We all know that creativity makes us healthier and happier and while we usually think of creativity in terms of painting a masterpiece, writing an exceptional novel or composing an inspiring piece of music, creativity really can mean anything from submitting an original idea in a meeting to trying a new recipe or exploring new ways to communicate with your partner.
The thing is though that sometimes we experience a block in our creativity and it seems to be incredibly hard to think outside the box. While we are always trying to solve a problem and need to come up with creative solutions, from time to time we need a little boost to let our mind wander beyond the usual realms of thought patterns and improve our creativity.
Research in the area of creativity is all over the place, but there are some more recent studies that provide practical insight into how we can spur our creativity. They are useful for everyday creativity in our daily lives so give them a try and see what works best for you.
Here are our TOP 10 tips to spur your creativity.
#1 Procrastinate
Have you ever noticed that creative people seem to do things at the last moment? The reason why is, it has been scientifically proven that creative people use their subconscious mind – which is associated with creativity – a lot more than the norm and the longer you wait to do something, the more your subconscious mind has to work on it. So if you want to spur your creativity, set a deadline for yourself and procrastinate. Your creative solution will come when you least expect it. Some of you may instinctively think this approach is too risky and what happens if you don’t hit the deadline, but if you take this approach, you restrict your creativity. Keep in mind, your creative solution may be totally out of the box, so approaching a situation entirely differently might be the best way to start.
#2 Keep Learning
Creative people have a thirst for knowledge and the link between learning and creativity has to do with motivation. Some people are simply content with their life exactly the way it is, but if you want to spur on your creativity, you also need to be motivated to change your life. When you have the motivation to change things up, you start to find innovative ways to achieve your goals. And if you are motivated to change something, you will want to learn everything there is to know about it. So gobble up information about various topics from different sources and boom… creativity happens.
#3 Think Out Loud
Did you ever notice that creative people sometimes talk to themselves out loud? Research shows that when you talk to yourself out loud, magic happens. You give yourself a set of questions and instructions and it turns out that your subconscious mind is listening. Reality is that when you talk out loud, you actually ask your subconscious mind for help. So spur on your creativity by having in-depth conversations with your subconscious mind.
#4 Expand Your Social Circle
You’ve probably heard the saying you are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with and with that we usually surround ourselves with similar people who have overlapping points of views on things. Liberals tend to have liberal friends, conservatives keep conservative friends and the same goes for any other topic. But you grow the most when you expand your social circle and have a constructive conversation with someone who has an opposing viewpoint. This way you allow yourself to see things from a different perspective and spur on your creativity to think in different ways you haven’t even considered before.
#5 Travel
Traveling in and of itself is an amazing opportunity, but if you expose yourself to a new world you allow yourself to step outside your comfort zone, meet new people, are exposed to new ideas and bring out your ability to cope with new situations and things. When you expose yourself to a new culture, new creative solutions will pop up that you would have never considered if you just stayed at home.
#6 Daydream
Research has shown over and over again that daydreaming as well as napping can spur our creative thought process but there is one piece of research that nobody seems to talk about. One study in particular shows that daydreaming helps actually less, the less work you have done on a problem so far. This means that daydreaming, which is like an incubation period for your problem, is most effective when you have already started to invest some kind of creative effort into the project. So don’t try to use daydreaming and naps as an excuse for not putting in the work. Be honest with yourself and don’t forget to hustle first.
#7 Get Moving
Did you know that ‘exercising more’ is one of the most sought-after good habits in the entire world? Research suggests that exercise can spur our creative thinking so well because of its ability to get our heart pumping and putting us in a positive mood. This can be compared to other research that shows that being in love or even just thinking about love can produce more creative thoughts. So if your creativity is blocked right now, take a break and go to the gym, take a yoga class or simply take a walk around the block or the park and get your subconscious mind to work to get to your ‘Aha’ moment.
#8 Restrict Yourself
Most people tend to take the path of least resistance, building on ideas that they already have. However, research suggests that if you place self-imposed limitations on yourself you can boost your creativity, because it forces you to work outside your comfort zone. A famous example for this kind of restriction is Dr. Seuss’s ‘Green Egg & Ham’. After a bet Dr. Seuss was challenged by his editor to produce an entire book with less than 50 different words. Try limiting your work in some way and see if it gets your creative juices going.
#9 Think About Others
Research shows that an important part of creativity is psychological distance. For example, one particular study found that participants who thought that their work would be used by somebody else came up with more creative, novel ideas. On the other hand, those participants who had been told that they would be using their own creation later, came up with less creative ideas. To be more specific, one experiment told participants that their drawings would later be used by other people to create a story, which led to much more creative drawings. So even if you are creating for your own personal projects, have somebody else in mind who will enjoy, use and incorporate your creation into their lives and like magic you will be more creative.
#10 Stay Positive
While in certain situations negativity can sometimes spur creativity, research found that our best creative work is done when we are in periods of strong, positive moods. In fact, being in love – or even just thinking about love – is the best feeling to encourage creative thinking. So get yourself in a positive place, whether you envision a fantastic future, recall an amazing memory of the past or squeeze in a quick workout, all those tricks can positively influence your mood. When your attitude is positive, you creative juices flow and you can come up with awesome, novel ideas.
Most people believe that creativity is innate, but like so many other things, creativity is a delicate balance between nature and nurture, which means that you can enhance your creative thinking through external forces and aren’t necessarily reliant on ‘good genes’.
PUT YOURSELF IN THE BEST MINDSET TO CREATE NEW IDEAS
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked
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