You can’t turn your creativity on and off like a light switch. How to jumpstart your creativity? It may sound as easy as picking up a blank piece of paper and a marker, but we all too often get seduced by the distractions of daily life, lose focus, and get caught up in the grind of daily life.
Ways To Jumpstart Your Creativity
If you think you need to be born with a creativity gene, think again. Creativity is not magic, and there’s no such thing as a creative type. It’s a skill. Anyone can learn to be creative and to get better at it. A surprisingly concrete set of lessons has emerged about what creativity is and how to spark it in ourselves and our work. Let’s see some of them.
True Blue
Surround yourself with the cool, calming color of blue to give your creativity a boost. Studies have outlined how colors take on certain associations. The study found that people who faced a blue computer screen were better able to unwind and allow fresh ideas to develop.
Keep It Random
Grab a magazine or book, flip to any page and just start reading. Turn on the TV to a show that’s half over and watch it for a few minutes. Don’t try to catch up on the plot. Pay attention to the phrases being used or emotions being conveyed. Your mind will start to fill in the gaps, which can create new ideas.
Be Cheerful
Watch a video of your favorite standup comic. Mood is a significant determining factor in creativity. While anxiety can focus a person, good cheer and happiness can foster new ideas, according to one study published by the National Academy of Sciences in 2006. Just watching a clip of a laughing baby has shown the potential to boost one’s creativity.
List It Out
Creating lists can help you organize those tangled thoughts. Take a question that’s central to your project and then rattle off as many answers as you can. Don’t overthink it—the responses must be spontaneous, allowing your subconscious to take the lead. Stay focused and make the entire list in a single sitting for best results.
Embrace the Absurd
Try thinking of your project in a completely different way. Go crazy! Try to connect two opposite or ridiculous concepts to create an original idea. Consider markets or audiences that have nothing to do with the project you’re working on. A strange combination could spark a great idea.
Meditate
If you can find a nice, quiet spot to escape from your usual work routine, meditation might help you stoke the creative flame. Certain meditation techniques influence the divergent and convergent styles of thinking—the main two ingredients for creativity. It will also help you relax, which is never a bad thing.
Switch Your Medium
Break out of your comfort zone by being creative in a different way. If you’re a graphic designer, try writing. If you’re a writer, give sketching a shot. This will force you to look at your project with a new perspective as you strive to overcome different challenges.
Those are only some of ways to jumpstart your creativity. On the infographic bellow we bring you 5 uniqe ways to jumpstart your creativity.
