Be honest, how many hours so far this week have you spent online? And how many of those hours online were used in a productive way?
The internet has become a one-stop-shop for procrastination, distraction and to just generally while the hours away through boredom. As much as browsing, watching content or reading interesting blogs and articles is good for the soul sometimes, do you ever feel like using your time online in a more creative way? If so, keep reading for five brilliant suggestions.
Find new Music
Are you feeling a little out of touch with today’s music scene? Or maybe you’re looking for some cool new tunes or forgotten gems to update your playlists with. If so, the internet has the perfect solution. The digital realm is an excellent resource for everything you need to discover new or forgotten bands.
Spotify, for example, is everyone’s go-to for streaming music and audio content, but its enhanced discovery capabilities can be used to suggest more bands, genres, or subgenres that you might like. Then there’s Soundcloud, a music streaming platform that is still just as relevant today as it was during its launch in 2010, particularly when it comes to finding independent or more obscure artists to listen to.
Or compose your own…
As well as discovering new music to listen to, you can use to internet to make your own too. And no, you don’t need to be an accomplished musician or even read sheet music to do so thanks to the wealth of music creation tools flooding the marketplace.
From casual music creation apps like Soundtrap to more comprehensive creation suites such as Audiotool, digital music composition services are easy to use and set up. With just a few hours’ practice, you’ll soon be composting your own masterpieces.
Plus, if you’re already a budding instrumentalist there are plenty of online platforms in which you can learn new songs or music pieces to wow your friends with.
Become a Gaming Master
Ok, so you might need a bit of time and practice to become a master of gaming, but you can start playing games today without needing much more than a device and an internet connection!
The list of games you can learn to play online is extensive to say the least and runs the gamut from top video games like Classic Minecraft through to casino gaming variants like hole card blackjack, where a card is dealt face down. Maybe you’d prefer to stick to a traditional game like chess or backgammon, or perhaps a digital version of a board game classic like Monopoly would be more up your street.
As well as learning how to play games and plenty of resources to do so, the internet has opened up new realms of opportunities for those gamers who get really good at their craft.
Unleash your Inner Artist
If you’re feeling extra creative, why not unleash your inner artist during the time you spend online? If you have some drawing or painting experience, apps like Kleki will take your artistry to the next level. There’s even an AI drawing program called Autodraw that’s hours of fun to experiment with.
For whipping up graphic design or pop art-influenced artworks without needing to resort to Photoshop, an app like Pixlr is an easy to use image editor.
See some Amazing Sights
Finally, what could be better than seeing some of the world’s greatest art collections or taking a tour of the solar system all from the comfort of your own home? Thanks to the internet, you can do just that.
In recent years, museums and galleries including the Louvre, MoMA, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts and the Rijksmuseum have released digital tours of their most revered collections, allowing you to see some artworks up-close like never before.
Even NASA has built a digital archive of the most incredible images of our solar system. NASA’s Earth at Night archive, for instance, is a collection of images captured by probes over the past 70 years. If you’ve ever wondered what a tropical cyclone looks like from above or are keen to see the stars in motion, you need to check it out.