maybe even worse! How are they managing to do such cool stuff, and you’re not? You might start believing you don’t have any talent… Well, WRONG!
Using Your Phone to Boost Creativity
If you dive straight into social media looking for ideas, you’ll find some, but you’ll also get a good dose of disappointment. To avoid emotional rollercoasters, here’s our list of super handy tools when you’re facing a lack of inspiration:
🐓 Dudel Draw
Dudel Draw is a small, independent app created by a designer. It’s designed to help artists overcome the blank page by offering a random shape each day for you to draw on.
If you’re struggling to start a drawing, Dudel is ideal. It doesn’t take 6 hours, and it doesn’t require advanced skills. You won’t get lost in all the advanced options of a drawing app.
If you feel inspired, you can also generate more shapes in addition to the daily one. Don’t hesitate to share your creation with friends or family. It’s fun to see how everyone’s imagination varies!
⚡️ DeviantArt
DeviantArt is a real platform for 100% digital creations. It’s also an app, letting you discover photo montages, digital paintings, drawings, and so much more. It’s a great platform for finding inspiration and resources.
If you’re a student learning the basics of graphic design, for instance, you’ll find tons of stock models to Photoshop—super practical!
🤸♀️ Magic Poser
Struggling to draw complex poses or properly handle lighting in your drawings? This app is for you. It’s better than a wooden poseable mannequin, as it lets you have a 3D character model that you can move however you want, and you can even adjust the lighting to better work on your shadows.
It’s perfect for helping you start a new drawing. Instead of imagining, trying to draw, then tearing up a failed sketch… you can directly pose the model and then draw it.
🏞️ Pinterest
Pinterest is probably the best social network for gathering good ideas. Whether it’s for decoration, drawing, design, or even recipes, Pinterest is full of interesting resources.
You can also create your own boards and pin the images that inspire you, sorting them by project or filter. But be careful: it’s easy to get lost in there!
📷 Unsplash
If you’re a photographer looking for inspiration, check out this royalty-free gallery. An inspiring place with unique and sometimes very inspiring shots.
Whether you’re a consumer or a creator, Unsplash can be a real ally in your quest for creativity on your phone. You can browse these beautiful images and might find one that sparks your creativity.
✏️ Craft
Craft is probably one of the best note-taking tools. Both enjoyable to use (great interface and design) with advanced features (without being too techy like Notion), it’s the perfect tool for writing articles, taking notes…
If you’re facing a blank page, you can use its AI assistant to generate the beginning of a text from your ideas. Then, refine it as you wish and continue writing!
🖌️ Procreate
I’ve tested many drawing tools, but none have matched Procreate. Sure, it’s paid (but it’s not a subscription like Adobe; it’s a one-time purchase). And I can say it’s one of the best investments I’ve made on the iPad!
All the options, the smoothness of the lines, the simplicity of the tool… I’ve never enjoyed drawing so much. Plus, if the existing brushes don’t suit you, you can visit their official forum. There’s a whole community offering additional brushes (some free, some paid) to help you bring even more creations to life.
The 🧠📱 is the most powerful tool we all have at our fingertips. Capable of so many tasks, it can support our projects, guide us through daily life, and help us reach long-term goals. And yet, it’s also the most distracting tool imaginable. A dopamine generator attached to our hands.
So, how do we strike a better balance, using it only for creativity, idea generation, and support in creativity, while avoiding the trap of endless distractions?
How and Why Should We Use Our Phone to Be Creative?
Sometimes, as creatives, we’re faced with a blank page or a mental fog—it’s up to you what you call it. The result? No ideas, a sense of panic, and maybe even impostor syndrome.
The best idea is to turn to the internet to boost our minds, to give it a kind of refresh. There are plenty of fantastic tools online. But there are also a lot of “false friends,” tools that seem helpful at first but can end up being more harmful than anticipated.
Social media is a perfect example. You’ve probably already scrolled through Instagram’s Explore tab, sifted through TikTok trends, and yet… nothing. Maybe even worse! How are they managing to do such cool stuff, and you’re not? You might start believing you don’t have any talent… Well, WRONG!
Using Your Phone to Boost Creativity
If you dive straight into social media looking for ideas, you’ll find some, but you’ll also get a good dose of disappointment. To avoid emotional rollercoasters, here’s our list of super handy tools when you’re facing a lack of inspiration:
🐓 Dudel Draw
Dudel Draw is a small, independent app created by a designer. It’s designed to help artists overcome the blank page by offering a random shape each day for you to draw on.
If you’re struggling to start a drawing, Dudel is ideal. It doesn’t take 6 hours, and it doesn’t require advanced skills. You won’t get lost in all the advanced options of a drawing app.
