Do you love to be creative, but want to take your creativity to a whole new level? Do you
feel overwhelmed by your work and find that your natural creative abilities and talents are untapped? If so, you need to learn how to tap into your creativity whenever you want or need to. When you allow creative thinking to flow, you will find that you can enhance your natural abilities and accomplish more in less time. Creative Thinking Begets Creativity Creativity allows you to become who you want to be. If you cannot release your creativity, you may feel your professional growth stunted, or you may not be able to think as clearly as you would like to. Many of people don't realize the importance of creativity until they are taught to tap into it through creative thinking. Are you wondering how you can get started with creative thinking? You can begin with simple exercises like going through magazines and cutting out random images. You then can glue them all to a paper or a board without thinking about it just let your creative juices flow! Finally, step back and see what your mind has created. You may be impressed and surprised with yourself. This surely will help you tap into your creative energy. Listen to Something New Another way to jump-start your creative thinking is by listening to music. Put on an album that you are unfamiliar with or borrow a friend's CD. When you listen to something that you have never experienced before, you may find that you are changing your definitions of creativity and are lighting your creative fire at the same time. Get Creative By Getting Your Groove On Dance! Creative thinking often starts with an active body. Put on a CD or go out to a jazz club. Try a dance class, or enjoy the movement of your body in your own living room. Whatever it is, do something to get up and get going! You will be surprised at how creative you'll feel afterwards. You may feel inspired and ready to tackle new and exciting projects. Or perhaps you'll find that your workload isn't as daunting as it first appeared. After all, you'll be relaxing while having fun! Write Your Heart Out Another option is to set your timer for 15 minutes. From the minute you press start, you should write freely. Write whatever comes to mind without thinking about it or planning. Then step back and see the creativity that flowed from your mind to your hand, and then to your pen and onto the paper. Yet another awesome way to boost creative thinking is through affirmations. These positive statements can help you remember what it is to be creative and how wondrous it feels when creativity flows through you. You can create a list of affirmations for yourself such as, "I feel an intense flame of passion for things that interest me," that can help you tap into the creative person that you are, even as you deal with everyday stresses.
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Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash You are creative, even if you’ve failed to realize it. In fact, you can’t fail to create. You
created the life you’re living right now, even if you don’t appreciate it very much! However, unless you’ve tried to maximize your creativity, you’ve only been operating at half-throttle. It’s possible to be much more creative than you have been in the past. Being able to access your imagination and then use it to find creative solutions will make life easier, more enjoyable, and bring you greater fulfillment. Enhance your ability to access your imagination with these strategies: 1. Practice without distractions. Turn off the TV and dim the lights. Have a seat and close your eyes. Allow your mind to wander, but don’t fall asleep. Instead of trying to steer your thoughts, let them run wild. Practice being an observer instead of a director. Do this daily for 15-20 minutes. Use all of your senses. You can do more than just see. You have the ability to hear, feel, smell, and touch. Use all of these senses when you’re utilizing your imagination. Your imagination will feel stronger if you use it daily. Try not to skip a day. 2. Read something outrageous (for you). Try reading a fictional book about aliens, fire-breathing dragons, or time travel. Expose yourself to new ideas and concepts. The more you experience, the more your imagination will have to work. The same goes for movies. Branch out. You can only watch so many action movies or romantic comedies! 3. Take up a creative hobby. Learn to paint, sculpture, or play the accordion. Try writing a screenplay or drawing a monster. Use the creative part of your brain. 4. Explore your passions. Do something you’ve always wanted to try, but haven’t yet. New mental states can increase your level of creativity. Use your imagination to find creative solutions: 1. Set an intention. Think of an intention as a short-term goal for an activity. What are you trying to accomplish with your imagination? Find a solution for your relationship challenge? Figure out a way to earn more money? Invent a gadget that will change the world? It’s important to have an objective for your imagination to focus on. 2. Choose a method of addressing your imagination: You can turn off the lights and focus on your intention. You could sleep on it. You could sit at a clean table with a pad of paper and write whatever comes to mind. Keep going for at least 30 minutes. You could ask yourself questions and listen for the answers. Take part in an activity that engages your mind, but not completely. This can include activities like cleaning the house, taking a shower, mowing the lawn, or listening to classical music. These activities occupy part of your mind, but leave the remainder to create ideas. 3. Act on what you discover. Creative solutions are worthless unless you act upon them. Reward yourself for being creative by putting your ideas into action. Sort your ideas and choose the best one. Try and see if your imagination was correct! You’ll get better with practice. Our great creativity is one of the things that separates us from other forms of life. Using your creativity effectively can help you to find better solutions to the challenges in your life. Creativity can fade with age, but that’s just because we fail to use it regularly. Your ability to imagine is one way to address your creativity. Instead of mindlessly staring out the window and daydreaming, you can direct your imagination to address specific issues in your life. One of the most popular creative blockbusters that you may hear about is a tool, made popular by Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way is the morning pages. As Julia defines it, the morning pages are “three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. “ The writing that is done here is not “high art” or publishable by any means…it is whatever comes to your head that you need or want to get out on paper, pen in hand. That’s right, it is not a typing or texting exercise…it is old school writing.
There are many people who use this as tool to unblock their creativity. For me it has been a tool that I have been using for a few years and it helps me to do a “mind dump” on everything that is going on in my daily world. Write everything from gratitude lists, poetry, funny things that happened during the day to venting out frustrations. Once I do this daily version of journaling, I begin the day a bit lighter and focused, especially as part of my morning ritual. If you have been thinking of starting this practice, here is a few benefits that may encourage you to start earlier than later: • There is No Wrong Way to Do the Morning Pages: Julia said so herself! It’s all about what comes out of your mind and on to the page. There is no writing structure or topic to follow. It is whatever is on your brain at the moment. • The Morning Pages Clears the Fog of the Mind: For me, it is a wonderful brain dump….and at times I am surprised as to what appears on the page. There may be issues or thoughts latent in the brain that you don’t realize is in your subconscious. The morning pages allows you to get it out. • The Morning Pages Helps You Discover Patterns of Thoughts or Concerns: You may be surprised that you are venting about similar issues or that a problem you thought you had now includes a solution in your writing. That is the magic of the process…when you identify patterns or find solutions, it helps clear the way for creativity. • The Morning Pages Can Help You Think Through Creative Projects: New ideas often come as I write for artistic projects or for resources for my creativity coaching practice. I may write down an idea for workshop, or an art series and then expand on it. I may recall a detail from an Artist’s Date or an event I attended that I will write about which launches other ideas. . • The Morning Pages is a Healthy Way to Release Stress: If you have a habit of venting or complaining to your friends or family, a journaling practice of any kind is a healthy way to get it all out without losing friends and loved ones in the process. You can identify triggers, or crazymakers that may be getting in the way of your creativity. Any journaling practice can have benefits to help you clear the mind and focus on your creative practice. Do you do the morning pages? What has been the benefits of this daily ritual for your creativity? |
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