How to Increase Creativity
It is difficult — if not impossible — to measure creativity, and everyone is creative in their way. However, there are steps you can take to express your creativity more frequently and effectively. You will need to commit to making creativity a practice.
“THEY TOLD ME I COULDN’T. THAT’S WHY I DID.”
* Becoming More Creative in Life:
1. Allow yourself to be different, even if it isn’t immediately accepted. Be different from what is considered “normal”. Do not be afraid to ask questions and share your thoughts. You may never know if your ideas are seen as creative by others — thinking creatively is about being outside the box. Let go of any notions that your ideas will be graded, or considered “right” or “wrong”. Speak your mind, especially if you think that it’s something you would like to share with others.
2. Take some time every day to be creative. Creativity is not simply innate; it is something that you learn and train every day. No novelist, painter, filmmaker, or musician ever made a career by simply sitting down and letting the ideas flow. They worked at them, learning their craft and coming up with creative ideas every day. Creative ideas only come during creative work — so get working!
· At first, set aside 20 minutes each day to work on your craft. You can build up to a larger time commitment as you hone your skills.
· Even if you don’t want to work in a creative field, practicing creative art (painting, music, etc.) every day can help increase your creativity in everyday life.
3. Be curious. Look up anything you don’t know. Read books or learn skills that have always interested you. Strike up conversations with people whose stories you want to know. The more material you store in your head, the better creative connections you can make in your life.
4. Get enough rest, food, and water. If you’re tired, there’s little point in trying to squeeze out something creative from your head; radical ideas may be less likely to pop into your head when you’re drained. Take a nap or a tea break to recharge. You can think better when your mind is fresh, and you should be able to come up with creative ideas more easily.
· Your brain cells need the right amount of glucose to work well. Typically, the ideal amount is about 25 grams. Too little can result in confused thinking, while too much can damage your brain cells. Try snacking on a banana, which has about the right of glucose in it, or eat high-fiber carbohydrates (e.g., broccoli or whole-wheat bread) that supply glucose more steadily.
· If you’re dehydrated, there will be fewer connections in your brain. This sometimes gives you a feeling of “brain-deadness”.
5. Absorb a diverse array of influences, including those not related to your field. When you are deeply involved with myriad things, you enable yourself to become truly creative. Creativity is about bridging unexpected gaps — for example, taking influences from science and architecture into art.
· The Beatles are partially famous because of their ability to bring eastern influences and instruments, like the sitar, into western rock and roll. T famed novelist, David Foster Wallace wrote his masterwork Infinite Jest after years of studying tennis, drug addiction, math, and the science of light and optics.
· Travel is a great way to absorb new influences. Go somewhere new and explore your mind for inspiration. If you can’t afford to go far, go for a walk and jot down what you see and hear. Alternatively, draw inspiration from a book.