Being creative makes you happier and more fulfilled. It’s also a great way to save money on Christmas presents and entertain yourself. So take a break from work, get out of bed, turn off the DVD player and get ready to make contact with your inner artist, musician, thespian or writer with these fun activities around Beijing. Who knows? You may even discover a hidden talent.

Painting and Drawing

The area surrounding the National Art Gallery (Meishuguan) is littered with art supply shops—some big enough for a single horse, others stable-sized. Paints, canvases, brushes, drawing pencils/pens, drawing pads—pretty much all of these stores have your typical art store inventories, and at similar prices. Packs of brushes run from ¥30-150, acrylic paints ¥15-25 for 300ml and oil paints ¥10-15 for 170ml. If you’re looking for more organization and cleanliness, Baihua Art, across from Meishuguan, is well stocked with modern art supplies. The prices are a little higher, but if you don’t have time to browse cluttered aisles of plaster figurines, calligraphy brushes and tubes of paint, this is your best bet. Most of these stores also offer framing services for when your masterpiece is complete.

It’s easy to buy pretty colors, but not so easy to make things look pretty on paper. For those looking for a little bit of guidance in the art department, check out the life drawing workshop at The Hutong (¥200 for a two-hour session, ¥180 for members and ¥600 for a four-session monthly pass) or practice with live models at their life drawing club. If you want to try your hand at traditional Chinese painting, COKI Studio in Wudaokou offers courses in the traditional art—specializing in landscape, flowers and birds, or figure painting. And if you just want time to sketch, the Drawing Meetup Group meets every Tuesday at Sculpting in Time Café in Lido.

Find it: Baihua Art (10 Wusi Dajie, 五四大街10号, Tel: 6513-3177), The Hutong, COKI Studio (901, Bldg 15A, Huaqingjiayuan, 华清家园甲15号楼901室), Drawing Meetup Group

Acting

For those with dramatic tendencies, there are several ways to express yourself through the theater. If you want to get on the big stage, check out the established theater company Beijing Playhouse. In addition to the big production they put on every year, they also have monthly play readings, after-school activities for kids, and public speaking workshops. For all you free-spirited, fun-loving theater types, you might try joining an improv troupe. Beijing Improv runs free bilingual English/Chinese workshops every Wednesday at The Hutong, where you can learn the tricks of the trade while laughing yourself silly. They also put on hilarious English-language performances at Penghao Theater every month. You can also find weekly Wednesday improv shows at Jiangjinjiu Bar that are known to incorporate audience participation. And if you speak French, ImproPékin practices every Monday at 8pm at Acewood Beijing Training Studio.

Find it: Beijing Playhouse, Beijing Improv, ImproPékin

Jewelry Making

Find mounds of glass beads, pearls, “pearls,” jade and “jade” pieces at the Pearl Market (aka Hongqiao Market) or Yashow—where strands start at ¥20. At Yashow there’s a decent selection of beads on the fourth floor, where you can also find various glass, jade and metal pendants/charms—from giraffes to skulls to spaceships. But as any regular knows, the diversity from vendor to vendor is slim, and hardcore bargaining is mandatory. For classes, check out Shou Designers Jewelry Academy. It's ¥5,000 for 10 workshops, which includes all materials and tools. Basic, professional-level and children’s classes are offered, as well as weekend workshops.

Find it: Pearl Market (36 Tiantan Donglu, 天坛东路36号 Tel: 6711-8984), Yashow (58 Gongti Beilu, 工体北路58号 Tel: 6416-8945), Shou Designers

Lino Printing

Lino printing is a technique that allows you to easily create your own designs to print on tote bags, T-shirts, greeting cards and whatever else you can think of. For materials, you'll need printing ink, lino cutting tools, lino blocks, an ink roller, tracing paper and a palette knife. All of the materials are available at stores around the National Art Museum, including Baihua Art. Here's a guide for getting started. A lino print is a great way to memorialize your time in Beijing.

