What I Do to Further Develop My Creative Mind
Find the space and time to set yourself up for success.
I am a woman who wears many hats. I have creativity spilling out of me within various focuses of innovation. I am constantly trying to harness the power of my own creative mind and curiosity.
However, this does not mean I am perfect, nor does it suggest that I know what I’m doing.
What I do know is that I need to set myself up for success by setting aside time to practice creative development and source my innovation through creative inspiration and basic commercial awareness.
Manage Moments in Your Day to Specify Creativity
I wake up in the morning and create a calendar of times during the day where I will focus my creativity on one of my fields of interest. The key here is to give yourself enough time to be mindful and explore your options on the topic you want to focus on while being specific about this topic so that you can realistically dedicate your time completely on this one topic.
If I am working on music, I give myself an hour at 1 pm that day to do music. This hour can consist of whatever moves me, creativity. Lately, I have been working on learning the bass ukulele, so I may practice for an hour. However, this hour can also be dedicated to my songwriting. Perhaps, I spend an hour walking in the park listening to a playlist of bass players that inspire me. Be creative with how you fill this time (no pun intended).
However, you choose to spend the hour is based on how you feel that day. The most important thing is that you follow through and actually take that full hour to dedicate and explore further development in that creative topic.
Since I have been unemployed, I often organize my day in a series of these creative focus moments.
A typical day may look like this:
7–8:30 Wake up and consume video media
I’ll explain this later.
8:30–9 Take a shower and think of some writing topics
This time of the day is usually my morning self-care time. I love makeup and any indulgent spa experience, so I usually take this time to completely focus on my own body and what makes me feel good.
You will set yourself up for success if you find a way to begin your day in a positive state.
I also love to think in the shower, so I take this time to be mindful of whatever day-dreams that come through during this time, such as ideas for writing prompts.
9:30- 1 Write
During this time I may do a series of things, so I keep it extremely open-ended in my calendar and I give myself a lot of time to work.
Perhaps I write down the short ideas that came to me during my shower time. Perhaps I edit some work I already have a rough draft of. Maybe I start writing from a new prompt. This is also the time when I do some market research on my writing, view my statistics, etc.
Depending on the day, this three and a half-hour period may be labeled “Podcast”, where I work on editing or recording, or “Career Development”, where I fill out some applications, take some online classes, or call my mentor.
What is most important is that I categorize this time under a specific creative project or endeavor and I dedicate the whole time period to that specific topic. However, I also leave this period of time open for interpretation.
This is not the time of day where I am working on completing deadlines. This is simply three and a half hours in the day where I work on on-going projects.
1–2 Music
You know the drill.
I normally am my most creative in the morning. Therefore, I tend to plan chores, work meetings and deadlines, and social engagements in the afternoon and evening.
As a creative, it is important to really manage a large chunk of your day to be open to receive inspiration and to work on yourself and your interests. Your creative part of your day does not need to look like mine, but it does need to work for you! Therefore, be sure to plan and work through the best practices for you and your schedule.
Find Inspiration Through Observing Other Creatives
Whether you are more of a commercial creative or you are a purist, observing others is a great way to develop your mind.
Have you ever watched a documentary and afterward reflected on the “wow” moments that made you think? Well, these points of specificity that caused you to react were designed and created by the filmmaker.
Did you read that correctly? The reaction that you had was based on the creativity of the maker.
Often time in creative fields, we need to find ways to make our audience react to what we make. The best way to learn this technique is by experiencing this yourself.
Just as a scientist conducts research using observation, I, as a content creator, do the same.
Let me break this down.
When I was a choreographer, I maintained research on the latest dance trends.
What were young dancers watching for fun? What techniques were young dancers learning in the studio? What were the styles that the most popular dance shows on TV were using and which dance routines were the public’s favorites?
With these questions, I was learning the facts and statistics of the commercial dance world. I would then go to the studio, use the notes from my research, and integrate it into my own dance style using these popular trends. Sometimes it did not work for the piece. Sometimes, it was the key to unlock the next step of my creative process.
Now that I’m a content creator, I watch YouTube, listen to podcasts, and READ a lot more, to supplement that user knowledge and to monitor trends within the industry. This helps me constantly replenish my writing prompts and keeps me aware of what my audience wants to consume.
My biggest advice for creatives looking to further develop their work is to go back to the basics and the logistics of their creative endeavors. Finding inspiration through facts, as well as creating the time and space to think, reflect, and work will help you deepen your passions and find success in developing your creative mind.
