#13 Could Be the Most Important
You want to be more creative, but where do you start? Creativity is not something that can just happen on its own — it needs a bit of effort from us in order for it to flourish.
So how do you go about becoming more creative?
There are many different approaches out there, but the most important thing is to find what works best for you as an individual writer and creator. That might mean collaborating with others who share your interests or fostering an environment where the sparks can really fly. The key is to have discipline and consistency until you get somewhere!
23 Tips to Help You Be More Creative
- Ask yourself questions about things you enjoy doing and what you don’t enjoy. How do you like to spend your time? What does your perfect, most creative day look like?
- Write down ideas that come to mind when thinking about these topics.
- When stuck with a problem, think about out-of-the box ways to answer the problem, even if you know it won’t work. It’s about the process.
- Try to add a little humor to your day-to-day life. Even a random work meme won’t hurt every once in a while
- Get involved in activities that allow you to express yourself creatively, even if it’s not work-related or dealing with your core competency. This could be a book club, volunteering, coaching, or taking an art class
- Find people you admire and try to learn from their experiences. The online world is great for this!
- Look around you — take notice of everything. Pay attention.
- Be open-minded and have fun exploring new things
- Don’t let people tell you ‘no’ if you think you could make use of their skills/knowledge. If one person declines, and you want to learn from them, find someone else with a similar skill set.
- Don’t feel like you should give up on anything because someone else doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Get multiple viewpoints; don’t just go with one.
- Keep going even though nobody has given you any encouragement yet!
- Don’t worry too much about results — simply having done something makes you more confident which will help you develop further. Consistency matters.
- Enjoy every step along the way…it may seem slow now but eventually you will reach your destination. If you stop enjoying this process then you probably need to reevaluate why you wanted to do it in the first place.
- Take time out to relax once in a while by watching TV shows or reading books that inspire you. This helps recharge your batteries and gives you time to reflect upon past projects without feeling rushed.
- Read inspirational quotes whenever possible — whether they relate to creativity or not. It keeps you focused and motivated.
- Listen to music to set positive moods. Music is known to affect our emotions, therefore it can influence our thoughts and actions. For example, listening to sad songs increases sadness, happy ones increase happiness.
- Do something nice for somebody else — making them smile lifts everyone’s spirits. You never know when that person will turn around and surprise you with kindness.
- Remember that sometimes we need to push ourselves beyond our comfort zone before we realize what we can accomplish.
- Set goals for yourself — write them down and put reminders everywhere you see them. Then break big tasks into smaller steps using sub-goals. Finally, reward yourself after each small success.
- Stay curious — ask lots of questions and always search online for information. Never limit yourself to only learning from textbooks!
- Make friends with creatives — talk to them about your ideas and aspirations; they often have good advice.
- Be aware of the times when you are less productive than usual. Perhaps you aren’t getting enough sleep, eating properly or exercising enough. Consider changing your lifestyle to improve productivity levels.
- Have faith in yourself — believe that you actually can achieve whatever you want to create. Everyone starts off as a beginner. Constantly remind yourself of that fact.