 “Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist when you grow up”
– Pablo Picasso
Creativity can get your juices flowing.
Creativity can switch your brain on and make you do wonders.
Creativity is one of the best things you can do to continually develop yourself as a person. Creativity can be what makes you move forward and be successful in your pursuits.
Today I want to share with you an awesome infographic outlining 26 ways to stay creative.
Like this Infographic? Please Share!
1. Make Lists
Making lists can help you to get your ideas down on paper, have them prioritised and help you stay committed and continue to take action.
2. Carry a Notebook Everywhere
Before mobile phones were around I used to do this all the time. Now I use my mobile phone, however using a notebook and pen is just so much better for writing ideas down and getting creative. You’ll never forget an idea when you write it down.
3. Try Free Writing
Free writing is awesome. In fact, I’m free writing right now. It’s about letting your hands continually type whatever comes to your mind. It’s liberating, exciting and it’s creative.
4. Get Away From the Computer
How often do you now ‘switch off’ and let your mind run free? Computers now are ‘numbing’ the brain… we are becoming ‘consumers’ of content and less so the creators of it. Get away from the computer as often as you can and let your mind get creative.
5. Quit Beating Yourself Up
There’s no need to beat yourself up over the small things. This numbs creativity. Move on and let yourself be able to think forward, think of the future and think of something new.
6. Take Breaks
Our mind needs breaks. When we are away from an activity is often the time that we get the best ideas or we solve a problem. Don’t get caught up in the ‘now’. Give yourself a break and ensure your creative juices continue to flow.
7. Sing in the Shower
Singing in the shower is fun and it lets you show off your talents to your housemates and neighbours. It also allows you to express yourself while you’re naked 🙂
8. Drink Coffee
Coffee can do wonders. It’s not about constantly drinking coffee, but we all know coffee is a stimulant. Drink some coffee and let it give you that buzz you need.
9. Listen to New Music
Listening to new music or a music genre you don’t normally listen to can provide you with the spark or idea to think or solve a problem.
10. Be Open
Open your mind and free your thoughts. There is never a ‘right’ or a ‘wrong’. There is however a ‘possibility’.
11. Surround Yourself With Creative People
You are the sum of the 5 closest people around you. Surrounding yourself with creative people is the fastest way of staying creative.
12. Get Feedback
Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. Feedback can be the exact think you need to change a habit or a thought. Feedback can help you learn, grow and find new meaning to help you move forward.
13. Collaborate
Two minds are always better than one. Collaborating someone else is a great way of getting another perspective and bouncing ideas around.
14. Don’t Give Up
Persistence is key to achieving everything you do. Don’t give up what you’re trying to achieve. Your creative burst might be at the next hurdle.
15. Practice, Practice, Practice
Practice does indeed make perfect. Keep practicing what you do. Practice getting creative and see how this affects your everyday life.
16. Allow Yourself to Make Mistakes
Mistakes happen and mistakes are not bad. Mistakes can be the catalyst to learning something new about yourself or another. It can be exactly what you need to be creative in moving forward.
17. Go Somewhere New
New experiences can lead to new thoughts and ideas. Get out of the house and go somewhere new. It might just spark something inside of you.
18. Count Your Blessings
There’s nothing quite like counting your blessings. This can help you to realise that you’re actually in a pretty good space. Knowing this can help you to relax and to free up your mind for creativity.
19. Get Lots of Rest
Rest is fundamental to life. It’s fundamental to our thoughts. Make sure you are getting enough rest so you can wake up each day with your mind fully switched on and active.
20. Take Risks
Risks are a good thing. Taking risks gets the juices flowing in the body and the mind. Don’t be afraid to do something that no one else has ever done. What you deem creative now might just become normal in the future.
21. Break the Rules
Don’t be afraid to go where others don’t. When you’re getting creative, don’t be afraid to break the rules. In fact, even the thought of breaking the rules might help you spark an idea.
22. Don’t Force It
Sometimes creative bursts and creativity can take time. They can come during breaks or over a period of time. Don’t force it, let it come naturally.
