Be Creative

Creativity is like any other skill in that it can be improved with time and training. There are many areas you can focus on to improve your overall creativity. Engage in creative exercises like reading, writing, and listening to music to sharpen your creativity. Open yourself up to new ideas by cultivating a personality that's willing to try anything. Changing your lifestyle can also improve your overall creativity. Walking more and sleeping more can give your brain the boost it needs to increase your creative skills.

Steps

Challenging Yourself with Creative Exercises

  1. Doodle in your spare time. Doodling is sometimes thought of as a childish pastime, but it can actually help increase productivity. This can increase creativity by increasing your engagement with the world and attention span. Doodling helps you stay engaged during activities where you would otherwise zone out. The more information you're able to absorb, the more creative you will be.[1]
    • Doodle during activities where you feel your mind wandering. For example, if you find yourself drifting out of focus during a meeting at work, do some doodling. You can also doodle in school during boring lectures.
    • Try keeping a sketchbook where you doodle when you start to feel bored or disengaged.
  2. Write flash fiction. Flash fiction means very short stories, often no more than 100 words. Writing a flash fiction story will help you become more creative as you'll be forced to tell a fleshed out story with a beginning, middle, and end using only a small number of words. This will help you learn how to convey necessary information in a limited space.[1]
    • There are many flash fiction writing communities online. Try getting involved with a flash fiction writing community and responding to prompts and participating in contests.
  3. Do the 30 circle test. You can do this test during dull moments at work. It helps you push yourself to think quickly and creatively. To start, draw 30 circles. From there, make as many circles into drawings as possible in one minute. You can do the test over and over again, trying to break your record each time.[1]
    • The 30 Circle Test helps boost creativity because it forces you to embrace multiple ideas. Many people have a tendency to self-edit and pause to wonder if something is a good idea. The 30 Circle Test forces you to think fast, forcing you to experiment with ideas without rejecting them.
  4. Listen to music. Simply playing music in the background can inspire you creatively. It can help you focus better and increase your overall concentration. Classical music tends to work particularly well for creativity and concentration.[2]
    • Not every genre of music works for everyone. While classical music has beneficial effects for many, experiment a little to find the music that bests helps you concentrate and feel creative.
  5. Make something with your hands. Using your hands to create means you get information from all of your senses. This can help encourage more creative thinking. If you want to feel more creative, try activities in which you create using your hands. For example, try something like knitting, sewing, or other crafts to bolster your creativity.[2]
  6. Play video games. Some video games are actually good for the creative mind. Interactive games that require movement as these stimulate multiple senses help with creative thinking. Things like Wii Tennis or Dance Dance Revolution would work well. Avoid games that require you to sit for long periods.[2]
  7. Read more. Reading is great for your creative mind. Make a habit of reading regularly. Pick books from multiple genres and styles of writing to expand your horizons and really bolster your creativity. Try to make time to read every day.[3]
    • Try joining a book club. This will help direct your reading if you're unsure what kinds of books to start with.
    • Get a library card. This will help you save some money on books.

Altering Your Mindset

  1. Develop your expertise. Part of being creative is gaining expertise in one area. Creativity requires active practice over natural talent. If there is a creative skill you want to have, like painting, work on learning as much about this as possible. The more you know, the more creative you'll be in a given genre.[4]
    • Learn a subject through multiple routes. For example, if you want to learn to be a better writer, listen to books on tape in the gym. Write while playing classical music in the background. Go to local events where you can meet writers. Consider taking a writing class.
    • Read all about the subject in your spare time. If you want to be an artist, for example, read books on art and art history.
  2. Learn how to explain things. You often know a subject better if you're able to explain it. Make a habit of explaining things you're doing to yourself in your head. If you're, say, knitting, imagine how you could explain what you're doing to others. If anyone ever asks for your help with a task, swiftly explain it to them the best you can. The better you can explain something, the more you will understand it.[5]
    • If you know a lot about a particular subject, try tutoring. This will help increase your explaining skills. For example, if you know Spanish, try volunteering to be a Spanish tutor somewhere in your area.
  3. Be open to new ideas. The most creative people are willing to engage with multiple ideas to find the route that works. Avoid resisting and dismissing things that are unfamiliar to you. Learn to give new methods a try. Creative people are willing to be flexible and experiment.[5]
    • Make a habit of hearing out new ideas every time you encounter them. For example, someone posts something on Facebook about gun control you do not agree with. Instead of dismissing the article, read it through completely.
    • You do not have to fully engage with or agree with new ideas right away. Simply give them your attention and at least try to understand the other side.
  4. Embrace your inner child. Learning to be a little childlike can help foster creativity. Learn to play and pretend throughout the day. Daydream about your future. Imagine yourself being a successful writer or artist. Engage in fun tasks you've never tried before, like hula hoop or face painting, simply to learn something new. Fun, childish activities can actually increase your creativity because they force you to try new things and open up your mind.[4]
  5. Examine a variety of ideas. Learn to examine anything new that you see. Engage in activities that actively force you to think of new ideas. Play word association games by writing down one word and any words that connect to it. Challenge yourself to think of new uses for household objects. As you force yourself to examine new ideas, you will eventually learn to explore ideas that seem new and unfamiliar during your day to day life.[4]

Changing Your Lifestyle

  1. Learn to set aside time for generating ideas. Creativity is like any other task. It takes practice to be successful. Learn to set aside time each day to generate new ideas. You can sit down and brainstorm new ideas for projects, creative, endeavors, and more.[4]
    • Find a time that will work for you regularly. If you always have time after dinner, for example, take an hour after dinnertime to turn off distractions and engage with new ideas.
  2. Socialize more often. Learning to socialize can help bolster your creativity. Others can inspire your creativity, so reach out to people with creative minds. For example, you can join a writers group if you're a writer to meet likeminded creative people.[3]
    • Go to cultural events in your town. You're likely to meet creative people at, say, events for the local art museum.
  3. Walk when possible. Walking more often gives you time to think over ideas. Walking helps you zone out and engage with creative thoughts. Make a habit of walking instead driving or taking public transportation whenever possible. You can also go for walks each day.[6]
  4. Exercise. Exercising regularly can help with your creative mind. Being physical active also bolsters mental activity. Create an exercise regimen for yourself to follow, as this will help you get more creative.[2]
    • Pick something that's doable for you and start slow if you're new to exercising. If you have not worked out before, start with something like 30 minutes of light cardio such as jogging or bike riding and work your way up.
  5. Get enough sleep. Sleep can help your mind stay rested and refreshed, leaving you open to more ideas. Strive to get a solid 8 to 9 hours sleep each night. Stay on a sleep schedule. If you go to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time each day, you will quickly adapt and learn to fall asleep and wake up easier.[2]

Tips

  • Spend time around creative people.
  • Surround yourself with blue. A recent study found that people working with blue backgrounds performed creative tasks better, while people working with red backgrounds paid more attention to detail. [7]
  • Creativity usually comes with practice. If you want to be creative at something do it again and again. The more you do it the more creative you become.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/9-ways-to-become-more-creative-in-the-next-10-minutes.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 http://greatist.com/happiness/ways-to-boost-creativity
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hot-thought/201005/how-be-creative
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/05/be-more-creative_n_3873717.html
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://www.fastcompany.com/3044865/3-ways-to-train-yourself-to-be-more-creative
  6. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/willburns/2014/08/13/science-continues-to-show-us-how-to-be-more-creative/#519edb944782
  7. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19197022
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Be_Creative&oldid=308033"