If you feel inspired, you can also generate more shapes in addition to the daily one. Don’t hesitate to share your creation with friends or family. It’s fun to see how everyone’s imagination varies!
⚡️ DeviantArt
DeviantArt is a real platform for 100% digital creations. It’s also an app, letting you discover photo montages, digital paintings, drawings, and so much more. It’s a great platform for finding inspiration and resources.
If you’re a student learning the basics of graphic design, for instance, you’ll find tons of stock models to Photoshop—super practical!
🤸♀️ Magic Poser
Struggling to draw complex poses or properly handle lighting in your drawings? This app is for you. It’s better than a wooden poseable mannequin, as it lets you have a 3D character model that you can move however you want, and you can even adjust the lighting to better work on your shadows.
It’s perfect for helping you start a new drawing. Instead of imagining, trying to draw, then tearing up a failed sketch… you can directly pose the model and then draw it.
🏞️ Pinterest
Pinterest is probably the best social network for gathering good ideas. Whether it’s for decoration, drawing, design, or even recipes, Pinterest is full of interesting resources.
You can also create your own boards and pin the images that inspire you, sorting them by project or filter. But be careful: it’s easy to get lost in there!
📷 Unsplash
If you’re a photographer looking for inspiration, check out this royalty-free gallery. An inspiring place with unique and sometimes very inspiring shots.
Whether you’re a consumer or a creator, Unsplash can be a real ally in your quest for creativity on your phone. You can browse these beautiful images and might find one that sparks your creativity.
✏️ Craft
Craft is probably one of the best note-taking tools. Both enjoyable to use (great interface and design) with advanced features (without being too techy like Notion), it’s the perfect tool for writing articles, taking notes…
If you’re facing a blank page, you can use its AI assistant to generate the beginning of a text from your ideas. Then, refine it as you wish and continue writing!
🖌️ Procreate
I’ve tested many drawing tools, but none have matched Procreate. Sure, it’s paid (but it’s not a subscription like Adobe; it’s a one-time purchase). And I can say it’s one of the best investments I’ve made on the iPad!
All the options, the smoothness of the lines, the simplicity of the tool… I’ve never enjoyed drawing so much. Plus, if the existing brushes don’t suit you, you can visit their official forum. There’s a whole community offering additional brushes (some free, some paid) to help you bring even more creations to life.
The 🧠📱 is the most powerful tool we all have at our fingertips. Capable of so many tasks, it can support our projects, guide us through daily life, and help us reach long-term goals. And yet, it’s also the most distracting tool imaginable. A dopamine generator attached to our hands.
So, how do we strike a better balance, using it only for creativity, idea generation, and support in creativity, while avoiding the trap of endless distractions?
How and Why Should We Use Our Phone to Be Creative?
Sometimes, as creatives, we’re faced with a blank page or a mental fog—it’s up to you what you call it. The result? No ideas, a sense of panic, and maybe even impostor syndrome.
The best idea is to turn to the internet to boost our minds, to give it a kind of refresh. There are plenty of fantastic tools online. But there are also a lot of “false friends,” tools that seem helpful at first but can end up being more harmful than anticipated.
Social media is a perfect example. You’ve probably already scrolled through Instagram’s Explore tab, sifted through TikTok trends, and yet… nothing. Maybe even worse! How are they managing to do such cool stuff, and you’re not? You might start believing you don’t have any talent… Well, WRONG!
Using Your Phone to Boost Creativity
If you dive straight into social media looking for ideas, you’ll find some, but you’ll also get a good dose of disappointment. To avoid emotional rollercoasters, here’s our list of super handy tools when you’re facing a lack of inspiration:
🐓 Dudel Draw
Dudel Draw is a small, independent app created by a designer. It’s designed to help artists overcome the blank page by offering a random shape each day for you to draw on.
If you’re struggling to start a drawing, Dudel is ideal. It doesn’t take 6 hours, and it doesn’t require advanced skills. You won’t get lost in all the advanced options of a drawing app.
If you feel inspired, you can also generate more shapes in addition to the daily one. Don’t hesitate to share your creation with friends or family. It’s fun to see how everyone’s imagination varies!
⚡️ DeviantArt
DeviantArt is a real platform for 100% digital creations. It’s also an app, letting you discover photo montages, digital paintings, drawings, and so much more. It’s a great platform for finding inspiration and resources.
If you’re a student learning the basics of graphic design, for instance, you’ll find tons of stock models to Photoshop—super practical!
🤸♀️ Magic Poser
Struggling to draw complex poses or properly handle lighting in your drawings? This app is for you. It’s better than a wooden poseable mannequin, as it lets you have a 3D character model that you can move however you want, and you can even adjust the lighting to better work on your shadows.
