Image courtesy of Laffy4k at Flickr
Is creativity something that can be tapped? If you are anything like me, creativity can seem elusive; something that comes in waves or that is unpredictable. But we can learn to be creative – like anything it is a process. There are things we can do to harness this power and unleash it:
Release perfectionism
Perfectionism is the biggest killer of creativity. Notice when you are approaching a task and have ‘am I doing it right’ or ‘will it be good enough’ thoughts and do it anyway! Start practicing doing things even when you don’t know if you can do them perfectly or how they will turn out.
Have fun
In our society we are often taught that we should have a goal or an aim and an outcome to an activity in order for it to be successful. Creativity isn’t linear. Start doing purely things for the enjoyment factor.
Practice
Practice being creative often! You don’t necessarily have to show others your creations, but the act of making creativity a ritual will help your brain get used to being creative and keep the flow going.
Be present
Being present and living in the moment helps us to get in touch with our creative side. We need time and space to let our creativity pour forth. Try and be aware of how present you are being every day.
Relax
Creativity thrives in a relaxed mind. The more stressed or contracted we are, the less creativity can come forward. Find ways to relax and wind down. A massage, long walk or watching a good movie are great ways to do this. Find what works for you and do that.
Daydream
The lost art of day dreaming is a powerful tool for evoking creativity. Take time out to day dream and let your mind wander. You can even say that it is in the name of creativity!
Find what works for you
We all have different ways and times that we get inspired. Start noticing yours. Are you a morning creative or a night owl? We are all different. Find your way. Take notes oif necessary to track your most creative times.
Catch the wave
When inspiration hits, catch the wave! We all have ebbs and flows in creativity. When I am inspired I feel like I am on fire! Nothing can stop me. Use these times to your advantage and go with the creative flow.
Catch your ideas
Sometimes inspiration hits when we just can’t follow the flow immediately, for example when we are about to go into an important meeting or when we are driving! Carry a notebook or Dictaphone to catch your ideas and come back to them as soon as you can.
Brainstorming
Brainstorm often! Whatever your creative ‘niche’ is get in the habit of brainstorming and letting your ideas and visions flow forward without censoring them. Let your imagination soar and don’t hold back!
Be in nature
Being in nature has the power to help us be present, unleash our creativity and get us in touch with a different aspect of ourselves. When you are stuck go for a walk in a park or by the sea … whatever is available to you. Take in your surroundings and let nature work its magic on you – it is after all, the supreme source of all things creative.
Feed the well
We need to ‘feed the well’ of inspiration. Make sure you are spending time regularly ‘feeding’ your inspiration. Start keeping track of what inspires you and taking time regularly to participate in this. You should even set a time aside each week to do this.
Jennifer Smith is a Guest Blogger for PickTheBrain and a successful life coach @ ReachOurDreams.
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Excellent post! Perfectionism, as said, is my biggest creativity killer. I find it so hard to leave things alone and move on. Slowly getting better at it though, which my perfectionism hates.
Thanks Craig! I am glad you enjoyed the post. Great to hear you’re making progress with moving past your perefcetionism too. I guess we will probably always have that little voice in her heads that is overly critical but the power comes from saying ‘thanks for sharing but I’m doing it anyway’!
LOL! Talking about perfectionism, I just spelt it ‘perefcetionism’!!
Great post. I think relaxing is the most important point. You can’t try to hard to force creativity out. It often comes at the most unexpected times.
Thanks Anthony – I am really glad you enjoyed the post. Learning to relax has been key for me – as you say creativity isn’t something you can ‘make happen’ and learning to go with the flow and understand that helps a lot!
Jennifer!
Great reminders. I like your point about “feeding the well” of inspiration. I completely agree. The more you do that – the more creative you can get. I think a lot of your ideas are about getting into a different or new environment. In doing so, your mind naturally thinks differently as the result of a new experience.
Best,
Mike
I like what you got from my post Mike. You are absolutely right – a change of scenery can evoke a completely new experience which is a great way to ‘feed the well!’
Great post, Jennifer! I’m a writer and I keep something I call a “trigger list” where I put small snippets of inspiration. Whenever I’m feeling particularly uncreative or blocked, I go to my list, pull one thing out and start writing about it. It works every time. The things on my trigger list come from all kinds of places — books, poetry, lectures, sermons, conversations, eavesdropping…you name it. If it captures my attention in some way or makes my ears perk up, I write it down.
Thanks for sharing your helpful tips!
Hey Casey! Thank you. I love the idea of a ‘trigger list’! I am going to borrow that idea if that’s ok?!
I am glad you found my post helpful.
I love to daydream and have found it’s not only good for improving your creativity, but also for setting goals and realizing where you want to be in your life. Another good strategy to get your creative juices flowing is to try new things. I’m inspired by the recent Jim Carrey movie “Yes Man” and find that by saying yes to things you wouldn’t normally try, you open up your mind to a whole new world of possibilities and experiences.
Hi Lauren
You raised some great points… I loved ‘Yes Man’ and it was a good reminder of the power of being open to new opportunities. Jim Carrey’s character literally transformed his life by saying yes! Powerful stuff. Also I am a big advocate of day dreaming … it is so good for the soul and a you raised, helps us move forward in many areas of life.
