What Can You Do To Spur Your Creative Side and Commit to Creativity?

What is the underlying cause of human creativity? Well, this is a rather complex phenomenon that doesn’t seem very simple to explain. Creativity is defined as the ability to go beyond traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, etc. Its sole purpose is to generate meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, and interpretations. 

Unfortunately, there isn’t any magic pill that you take before going to sleep and wake up the next day with zillions of creative and shattering ideas oozing out of your brain. That’s why it’s very important to find the best ways to stimulate creative output. The good news is that creativity can be developed at any time or age. Since creativity is a matter of the heart and inner self-consciousness, you just have to decide which way you prefer to work on developing creativity and make the brain collaborate with you. 

So, how can one maximize creativity? Read this article, if you want to know some useful tips that work effectively for anybody who wants to spur creativity and make his/her creative side blossom.

Tip 1. Get rid of preconceived notions

One exceptional way to boost creative thinking is discovering how to undo various preconceived notions that we absorb from our upbringing and social environment. Of course, some views and concepts are so ingrained that it takes good work to overcome pre-conditioned ways of thinking. For example, thinking that tape is for fastening things only, we will never discover how good it can be for removing lint. And so on.

We’d suggest you read a book called “Conceptual Blockbusting”  by James L. Adams. This work is still considered one of the best “training manuals” for learning techniques that make you think more creatively.  

Tip 2. Let your thoughts run wild and take notes

Letting your thoughts flow freely means not really doing anything in particular for invoking creativity in yourself. All you need in this case is to just let your mind drift to all sorts of plausible scenarios and hold on to these ideas that seem the most striking. Indeed, some of the best writing, as well as music, was created by just letting inspiration strike at the right moment. 

As one of the greatest novelists of all times, Jack London, once said: “Cheap paper is less perishable than grey matter, and lead pencil markings endure longer than memory.” Therefore, don’t forget to take notes or use a voice recorder for recording your thoughts! This is important, since some of your best inspiration may come to you in places that are the least convenient for working on a creative project. 

Tip 3. Don’t beat yourself down with lots of self-doubts

Yes, doubts are creativity’s persistent enemies. Many people won’t start a project because they’re convinced they can’t do it. Others will begin, then give up because they think their efforts have rendered nothing but rubbish. 

Instead of letting doubt defeat you, fight back by completing your project. So, if you want to maximize your creativity, come up with a project with a strict deadline and commit to it. Refuse to quit even if you’re beset by doubts!

Tip 4. Find your perfect place for “zoning out”

Find that “place” where you can zone out almost into daydreaming nirvana. It can be anything, as long as your mind gets to the point where it feels incredibly fertile and ideas fly at 100mph. To some people, running on the treadmill or laid-back swimming can deliver this state of mind. So, everybody has that place where they regularly zone out to daydream. Use this place to ponder and digest your ideas.

Always bear in mind that ideas want to materialize through your imagination and your work. In other words, what can be created by you, waits for you to create it. The main point here is that you have to be relaxed and happy to innovate. Creativity rarely happens under excessive pressure. The more relaxed you are, the easier it is for your mind to search freely in the nether regions of your subconscious thoughts, where many innovations tend to pop up. 

Tip 5. Evoke creativity with your true feelings and let your emotions out

Since creativity revolves around something that you’d want to tell the world about, that’s why artists shape themselves into their creations. They create from visualizing their own experience of the world and, as a result, make something truly unique. So, creativity comes out when you feel an urge to express your true thoughts and make them real.  

Yes, sometimes inspiration invades when a person is going through bad times. But more often it comes to you when you are in a good mood cracking all these funny jokes and bursting with sincere laughs. A true reason behind the inspiration and creativity in this particular case comes out of your state of natural expression. If you go through the whole spectrum of true positive emotions and let it be, you’ll get inspired! If you do that, your inspiration will come to you spontaneously as a consequence of wanting to let something out. Remember, you are unique on your own. Hence, your thoughts, opinions, and point of view are unique. Express them as they come and stop worrying about being correct. Relax and be yourself!

Tip 6. Train your creative muscles with regular practice and don’t leave any room for frustration

The truth is that nobody creates masterpieces on a daily basis. And the more productive you are, the greater chances are that you will be able to create better and more original things. So, to get inspired, sometimes you have to become a “doer” and not just a dreamer. Start practicing vigorously and you’ll generate even more creative energy to fuel your engine of inspiration. Remember, a hundred bad drawings is an awesome practical experience too! If you have zero drawings, then you most likely will get stuck without going anywhere.  

Be inquisitive and, for example, try a random different medium you hardly ever touch. This is about reaching sideways and finding something that you didn’t realize was right next to you. It doesn’t mean changing your style or technique permanently. This is more about just stretching a few creative muscles that got a bit stiff.

Tip 7. Stimulate your creativity and your brain by reading books every day

Reading more books is the most important way or strategy to increase creativity. It not only increases your comprehension, but it mentally stimulates your brain to improve your memory. Read slowly and take notes. Take your time to reflect on what you have read, increasing the probability of generating new ideas. Create a mind map for example, as you read to develop your thinking.

Yes, books have the fundamental capability of sparking creativity. When you read a book, the images of the story formed by your brain are up to you alone. The work your brain must complete to make up images requires creativity. In contrast, passively watching TV or movies requires no creativity because the images are already developed for you.

Tip 8. Get inspired by taking classes on creativity

Keep your skills sharp by staying abreast of the latest information in your field. Thankfully the Internet makes this process simple. You can take an online course or other courses offered by experts. While some solitude is essential for creating, it needs balancing.  

But how can online classes increase creativity? With a nice set of good courses built by creative professionals, anybody can develop or increase creativity. Here are more reasons why online classes are awesome for increasing our creative capacity:

• Online classes teach how to perceive life/reality/our inner worlds and convey your discoveries into creativity.
• Online classes teach how to improve self-awareness.
• Improving the technical skills you use to express yourself. Any skill set can be mastered to the level that it can be used as a mode of creative expression.
• Improving body awareness, because we need to interact with the wider field of our creativity, the “world”, through our bodies. Our bodies are our first tools for creativity because our bodies provide the primary way we individually perceive that which is not ourselves.
• Improving the way our minds, bodies, skill sets, and resources interact to enhance expression. That is, by improving our ability to synthesize our perceptions with our tools of expression.

So, get out of your comfort zone and meet other creative people! Explore and experience other people’s creative works and learn all you can about the field you’re involved in. All of this will provide you with a sense of identity and help you hone your creative voice.

Summing-Up

As far as we know, human creativity manifested even during prehistoric times. Historically, we find evidence of the emergence of human expression from such things as the Chauvet cave paintings in France, and small prehistoric carvings. As a race, humans have chosen to be creative because there is something to gain from it. 

From creativity and ingenuity, we have gained the ability to adapt at a faster rate. And good adaptation equates to survival. When humans began to differentiate themselves from one another with a skill or trade, as a result, life became more efficient. Today, we have a better quality of life and more free time for creativity. Thanks to all the previous generations that never stopped inventing fresh ideas in their creative endeavors. 

If you feel truly serious about diving deeper into the creative work, dedicate some time to learning more about your creative craft with courses on Grinfer! You’ll not only update your skills but also learn the specific and unique creative techniques used in your domain that our instructors share with students. As well as you’ll get a chance for a good 1-on-1 creativity training that you can apply right away to what you really desire to be creative in!