How to Be More Creative

Ways Anybody Can Learn to Think through Questioning and Imagining

Aug 5, 2008

Creativity comes naturally to some, but everybody has creative potential. Through self-reflection and different thought processes, you too can cultivate your creativity.

Everybody is creative. Everybody has creative potential. Some people use their creativity more than others, but everybody is capable, and even the most practical and concrete people can tap into their creative side. It’s all about opening up, and while it can’t be forced out, a person can allow it to come out.

Creativity is a different way of thinking and expressing feelings and thoughts, and just because it comes more naturally to some than others does not mean a person can be labeled as “creative” or “not creative.” Labeling yourself as “not creative” will damage your creativity. While it can be challenging to tap into your creative side, you and every other person already use creativity in some way already. It is all about thinking and acting differently to bring more creativity into everyday life.

Do Something Out of Routine Every Day

No matter how small, each day make a conscious effort to do something different. This will not only keep you younger, more alert, and more aware of your surroundings, but it will also help to generate new ideas and keep your brain functioning more creatively.

This can be extremely difficult for very organized and structured list-making people, but waking up early one morning to watch the sunrise, taking a different route home from work, or reading a book instead of watching television are all simple but significant examples. Also try doing simple day to day chores in a different order (like brushing your teeth before showering instead of after) or through different means (like brushing your teeth in the shower).

Take Time to Yourself

Try to make this a daily event. Time alone doesn’t necessarily equal time to yourself. Get away from all distractions that do not stimulate or soothe. If possible, get out of your typical day: try hiking in the woods, picnicking in the park, or taking a bubble bath. Try not to listen to music with lyrics or anything too distracting from your own thoughts and the things happening around you.

Watch your setting. Watch the ripples of a lake and listen to a squirrel scurry through the leaves. Imagine why a mother looks sad as she watches her son play in the park. Pop the bubbles in the bath and think about why they formed. Thinking and generating new ideas when alone is the safest, least vunerable form of creativity. You never have to share what you don't want to.

Be Open to New Ideas

Even the craziest, most ludicrous and outrageous ideas that have no rationality whatsoever. Think about children believing in monsters under the bed or UFOs in the sky. Tapping into creativity means thinking about any idea, not necessarily believing the ideas, just not shutting them out.

Take any idea (your own, somebody else’s, even something from a dream), and think about ways it could actually happen. Keep thinking and connecting ideas. This can even produce ideas for artistic projects or just nourish your creative side.

Find the Opposite of Something that Doesn’t Have an Opposite

Once again, think illogically. The opposite of black is white, happy is sad, up is down. But have you ever considered what the opposite of a chair, a tree, or a hug is? Find the opposite of each of these or make one up. Then find the opposites of things around you.

When Looking at People, Discover Their Stories

Anybody from the woman at the grocery store register to your co-worker of 10 years. Don’t judge the people around you, but think of possible pasts, current secrets, and dreams they have for themselves.

Create a character out of your worst enemy and greatest role model with possible triumphs and tragedies that could have led to each person’s personality. Don’t let these stories change the way you feel about people around you, but allow them to help open your mind about a person you envy, detest, avoid, or admire.

Take Walks by Yourself

Watch. Listen. Think. Touch. Imagine. Reflect. Smell everything. Taste the air. Talk to a stranger, and tell him something true or untrue (like you are a writer looking for an interesting story) then listen to what he says.

Take a Class on Something that Interests, Fascinates, or Confuses You

Maybe you’ve always dreamed of making elegant cakes. Perhaps you sometimes envy figure skaters. Possibly the idea of painting has just popped into your head. Or maybe you never understood why people love Yoga so much. Continue taking any class that enlightens you, challenges you, soothes you, or brings you joy.

Wonder

Anytime a random question pops into your head, find an answer. Revive your childlike curiosity. If you cannot discover it on your own, look it up online or through questioning or observation. Any rational or crazy question counts. Why do some people have freckles? How did the basic colors get their names? How do you pronounce “laptop” in Vietnamese?

Through the above mentioned suggestions and a subtle change in attitude and thought-process, anybody can learn to be more creative. The key to succeeding in creative thinking is to keep an open and curious mind and to remember to take time to yourself.

The copyright of the article How to Be More Creative in Meditation is owned by Megan B. Wyatt. Permission to republish How to Be More Creative in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.