Find it: Baihua Art (10 Wusi Dajie 五四大街10号, Tel: 6513-3177)

Music

For the aurally inclined, Beijing boasts a thriving music scene. Since it’s relatively new and still semi-underground, there are plenty of chances for new faces to get involved. For example, you can find upwards of 10 regular open mic nights in bars and cafés around the city. The best one is on Wednesdays from 9pm at VA Bar—they’ll supply the drums and amps, you bring the rest. If you prefer the computer to the guitar as your instrument of choice, head over to School Bar at 7pm on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month for their Beatmakers electro open mic night. Or if you want something a little classier, The Bookworm hosts monthly classical open mic nights called Basically Beethoven. Check their website for details. Not yet ready for your public debut? Don’t worry. Many of Beijing’s numerous talented musicians offer private lessons on instruments ranging from guitar, drums and voice to music theory and producing. We recommend local artist Jordan Thomas Mitchell, a familiar face on Beijing’s open mic scene, whose private music lessons run from ¥200/hour.

If you’re at the other end of the spectrum, and you’d like to take your musicianship to the next level by recording a track or two, you can find entry-level recording equipment for home use at the bigger music stores on Gulou East Street. For a more professional result, local producer Martin Rawlins can take care of you—he’s got the equipment and studio space, and has experience recording some of the local scene’s biggest Chinese and expat acts.

Find it: VA Bar (13 Wudaoying Hutong, 五道营胡同13 Tel: 5844-3638), School Bar (53 Wudaoying Hutong 五道营胡同53号 , Tel: 6402-8881), Jordan Thomas Mitchell, Martin Rawlins

Pottery

Despite his untimely death two years ago, we contend that Patrick Swayze à la Ghost remains the most compelling reason to get your clay on. Coming in a close second is the fact that it's just plain fun to get your hands muddy. But "throwing" a pot is a lot harder than it looks at Lietao, where ¥126 buys you unlimited studio time and enough clay to shape your own vase. Price includes firing and glazing, but if you'd like to polish your skills, book time for some one-on-one classes. Kids are especially well catered to, with paintable modelling clay on offer as well as the traditional potter's clay. We recommend heading in on weekdays, when smaller crowds mean more individual attention.

Find it: Lietao (3 Zhongsheng Hutong, Xidan, 西单钟声胡同3号, Tel: 6605-5400)

Fashion Design

Off-the-rack not doing it for you these days? Watching re-runs of Heidi Klum telling people they’re “out” inspiring you to have your own try? Whether you sew your own outfits or just give your designs to a professional tailor, you'll need the right fabrics. It’s quite a trek, but the textile market at Muxiyuan (Jing Du Textile City) has everything from eye-catching patterns to bolts of pre-knit sweater material. A meter of cotton goes from ¥15-25, synthetic fabrics from ¥10-25, silk from ¥50-60. With perseverance and a good pair of walking shoes, you can make some great finds. Daxin Textiles off of Chaoyangmen Nei offers a smaller selection and is more expensive (starting at around ¥25 for a meter of cotton), but you won’t have to make the hour-plus slog.

Find it: Jing Du Textile City (Muxiyuan, Fengtai District 丰台区木樨园商业区), Daxin Textiles (Dongsi Intersection, 东四十字路口东北角, Tel: 8402-3919)

Photography

Ready to take the leap beyond the Hipstomatic app on your iPhone and venture into snapping with the real thing? With a list of golden rules that includes “Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it,” Lomo cameras are a staple for the creative and “off the beaten path” types (read: hipsters). Based on old Soviet analog cameras, these adorably quirky plastic cameras produce the super-saturated, sometimes-blurry images that have gained Lomography a cult following. But at ¥290-3,000, artistry doesn’t come cheap. The visually stimulating storefront in Sanlitun offers weekend workshops and competitions. Not ready to dive into the world of Lomo? The Hutong offers a range of one and two-day photography workshops for beginners and more advanced photo-snappers. If you’re interested in a more comprehensive approach, the Beijing Center of Photography offers foundational courses on digital and portrait photography. Both the Hutong and BCP also offer courses on Photoshop, so you can finally get that random dude out of your otherwise National Geographic-worthy landscape.

