How To Jumpstart Creativity

Kellie R. Stone May 11, 2011

Being creative isn’t something that anyone should take for granted. It’s one of those if-you-don’t-use-it-you’ll-lose-it things. Well, sort of. You won’t ever lose natural talents and gifts; those are there to stay. I’m talking about keeping up the momentum and desire to create. Avoiding diving into projects and hobbies, or even work-related creative efforts, can hinder positive emotions and self-growth, especially if you are what I call a “creative soul”. Here’s why:

Effort + consistency = results and results prompt you to continue whatever it is that brought those joyful results in the first place. In this case, we’re talking about creativity. The more you write, the better writer you become; the more you paint, the better painter you become. So, it’s safe to say if you don’t practice your craft or creative thought process, you will become rusty and not become better at it. I see this cycle when I don’t play my guitar for a long time. When I finally get back to it, I feel like I’m not very good…again. I feel like I’m starting all over. Not to mention, my fingertips suffer immensely pressing the strings down. The fact that I’ve ignored something I love for so long brings about negative self-doubt and criticism.

How To Stay Actively Creating

Write down the top five creative things you enjoy the most. Now, write down how you will implement at least two of those into your life this week. Even ten minutes of each thing will keep you in practice and supply your body, mind, and spirit with a pleasurable, restful, experience.

Instead of always buying new “items” from the store, try shopping at second-hand stores or flea markets. There you will find items that can be creatively transformed into unique and/or useful treasures. This is a “thinking outside the box” exercise that amazingly gets your creative juices flowing. And, you’ll be doing the environment a favor, as well.

Change your look now and then. The simple act of changing your hair style or color will give you a fresh self-perspective and may jolt your inner creative spirit to new heights. You don’t have to go and get bright red streaks or purple eyebrows to accomplish this one. Just be yourself in a new way. If you can’t seem to get out of the hairstyle rut, then just get some new makeup or clothing that is different from what you’re used to.

Brainstorm about a problem in a new way. Get a large tablet or whiteboard and set it up where you can access it easily (home or work). Start by writing a couple of positive statements about the issue. The first things that pop into your mind are usually closer to the solution than you think. Whatever you see or hear, draw it with lots of color on the board. Don’t remove your board or tablet until you’ve come up with a solid answer. It’s important not to sensor yourself with this exercise. If privacy is an issue, do the same thing within a personal journal.

There are so many ways in which you can explore and increase creativity. I certainly can’t list them all. Here are a couple of other Websites you may enjoy, as I do. And, don’t forget to sign up for our exclusive email community. I send out exclusive material you will never see here.

Other sites you’ll like:

Imaginative Bloom

Write In Color