Get creative with these 5 easy exercises
Mental creative blocks are real. We all can find ourselves stumped, not knowing where to begin. But we can help you with some useful exercises to boost your creativity!
1) Schedule creative free time
Do you remember yourself in situations when you lacked time to create something new? It’s extremely difficult to focus on brainstorming when your mind is worried about time. You will not have creative ideas every minute of every day, but that is okay. When you try to force creativity, you can effectively block it – don’t kick yourself to bad ideas, since they are a natural part of creative process. Set aside time in your daily or weekly schedule to do some creative thinking. It should be a part of your routine. But don’t worry if nothing comes to your mind – there are no expectations or pressure – just you and your thoughts.
2) Set deadlines
Some people work more productively having a deadline. For example: invent as many ideas as possible in 10 minutes on this or that topic. While deadlines can restrict some of us, they can push us to work harder at the same time. So it’s up to you which way to choose.
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) Quantity over quality
When it comes to creativity, quantity over quality can take you very far. Instead of searching for that one perfect caption on your mind, start churning out many different ideas and write them down. Creativity has a domino effect – once you get the ball rolling, there is nothing stopping you. Don’t focus on nailing down that one perfect idea on the first try. Let your mind wonder, even to strange and unfamiliar places.
4) Diverse array of influence
Absorb a diverse array of influence including those not related to your field. When you are deeply involved with myriad things, you enable yourself to become truly creative. Creativity is about bridging unexpected gaps. For example, taking influences from science and architecture into art. The Beatles are partially famous because of their ability to bring Eastern influences and instruments like the sitter to western rock’n’roll. Travel is a great way to absorb new influences – go somewhere new and explore.
5) Look at something familiar through a new lens
Take a minute and look around you. Any ordinary objects in your nearest access. Maybe a paper clip, some box with earrings, or even a mouse pad? Take a timer for two minutes and come up with as many unorthodox uses for that object as you can. A paper clip could pop a lock, or a mouse pad could be used to hold steamy hot pans. This is called the alternative uses test. It was developed in the 1960s by a man named JP Guilford. It forces your creative muscle to grow by looking at ordinary objects through a different lens, encouraging divergent thinking.
Article by Anna Mikhova,
Unarthodox Element Blog Contributor