Get Those Creative Juices Flowing

For the times you face a creative block and can’t seem to do much about it, Pearl Mathias brings you a few things you could do to get right back on track

For those of you who park yourselves on the sidelines and ogle at the amazing things being done day after day by the people around you, all the while thinking that you weren’t granted the ‘creative gene’ and you’re okay with it; let me tell you that there’s no such thing. Creativity is mysterious and unexplainable. It hasn’t been endowed to a selected few but it’s a force that we can individually or collectively work on. Creativity stems from within you. It’s what drives the process of making the world simpler, better and happier. Although, more often than not one gets caught up in a mental rut and nothing productive comes forth no matter how much you try. For trying times like those, here are a few ways to get that mind working and improve your creative thinking.

Learn to see what you’re looking at
Do more than just look at the things around you. Observe everything, take it in. Really notice the colors on a person’s dress or the way someone smiles. How slowly the clouds pass through the sky or what people are really trying to say when they talk. Engage in the environment, don’t let anything be lost on you. There are possibilities everywhere, in the smallest details. Get out of your head and into what the world has to offer.

Be curious
Ask a lot of questions and be eager to know what’s happening around you. Don’t just drift through life but really get to know why things are the way they are. Be curious enough to take risks and challenge yourself with every new task. The world is a big place, there will always be more to know and do than you already are. In the words of Ray Bradbury, “Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.”

If you want something new stop doing something old
It could be a piece of writing or a painting or a new sport, whatever interests you, go do it now. Learn a few sentences in a foreign language or just talk to a stranger. It may not necessarily be a big thing, do it anyway. Once you make this a habit, your creativity starts bubbling and you’ll find yourself doing things you never thought you would be remotely interested in.

Get ready to fail
Edward De Bono said, “The need to be right all the time is the biggest barrier to new ideas.”You can’t expect every idea you think of to be a success. You need to be ready to accept failure as soon as you conceptualize something. You can’t get bitter because the world doesn’t see the genius in your plan or if there’s someone better out there. You have to train yourself to not take failure personally.

Take time out
Once in a while take some time out from your routine week. Artists are typically stereotyped as loners, although this isn’t the case. Solitude often brings out the creative genius in you. It allows you time to get in touch with yourself and reflect on your inner creative voice. “In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for constructive use of solitude. One must overcome the fear of being alone,” wrote the American existential psychologist Rollo May.

Love what you do
We often talk about passion in reference to the one thing that keeps us going, whether it’s travelling or writing or sketching. It could also be more than just the one we’ve been fixated on. Develop the need to constantly learn and you’ll never cease to grow. Try your hand at whatever you get a chance to do and do it with enthusiasm and passion. Make time for work that drives you.Your work won’t turn out any better than when you’re loving what you’re doing.

Volume 5 Issue 6