3 Simple Ways to Boost Your Creativity

5 Mins Read

“Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with dry, uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the ‘creative bug’ is just a wee voice telling you, ‘I'd like my crayons back, please.’.” Hugh MacLeod

Hong Kong Illustration for a series of Hand carved Mahjong gift design by Karen Aruba

We were all born with creativity. Think back to when you were a child and used to have all sorts of weird notions and daydreams, no one taught you to use your imagination, but there it was. But when we grow older and become bound to the routine of our day-to-day life, we might notice that we have less of that unbridled thoughts that we used to be able to conjure up. If you aren’t in the creative industry, you will probably notice this more. But what if you can get it back and make yourself more creative than ever? Here are a few ideas:

Mixed Wood x Epoxy Resin Magic Wine Stand by Kood — **Mixed Wood x Epoxy Resin Magic Wine Stand** by **Kood**

1. Creativity is a muscle – train it!

I’m sure you’ve heard of this one before, and you’ve heard it so many times because it’s tried and true – the more you exercise your creative muscle the more creative you become. There are so many great ways to practice. For example, one piece of advice a creative writing class will give you to improve your writing is to simply write more. Murakami has become famous for his work and for his strict writing routine as well (book recommendation: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running). Practice makes creativity. Give yourself random topics and write a page every day. Read Qraftie blog post on 5 benefits to keep a journal to learn more about journaling. Another way is to challenge your routines and think of new ways to do the same things that always did one way. Do you always serve fries with ketchup? Do you always commute to work the same way? Do you always handcraft things in a certain way?

Handmade goods allow artisans to make things using their skills and creativity. Take a look at these handmade wine stands and dog beds, they are a great example of how artisans used their creativity to give things a new purpose. A dog bed made from a wine barrel? How did the artisan come up with this idea? What a genius!

If this is too much effort for you, just go to a park and lie down. But keep your eyes open and watch those clouds drift by above you. Then do what you did as a child – look for the different shapes they each resemble, but try to find at least 3 for each cloud. And try not to fall asleep.

Handmade candle — Handmade Scented Candle by Hiraya Scent & Co.

2. Just relax (and sleep)

The hustle and bustle of life can really stress people out. But it turns out being constantly switched on does not just drain you of energy, it may diminish your creative side! Barbara Oakley, a professor and author of Learning How to Learn, reported that humans learn in two ways, focus mode and diffuse mode. Focus mode by its namesake, means you are focused, actively retaining and linking information. But this is not effective unless you allow diffuse mode to kick in. Diffuse mode happens when you take a break after active focus, letting your mind drift off into different directions. This is the time when your brain links the different ideas in your head together, synapses flash and new connections are formed. The more and stronger the connections are, the better you will be able to connect the dots and also generate unexpected ideas and solutions to old problems (both practice and relaxing help).

You actually already know all this - have you ever seen someone go voila and have a bulb light up when they are stressed and overworked? Yeah, me neither. So whenever you are stuck trying to come up with new ideas, go for a walk, meditate or do something relaxing. Let that inspiration find you.

Mirror [made from a drum kit Hi-Hat] by tectonihks. No longer available — Mirror [made from a drum kit Hi-Hat] **by tectonihks.** *No longer available*

3. Change Things Up

This is an easy one, change your environment or do something different. Change your wall decorations, go to a different café for your weekend sessions, or if you work in an office try to work in a different area. If you want to step it up, rearrange your furniture, or go and learn something completely new to you. Winetasting, kitesurfing, calligraphy, woodwork…anything! The fresh stimulus will freshen you up as well.

Last but not least, you can take up a creative hobby, and make beautiful things with your skills and creativity. There are many truly creative works on Qraftie that are made by independent artisans, feel free to take a look and learn about their creative journeys.

Thank you for being an appreciative reader as always. If you enjoyed reading this blog post, please share it with your family and friends.

Source: Barbaraoakley, Medium, Quartz

February 2020