23. Read a Page of the Dictionary
The dictionary can provide you with a tonne of new information and exciting words that you might not have known or used before. Reading a page of a dictionary might prompt you to think in a new way.
24. Create a Framework
Creating a framework for how you think and work can do wonders for your creativity. Try using different tools to get creative. What time of the day works best for you? Create your framework that is unique to you.
25. Stop Trying to Be Someone Else’s Perfect
There is no such thing as perfect, so I wouldn’t even bother trying to be. You are uniquely you and your thoughts, actions and behaviours are uniquely you. Don’t try be someone else’s perfect, this will only stifle your creativity.
26. Got an Idea? Write it Down
Writing down your ideas is one of the best things you can do to stay creative. You can refer back to your idea to help bring back the creativity.
27. Clean Your Workplace
Your office or work surroundings can help or harm your creativity. If you have a messy desk, make sure you clean it up. A clean desk can help to free your mind and create an ‘open space’ for you to think openly.
28. Have Fun
When you are having fun your mind works a heck of a lot better. Use the positive energy flow to get creative.
29. Finish Something
When you finish something it means you’re ready for the next. But don’t just finish something for the sake of it. And when you do finish something, make sure you celebrate. And then it’s time to get creative and start something new.
For the comments
How do you stay creative?
What role does creativity play in your life?
Let’s get creative! 🙂
Brendan
I know people say that writing by hand is important, but my handwriting is not only terribly terribly, but excruciatingly slow as well. But maybe I should try it, hmm. And if I start free writing this comment would be 40 paragraphs long before it ended, so I’m going to save that for something else, haha! All in all, good tips man.. will definitely sing in the shower with reinforced energy from here on out.
Haha, my handwriting is horrible as well, no need to worry 🙂
There’s nothing quite like singing in the shower! 🙂
Thanks for these tips Brendan – Since I discovered the Google drive app on my phone and now Quip – I have been able to keep the creative juice flowing because I am always with something to write with, take pictures and capture the moment and quickly add a thought to a document I was writing earlier. Love the info graphic as well.
Hey Dems!
You know what? I also only discovered Google Drive about a month ago… I have also found it pretty useful!
There’s nothing quite like being able to quickly jot your ideas down to develop further later on.
Brendan,
The infographic you made is really cool, how did you do it?
I think you bring up some great tips for being creative. I think we all struggle to be creative sometimes. I really like your tips to Go Somewhere New, Listen to New Music, and Surround Yourself with Creative People because all of these tips allude to an underlying principle that I find extremely valuable when I feel stuck: expose yourself to new ideas.
To me, this is the single biggest thing I do that helps me open my mind and make new connections. My favorite way to expose myself to new ideas is to read a new book or watch a documentary. Often times I’ll start reading a book because I can’t write and before I know it I’m so flooded with ideas that I can’t focus on the reading any longer.
Thanks for the tips 🙂
Hey Scott,
New experiences is what life is all about… it can create that ‘spark’ or reignite the brain to discover new possibilities 🙂 I’m glad you agree with it!
I also find that with reading a book… sometimes as I’m reading my mind just wanders as there are so many ideas running around… 🙂
The info graphic is ace Brendan! I’ve shared it.
This is a great list. Amy Poehler said that for her the key to creativity was collaboration and creative thinking is so closely linked to play, flow and the relaxed brain state we get when we’re lost ‘in the zone’
It’s such a shame when people say ‘oh, I’m not creative.’ Everyone has the capacity for creativity – and here’s 29 ways to kick start it. 🙂
Hi Jo,
I would agree… I always find that my best creative bursts come when I am completely relaxed and in the flow. The mind just seems to work on autopilot but in such an awesome, creative way when you get into this state! Everything just seems faster and easier 🙂
I also like your input on collaboration. The more perspectives and people to bring ideas to the table can help get your own creative juices flowing!
LOVE this infographic – I’ve already brought a few of the suggestions into my own day. Thank you =)
That’s awesome, Jessie! Glad you like it 🙂
Let us know how they go!