Find it: Lomography Store (101, Door 2, Block 30, Sanlitun Beijie, 三里屯北街30号楼2门101室, Tel: 6416-1868), Beijing Center of Photography (604, Bldg 14, Jianwai SOHO West, 建外SOHO 西区14号楼604, Tel: 5869-1383)

Writing

One of the best—and most accessible—ways to get creative is writing. Writing can take any form and cover any topic, and you can do it at home, while sipping coffee in a hutong, or while sitting on a park bench. It’s not surprising that people all over Beijing are putting pen to paper in pursuit of creative expression. For creative writers, we recommend the Beijing Writer’s Group, which meets Mondays at 7:30pm at the Bookworm. This close-knit group of literary buffs is a great place to get the constructive feedback you need to take your writing to the next level. You can bring a couple copies of something you’ve written, and the group will read it and discuss it over drinks. But be warned: if you’re really just fishing for compliments and back-pats on your amazing new short story, you won’t find it here—members give their honest, hard-hitting opinions, and it’s often just what your piece needs. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a more low-key way to start writing, think about creating your own blog. Our favorites are Tumblr and Wordpress, both of which are accessible from this side of the firewall. User-friendly and aesthetically pleasing, a blog is an easy way to write about whatever strikes your fancy, whenever you have the time. But every Tom, Dick and Harry has a blog these days, so carve out your own little niche in the blogosphere with a cool theme; for example, a photo blog documenting Beijing street life, or a food blog sharing your (mis)adventures learning to cook Chinese food—who knows, maybe you’ll become the next Julie & Julia.

Find it: Beijing Writer's Group (The Bookworm, Bldg 4 Sanlitun Nanjie, 三里屯南街4号楼, Tel: 6586-9507)

Knitting

Knitting is a portable craft that's easy to learn, calming and perfect for passing the time while waiting in endless lines at the bank. Being able to make sweaters, scarves, hats and other fun items is a great skill come wintertime, or when you want to give someone a meaningful gift. But to avoid giving Christmas presents that friends will dread having to wear, it's a good idea to get knitting lessons. Beyond Knitting, an online yarn and knitting supplies store, also offers lessons every Wednesday from 10am-12pm for ¥200, which includes materials. If you're already a knitting whiz and just want to find other knitters for company and inspiration, consider joining the Beijing Guild, which meets Tuesdays at 4pm to knit, crochet, sew and practice other crafts.

Find it: Beyond Knitting, The Beijing Guild

Woodworking

For the aspiring handyman or the small-time DIY buff, woodworking is a rewarding pastime. There's not much in the way of classes in Beijing, but whether you’re set on making your own picture frames, a shelf or a coat rack, you can find all the raw materials you need at the Dongjiao Market. Finish off your creation with a colorful coat of paint. B&Q has a good selection of safe, imported brands.

Find it: Dongjiao Market (12A Xi Dawanglu, 西大望路甲12号, Tel: 6774-5168), B&Q (31 Guangqu Lu 广渠路31号, Tel: 8776-8811)

Cloisonné

While you may not know it by name, this metal ornamental style is an art form most people associate with China. Cloisonné-style patterns can be found on beads, ceramics and other decorative items, but you can make your own simple version quite easily. You’ll need gold or silver-colored wire, hardboard or a thin piece of wood, different colored sands, glue and lacquer—all supplies you can get near the National Museum of Art area. First draw your design on paper and glue it to the hardboard—when fully dry, place wire along the lines of your drawn design and glue it on. Fill in the spaces with desired colors of sand, a layer of glue between each layer. Finally, lacquer the whole thing so that it’ll stay put—and voila, it’s frameable.

Find it: Baihua Art (10 Wusi Dajie, 五四大街10号Tel: 6513-3177)