Hi Jennifer.
Catching the wave or catching our ideas is one that I like to do. It is usually when I initially have the thought about something that it is best to follow up upon it right then. It works to do it later as well, but the initial energy is something with much value.
Being in nature also has a big impact, as you alluded to there, as you disconnect from so much, and so your mind starts from a clear set of inputs. You get ideas in nature that you wouldn’t have had in a regular location, because of all the trees or green plants or space or such.
Hi Armen
I have found ‘catching the wave’ of creativity so powerful too … like you I cam come back to it if necessary but there is a particularly potent energy in that initial wave!
I love being in nature and you hit the nail on the head.. it allows us to get more in touch with our true peaceful nature I think, and gives us the opportunity to switch off from the external noise that is so often around us.
Jen
These are genuinely some excellent tips. I am probably going to come back and refer to this to make sure I’m doing this as I’m about to start a new creative venture.
What exactly do you mean about “Being Present” though?
PS: Glad of this article as it means my old one, ‘7 Steps to Compel Creativity’ will get some more hits
Thanks Stu!
your comment made my day!
By being present I mean being in the moment. Not listening to our internal chatter or worrying about the future … just being right where you are in mind and body.
Ooh, I am off to visit your article now… Glad to be of service!
I’m always skeptical of tips and tools about being creative, because I think creativity is so often misunderstood, but I love yours, and they all resonate with me!
I love the title of choreographer Twyla Tharp’s book, “The Creative Habit” because I think creativity is absolutely a habit. Like any habit, it is hard to develop but has a momentum of its own once it becomes routine.
What brings all these tools together for me is knowing that creativity isn’t a gift that some of us have and some of us don’t. It is something to be cultivated.
It’s also something that needs to be respected – and feeding it with inspiration, taking ideas seriously enough to catch them when they come, taking time to practice…all of those are ways of respecting our creativity. Thanks Jennifer!
Thanks so much for your feedback Tara, it’s really good to know my tips have resonated with you.
I agree with what you said about creativity being a habit. Yes it can be sporadic and unpredictable but by consistently taking action and making it a habit we can tap into a way to access it more easily. I will check out Twyla’s book. Another book that really helped me in this regard (you may have read it already) is ‘The Artists Way’ by Judith Cameron.
I completely agree about creativity being something that can be cultivated in everyone. I think sometimes people label themselves as ‘creative’ or ‘uncreative’, but I really think we all have the ability to be creative in our own way. By taking down the labels we can access parts of ourselves we might not have known existed.
Catching the wave is an important one for me. When I don’t have the fire of inspiration powering my work it feels forced and dull.
Hey again Quinn
Ah, I love the wave too! It makes things easy and fun doesn’t it rather than ‘work’?
[...] 12 Ways To Unleash Your Creativity – PickTheBrain | Motivation and … [...]
Great job, Jennifer.
Thank you!
Great being here.
Jen,
One more thing: it’s interesting that, in the popular imagination, creativity is linked to artists or “mad scientists.”
The fact is, however, that you can be creative in any walk of life; in any area of your life.
In other words, creativity is not limited to art/science.
I have found a few chefs to be quite creative. They use different permutations and combinations and come up with something original. And the meal tastes really delicious.
Some people can be quite creative by refusing to toe the line and marching to the beat of their own drummer.
The movie, “Dead Poet’s Society” comes immediately to mind. Robbin Williams plays such a stellar role in that flick. Go see it if you are really interested in creativity and it will set your mind at ease. Cheers!
Thanks for contributing this amazing guest post too.
It is always a pleasure to read your work. Hooray!
Archan! How lovely to see you here at my post.
I completely agree about creativity sometimes being confined to certain types of people. I really believe we are ALL creative in one way or another. Also as you rightly point out there are sooo many ways we can be creative. Just wearing a different outfit or the way you arrange your desk is an act of creativity. Love ‘Dead Poet’s Society’ too, one of the best films!
Thanks as always for your support Archan.
Hooray!
Great post!! I love not apologizing for my 9PM-3AM in the zone time. It’s just when it pops! Keep up the great work!
12 Ways To Unleash Your Creativity – PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement…
Is creativity something that can be tapped? If you are anything like me, creativity can seem elusive; something that comes in waves or that is unpredictable. But we can learn to be creative. There are things we can do to harness this power and unleash …
12 Ways To Unleash Your Creativity – PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement…
Is creativity something that can be tapped? If you are anything like me, creativity can seem elusive; something that comes in waves or that is unpredictable. But we can learn to be creative. There are things we can do to harness this power and unleash …
[...] enough? | 6/4/10/2010 • Freestyle Mind | Stop trying to be happy | 17/3/2010 • Pick The Brain | 12 ways to unleash your creativity | 16/3/2010 • Speak Bindas | Interview of Jennifer Smith | 16/3/2010 • A Different Kind Of Work [...]
This is a great inspiring article.I am pretty much pleased with your good work.You put really very helpful information. Keep it up. Keep blogging. Looking to reading your next post.
Please keep it up. I cant wait to read whats next.
Jennifer – I’m loving your posts. You bring a fresh perspective in a simple way that is very inspiring. You gotta “feed the well” as you said – and usually that’s not very hard to do as I believe we are surrounded by inspiration!