Creativity Is Not a Passive Process. It Comes to Those Who Work Hard for It.
Would you consider yourself creative? Perhaps not… but creativity isn’t all twirly lines and art school graduates, it’s the capacity to think of what is not and then create a way for it to be possible.
In other words, problem solving. Sometimes the problem will be a blank canvas, sometimes the problem will be how to create a new internet.
Creativity can be nurtured, so we’ve got a list of 15 ways to boost your creativity.
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Tickling your senses can help boost creativity. You can switch over to the video version of this article if you want more of your senses to get bombarded by these great ideas.
Let’s move on to the article now.
1
Creativity Follows Different Rules
Creativity is a sacred spirit, it can’t be forced, it can’t be drilled into us, or forced out of us. In fact it doesn’t generally emerge under high pressure. Creativity is a solution that finds its comfort in the company of problems.
One version of creativity looks nothing like another. Like snowflakes, two creative souls will never be the same. Neil Gaiman put it best when he addressed the University of Arts with this thought: “Most of us only find our voices after we have sounded like a bunch of other people.”
Most of our lives, we are better off fitting into norms, whereas creativity is the one time that looking the same isn’t better.
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2
You Cannot Force Creativity, but You Can Force the Start
You can’t usually just decide right now you are going to sit down and without any previous writing spend 2 months writing the next bestseller. Probably, you will find that you won’t have what it takes to get through the first page. But what you can do is sit down and start to write…today…right now.
Write anything, write a poem, a rap, a shopping list for all it matters, once you have that out, write something else. Then write a newsy email, or write up a dream you remember. And get to see how that feels. All this builds up momentum, and here at Alux we’re a big fan of the principal of inertia.
Laze about and you can expect more lazing about in your future. Get up and start something, anything and you’re already on your way.
Don’t pressure yourself to be immediately wonderfully Picasso in one day, but do start a doodle session today and let the rest snowball.
We have found one interesting reason to perhaps delay your creative brainstorm until tomorrow, so stick around it will surprise you!
3
You Might Need Some Alone Time
Because true creativity is often so deeply personal; it is best to boost your creative juices in solitude. This way you can curate what outside influences you allow in. If you’re not up for banter, criticism or outside input, you can control this from your isolation.
Bill Gates calls his time alone his “Think Week”. He began the tradition of one week twice a year in the 1980s. He spends the time alone in a cabin in the woods just reading, thinking, making decisions and perusing ideas he has been pitched. And also takes longer periods alone if he has a particularly big challenge he is facing.
When you have uninterrupted time like this, it allows your mind to wander deeper on a topic or idea. Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson was responsible for the incredible sound track of The Mandalorian. While scoring the film he stayed completely alone in the studio for a month as he created the immersive soundtrack.
4
Music Plays a Role
Nothing expands the mind as easily as the journeys we take with different music. Don’t underestimate the value of exploring music, new music old music, music you hate and music you love. All of it can attune you to new thoughts, ideas and processes. So, don’t just stick to what you know and love.
If you want to expand your playlist and listen to some tasteful music, you can check out Most Expensive Music Videos Ever Made.
5
Creativity Is a Creature of Comfort
Creativity can often be very fragile, especially when we are still finding our niche. For that reason the environment we choose to flex our creativity, is important. Make sure your space is a conducive environment, not in eye sight of a bunch of things that stress you out, or bring you into repetitive past thoughts.
For example, plants boost creativity and productivity in one. The University of Exeter conducted a study that proved the benefit of plants in our work spaces. Find a space that boosts your creativity and then enhance it.
6
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
When it comes to creativity, it is a lot like meditation. Don’t expect to jump into a 2 hour transcendental meditation session. Getting into a creative state of mind as your default takes a bit of practice, and don’t give yourself a hard time if you don’t always feel an inspired flow.
There is also no perfect time to be creative, and creativity doesn’t come from perfect balance or harmony. Quite the opposite, creativity often comes from chaos internally or externally. From dealing with anger, grief, or a loss of control. All of these give you a spring board to be creative from, a leap into a space that gives you room to play. If the lines were too straight, or the emotions too neat and tidy then there wouldn’t be a space for creativity. So, embrace the place you are in, and give yourself a break to ease into creativity.
7
Avoid Interruptions
Interruptions stifle the creative process. Being pinged out of an immersed moment by an unimportant message is such a waste of a creative flow.