It’s perfect for helping you start a new drawing. Instead of imagining, trying to draw, then tearing up a failed sketch… you can directly pose the model and then draw it.
🏞️ Pinterest
Pinterest is probably the best social network for gathering good ideas. Whether it’s for decoration, drawing, design, or even recipes, Pinterest is full of interesting resources.
You can also create your own boards and pin the images that inspire you, sorting them by project or filter. But be careful: it’s easy to get lost in there!
📷 Unsplash
If you’re a photographer looking for inspiration, check out this royalty-free gallery. An inspiring place with unique and sometimes very inspiring shots.
Whether you’re a consumer or a creator, Unsplash can be a real ally in your quest for creativity on your phone. You can browse these beautiful images and might find one that sparks your creativity.
✏️ Craft
Craft is probably one of the best note-taking tools. Both enjoyable to use (great interface and design) with advanced features (without being too techy like Notion), it’s the perfect tool for writing articles, taking notes…
If you’re facing a blank page, you can use its AI assistant to generate the beginning of a text from your ideas. Then, refine it as you wish and continue writing!
🖌️ Procreate
I’ve tested many drawing tools, but none have matched Procreate. Sure, it’s paid (but it’s not a subscription like Adobe; it’s a one-time purchase). And I can say it’s one of the best investments I’ve made on the iPad!
All the options, the smoothness of the lines, the simplicity of the tool… I’ve never enjoyed drawing so much. Plus, if the existing brushes don’t suit you, you can visit their official forum. There’s a whole community offering additional brushes (some free, some paid) to help you bring even more creations to life.
Your Phone, Your Rules.
Block apps. Limit time. Grow better habits. Endless possibilities.
Try for free
Your Phone, Your Rules.
Block apps. Limit time. Grow better habits. Endless possibilities.
Try for free
Your Phone, Your Rules.
Block apps. Limit time. Grow better habits. Endless possibilities.
Try for free
Are Social Media Okay?
If your thing is Instagram or TikTok and you can’t part with them, that’s fine. But before you get lost and feel down, here are three tips to avoid a doom-scroll that leaves you feeling worse:
🔡 Navigate by Hashtags
Forget the main “Home” tab; you’ll just scroll for hours. The algorithm is well-designed to suggest content you didn’t plan to look at initially but will probably enjoy anyway.
“You are, in fact, a mashup of what you choose to let into your life.” —Austin Kleon
Instead, head to the “Explore” tab and the search bar. Avoid scrolling on this page too—it’s also a bad idea. Instead, search for hashtags to filter content. You can enter an art style, like #watercolor, or #architecture, for example. There are also plenty of challenges like the well-known #inktober or #drawthisinyourstyle.
⏲️ Control Your Time Spent
Scrolling endlessly isn’t going to spark any genius ideas. At worst, it’ll just waste your time. What you need is to stimulate your brain, not drown it in an overdose of content. We recommend setting time limits on these platforms.
For this, you can use the free Jomo app, available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. With Jomo, you can set a time limit on your social media (all combined). Once you’ve reached this limit, they’re blocked until the next day (or in two hours; it’s up to you).
Why is this so great? It protects you from the infinite scroll and its side effects. Of course, it wastes time, but above all, it drowns your brain in tons of content. Yes, it’s inspiring, but after a while, you start doubting yourself, thinking what others are doing is better than your work, and all that… it doesn’t help your creative mind regenerate—in fact, quite the opposite!
🌀 Change Your Consumption Habits
For many of us, using social media has become a reflex, a habit. Don’t believe me? Well, how many times do you remember needing to use Instagram? And not just opening it without realizing. 🙃
That’s why with Jomo, we suggest a different way to consume. Block your social networks by default and unblock them only when you really need to. You decide how long and why you want to use them, and once the time is up, they’re blocked again. This way: no infinite scroll! You stay in control.
And you can take it even further. Once you’ve used TikTok or Instagram for inspiration, and the app is blocked again, you can force yourself to switch to one of your drawing apps, for example. That way, you’re inspired and creating something.
That’s it, we’ve reached the end of this article. Already, you say? We hope this will help you better find inspiration and only get the positives from your smartphone, pushing away the rest. Keep in mind: inspiration isn’t about scrolling until you lose your mind; it’s about helping your brain shape ideas into new ones—your own.
Are Social Media Okay?
If your thing is Instagram or TikTok and you can’t part with them, that’s fine. But before you get lost and feel down, here are three tips to avoid a doom-scroll that leaves you feeling worse:
🔡 Navigate by Hashtags
Forget the main “Home” tab; you’ll just scroll for hours. The algorithm is well-designed to suggest content you didn’t plan to look at initially but will probably enjoy anyway.
