Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and somehow valuable is formed.
The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a literary work, or a painting).
Creativity can strike randomly. Creativity is characterised by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and to generate solutions.
Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing.
“Learning gives creativity. Creativity leads to thinking. Thinking provides knowledge. Knowledge makes you great.” – Abdul Kalam
“Smart, successful people are by no means immune to making mistakes; they simply have the tools in place to learn from their errors.” – Travis Bradberry
Here are some tips to Recharge your creativity:
1. Share your work with someone new:
Share your work and get their feedback. You may find that they the most unlikely person is moved by your work and turns into a big supporter for you – perhaps even inspiring you to something new. Take an interest in their art or interest as well.
- Share something small, every day: Don’t say you don’t have enough time.
“Put yourself, and your work, out there every day, and you’ll start meeting some amazing people.” – Bobby Solomon
- Teach what you know: The minute you learn something, turn around and teach it to others. Share your reading list. Teaching people doesn’t subtract value from what you do, it actually adds to it.
“The impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.” – Annie Dillard
- Stick around: Every career is full of ups and downs.
“Work is never finished, only abandoned.” – Paul Valery
2. Embrace uncertainty:
The first thing about embracing uncertainty is that it takes time. When faced with uncertainty in life we often find it incredibly painful and rush to resolve it as quickly as possible.
“As for the future, your task is not to foresee it but to enable it.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Embracing uncertainty involves being prepared to sit with the situation in all its uncertainty for as long as it takes for us to be sure that we’ve seen it from all angles, and until we know that the response that we have come up with is that which is the most compassionate and ethical possible under the circumstances and for all involved.
“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.”- Erich Fromm
Ways to Embrace Uncertainty:
- Reframe imperfection
- Avoid seeking the approval of others
- Welcome failure
- Rethink risks
- Know that you are enough right now
“Always do what you are afraid to do.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
3. Meditate:
Artists and art lovers alike have gathered the evidence to support their belief that unless you are filled with angst like Bob Dylan, Alanis Morissette, or Ernest Hemingway, you might not be able to tap into your creativity.
Even Socrates and Plato historically took “melancholic habitus” (a sulking holiday) in order to fan the flames of their creative minds.
“Stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found.” – Eckhart Tolle
Studies have associated mindful meditation with many cognitive and psychological benefits, such as:
- Improved task concentration and focus
- Sustained attention, empathy, and introspection
- Enhanced memory
- Improved learning
- Increased Clarity
4. Brainstorm efficiently:
Brainstorming is a creative technique helping to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of spontaneous ideas.
Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members.
“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.” – Walt Disney
It helps to:
- Stay focused on the topic.
- Focus on one conversation at a time.
- Be Visual.
- Stimulate creativity.
- Take a decision.
- Identify goals.
5. Erase and start over:
Creativity simply means being able to come up with something new. Creative thinking means thinking about new things or thinking in new ways. It is “thinking outside the box.” Creative people can devise new ways to carry out tasks, solve problems, and meet challenges.
“True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist.” – Albert Einstein
- Coming up with new innovative ideas
- Improve quality
- Rectify your faults
6. Break your routine:
Sticking to the same schedule may be hindering your brain’s ability to build skills and knowledge. Routine can also help harness your creativity.
Try these routine-shifting activities:
- Split your time for your work.
- Build a new schedule.
- Change your work environment.
7. Expand your resources:
There are many things that will help you expand it. Visit an art gallery, a bookstore, a library or even a craft store. Read new books, gather others ideas, think new, etc are also helps to improve your creativity.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” – Albert Einstein
Put yourself on the other side of an argument, or imagine yourself as a spectator.
If you tend towards the visual, attempt to think in terms of words and feelings. Creativity is scalable.
8. Get a different view:
The aspect of our personality that appears to drive our creativity is called openness to experience, or openness. The idea that some people see more possibilities than others is central to the concept of creativity.
To come up with a new approach to an old problem, we often need to look at the problem differently. If we do the same things, we will get the same results.
Creative people physically see and process the world differently.
9. Think like a child, play like a child:
There’s a lot of hidden potential in thinking like a child. When you’re young, you use your mind in creative, imaginative ways that can help you throughout your entire life, not just childhood.
“Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” – Malala Yousafzai
The good news is that childlike imagination and creativity still rests inside you – no matter how old you happen to be. Simply thinking back to when you were a kid will bring you into that mindset again.
Here’s how:
- Imagination and play boost creativity
- You open up to more possibilities
- Kids don’t take life so seriously
- Healthy interactions
10. Go to a show, travel, art gallery, etc:
There are plenty of things to be gained from going some places. Artists of all types should support each other, and it is reciprocal for us all to work to encourage each other.
These are also the best places to find like-minded individuals and artists and really connect with them.
Writers and thinkers have long felt the creative benefits of international travel.
Travel is most commonly thought of as a recreational activity, something people do for fun. So sure, it can definitely be a blast, but as it turns out, seeing new places is also crucial to keeping your brain full of creative ideas.
11. Indulge yourself:
Every individual is bestowed with a creative bug. When you’re happy, you’ll be at ease, aware of the other senses, and heighten your imagination. You should indulge in your own desires every so often to boost the creative energy.
Time is certainly a big one — I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have way too much to do and not enough time to do it in.
Creators are maligned as “self-indulgent,” and creative expression is looked down upon as frivolous.
Now, here’s how you can indulge:
- Create something…anything
- Try your thinking
- Be absolute, do nothing
- Build a ‘create corner’
