Developing Creativity for Individuals

Creativity is not a natural talent or in-born trait, it is something that you nurture and develop. The
following are strategies for increasing your personal creativity.

Have established inspirational rituals: Setting rituals that help stimulate and relax the mind is
important for creativity. For example, you can go for a walk every morning or read a book. You
can spend ten minutes a day meditating or just sitting watching nature. The important part is that
you try to develop a daily habit that will help you be in the right state that will increase your
creativity. What routines, habits, or rituals can you add into your daily schedule, for even as little
as 10 minutes? What will you do and when will you do it? Write it into your calendar.

Become a daily creator: Spend 10 minutes a day working on something you are creating. This
can be writing an article, building something, or thinking about an aspect of your reality you
want to improve and brainstorming ideas of how you could change it. What are you interested in
working on that is creative in nature? What time will you set aside for it every day (such as at the
end of your lunch period)?

Take advantage of tiredness: It turns out that our brains actually are more creative when not in
peak performance. When your brain is tired it wanders off on tangents without the normal filters,
leading to ideas your mind would normally block. In fact, when you first wake up you are in a
state called the hypnopompic state, in which you have improved creative thinking. In fact, many
artist and others in creative fields use this state to come up with new ideas and concepts. For
example, surrealist painter Salvador Dalí used to take a nap sitting in his chair with a spoon in
his hand so that when he fell asleep the spoon would hit a tin plate that he had placed under it.
The noise would wake him up and he would take that moment to create his masterpieces. This is
why you’ve probably had great ideas come to you as you’re falling asleep or when you wake up
in the middle of the night. Keep a note pad by your bed!

Take breaks: Many people try to force themselves to keep working or just keep thinking of
solutions to problems when they are overwhelmed or overworked. However, taking a break and
completely disconnecting for a few minutes lets the mind process and digest information. When
you give your conscious mind a break, your unconscious mind keeps working on the problem,
without you blocking it with your over-thinking. This could be something as simple as walking
away from your desk, going for a quick walk, eating a snack or a drink, watching nature outside,
or engaging in a conversation with a coworker. What are some activities you could do for even 5
minutes to unwind when you feel yourself needing a break?

Write things down: Sometimes having too many ideas or things that we have to do can
overwhelm us. The best thing we can do is write them down and release them. When we write
things down it allows the brain to relax, since we no longer have to hold it all in our short-term
memory. It’s there for us later when we need it. This allows the brain to shift fully into other
creative endeavors. In addition, writing down your idea gives you a good foundation to look at
later on. Therefore, keep in mind that ideas can come at any time. So as soon as you get one
write it down. When you have ideas pop into your head, where or how could you write them
down or record them (such as a note pad, an app in your phone, sending yourself a text or email
message, or using a voice recorder on your phone)?

If you tend to try to hold a lot of “to-do’s” in your mind, how or where could you keep them
written down so that you can free your mental space from having to hold them in your short term
memory?

Trigger your own motivation: Whether listening to music, watching a specific type of video, or
reading about your favorite topics, use triggers as a pick me up when you need to get the creative
juices going. What types of activities boost your mood or help you feel motivated?

Exercise: There have been a number of studies that have demonstrated that exercise, even a
simple walk, actually improves our critical, creative, and divergent thinking, which leads to
innovation. What type of movement or exercise do you enjoy that you could easily do for 10 to
30 minutes once or twice a day (or when you need a boost in creativity)?

Try new things: We are creatures of habit and therefore the more we get into a pattern the
harder it may be for us to think outside of the box. When we try new things, we open our mind to
new possibilities and ideas. A confused mind is a mind that is open to new ideas and new ways
of thinking. What are some new things you’ve always wanted to try? And what could you do to
change things up (such as rearranging furniture in your home or office)?