“You are, in fact, a mashup of what you choose to let into your life.” —Austin Kleon
Instead, head to the “Explore” tab and the search bar. Avoid scrolling on this page too—it’s also a bad idea. Instead, search for hashtags to filter content. You can enter an art style, like #watercolor, or #architecture, for example. There are also plenty of challenges like the well-known #inktober or #drawthisinyourstyle.
⏲️ Control Your Time Spent
Scrolling endlessly isn’t going to spark any genius ideas. At worst, it’ll just waste your time. What you need is to stimulate your brain, not drown it in an overdose of content. We recommend setting time limits on these platforms.
For this, you can use the free Jomo app, available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. With Jomo, you can set a time limit on your social media (all combined). Once you’ve reached this limit, they’re blocked until the next day (or in two hours; it’s up to you).
Why is this so great? It protects you from the infinite scroll and its side effects. Of course, it wastes time, but above all, it drowns your brain in tons of content. Yes, it’s inspiring, but after a while, you start doubting yourself, thinking what others are doing is better than your work, and all that… it doesn’t help your creative mind regenerate—in fact, quite the opposite!
🌀 Change Your Consumption Habits
For many of us, using social media has become a reflex, a habit. Don’t believe me? Well, how many times do you remember needing to use Instagram? And not just opening it without realizing. 🙃
That’s why with Jomo, we suggest a different way to consume. Block your social networks by default and unblock them only when you really need to. You decide how long and why you want to use them, and once the time is up, they’re blocked again. This way: no infinite scroll! You stay in control.
And you can take it even further. Once you’ve used TikTok or Instagram for inspiration, and the app is blocked again, you can force yourself to switch to one of your drawing apps, for example. That way, you’re inspired and creating something.
That’s it, we’ve reached the end of this article. Already, you say? We hope this will help you better find inspiration and only get the positives from your smartphone, pushing away the rest. Keep in mind: inspiration isn’t about scrolling until you lose your mind; it’s about helping your brain shape ideas into new ones—your own.
Are Social Media Okay?
If your thing is Instagram or TikTok and you can’t part with them, that’s fine. But before you get lost and feel down, here are three tips to avoid a doom-scroll that leaves you feeling worse:
🔡 Navigate by Hashtags
Forget the main “Home” tab; you’ll just scroll for hours. The algorithm is well-designed to suggest content you didn’t plan to look at initially but will probably enjoy anyway.
“You are, in fact, a mashup of what you choose to let into your life.” —Austin Kleon
Instead, head to the “Explore” tab and the search bar. Avoid scrolling on this page too—it’s also a bad idea. Instead, search for hashtags to filter content. You can enter an art style, like #watercolor, or #architecture, for example. There are also plenty of challenges like the well-known #inktober or #drawthisinyourstyle.
⏲️ Control Your Time Spent
Scrolling endlessly isn’t going to spark any genius ideas. At worst, it’ll just waste your time. What you need is to stimulate your brain, not drown it in an overdose of content. We recommend setting time limits on these platforms.
For this, you can use the free Jomo app, available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. With Jomo, you can set a time limit on your social media (all combined). Once you’ve reached this limit, they’re blocked until the next day (or in two hours; it’s up to you).
Why is this so great? It protects you from the infinite scroll and its side effects. Of course, it wastes time, but above all, it drowns your brain in tons of content. Yes, it’s inspiring, but after a while, you start doubting yourself, thinking what others are doing is better than your work, and all that… it doesn’t help your creative mind regenerate—in fact, quite the opposite!
🌀 Change Your Consumption Habits
For many of us, using social media has become a reflex, a habit. Don’t believe me? Well, how many times do you remember needing to use Instagram? And not just opening it without realizing. 🙃
That’s why with Jomo, we suggest a different way to consume. Block your social networks by default and unblock them only when you really need to. You decide how long and why you want to use them, and once the time is up, they’re blocked again. This way: no infinite scroll! You stay in control.
And you can take it even further. Once you’ve used TikTok or Instagram for inspiration, and the app is blocked again, you can force yourself to switch to one of your drawing apps, for example. That way, you’re inspired and creating something.
That’s it, we’ve reached the end of this article. Already, you say? We hope this will help you better find inspiration and only get the positives from your smartphone, pushing away the rest. Keep in mind: inspiration isn’t about scrolling until you lose your mind; it’s about helping your brain shape ideas into new ones—your own.
Credits
Photographies by Lummi.
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The Joy Of Missing Out
© Fabriqué en Europe. Tous droits réservés à Jomo SAS, 2025
The Joy Of Missing Out
© Fabriqué en Europe. Tous droits réservés à Jomo SAS, 2025
The Joy Of Missing Out
© Fabriqué en Europe. Tous droits réservés à Jomo SAS, 2025