If you want to enjoy and encourage creativity in your life you need to let your soul, your mind and yourself wonder far and wide without always being brought back to the room you are in every 5minutes.
Switch off the internet, mute your phone and you will give your creativity time and space to shine.
8
There Are No Wrong Ideas
Creative thought or expression isn’t like a maths sum. No one will ever come to the same answer. Don’t be hard on yourself if the end product isn’t what you were expecting. Ride high in the freedom that there are no wrong answers. Plus most creative successes are preceded by plenty of creative failures. The trial and error are what gets you to that big success at the end, every step is a step forward when it comes to creativity. Remembering this will encourage and boost your creativity for sure.
9
Creativity Is Addictive
Creativity leads to creativity leads to creativity… you get the picture.
If you need some inspiration to kick start a creative session, or just to sprinkle your everyday with creative flair, be sure that you are in close communion with creativity. That means creative people, places, spaces, ideas and energies, because the truth is, creativity is the catchiest thing on earth! Yup even more catchy than Covid.
When you are around creative energy or have a natural curiosity, you are going to be stuck with a creative edge 24/7, so be sure to feed your creative soul with inspiration.
10
Creativity Hits Randomly
Just like a TeenWolf transformation, you can’t always predict when creativity is going to hit. Don’t trust the old organic memory bank to file away your great ideas. Rather have an ideas book, or a phone app that you stash all your ideas, no matter how basic. Then go back and play around with them, brainstorm and flesh them out a bit and see if you can make them into anything substantial.
We recently made a video with some Apps that could help you store your ideas. Here it is:
11
Be Proactive When Your Mind Strays
The internet is a great place to find inspiration, but you need a level of self-discipline when you’re online. There’s a fine line between searching for new ideas and wondering what that old high school classmate is doing right now and wasting 4 hours scrolling instead.
Be realistic with yourself and disciplined. If you can’t control the scroll, then no matter how much you want to look for ideas on Pinterest, it isn’t going to be a productive space for your creativity to be inspired. Before you go online write a list of what you are looking for.
If you find yourself drifting from the task, then close the tabs and go back to the list. It will get easier as you see the results of your creativity in action.
12
Creativity Grows When Supported
You don’t have to stay in isolation for ever. If you need to bounce some ideas off others or get some feedback, you shouldn’t feel you can’t do this. Just be careful who you share with. As we mentioned before, when starting out, creativity can be fragile, and needs to be treated with respect and care. And you don’t have to share at all if you don’t feel ready.
If you do, explain to those that you are sharing with that you are looking for constructive feedback, they don’t need to give you a clever critique or play devil’s advocate. There will be plenty of time for that.
Its wonderful feeling the excitement and acknowledgement of people who can appreciate your creative work. But don’t be disheartened if not everyone does, not everyone is custom built to share your vision or have the type of imagination it takes to create something. Give them grace and move on.
13
Get Physical
In 1977 Steven Spielberg was working on his movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, he was stuck on the artistic texture of the film. He took a drive and parked his car with a view of LA, and had an impulse to do a handstand on his car’s roof. Suddenly he had a breakthrough of answers to his questions.
Many scientific studies have been inspired by this story, and have all come up in agreement that a change in physical movement can jog our creativity. Between ideas or bursts of creative energy, take a physical break. Throw a ball, run up some stairs, or walk circles in your bedroom. Do whatever you need to keep those synapses firing while your body is occupied.
14
Set Yourself Timeframes
Creativity isn’t like productivity. But realistically we all need some sense of urgency to get things done. While you might not be able to set strict deadlines, you should give yourself some kind of timeframe to work within. Like each month you will complete a new painting, or by the end of the year you want to carve a sculpture. Then allow yourself enough time in your schedule to actually get it done. You won’t miraculously just have the time to be creative if you don’t create the space for it today, this week, or this year.
15
Know When to Stop
Everyone needs a sabbatical, even in the creative process. A time to refill your creative fuel tank for the next round. You can’t expect to endlessly be outputting without a break from creating.
Give yourself a break from creating something new and also allow yourself to coast a bit. Do something completely different perhaps even uncreative, or just stick to the same thing for a little. Life doesn’t have to be continual research and development. At some stages you can just produce or take a break.
Question:
What inspired your most creative time in your life?
