15 tips to boost your creativity September 1, 2015

There are many different approaches to creativity and what inspires people. Today I would like to share with you my  personal 15 tips to boost your creativity and I hope that they are as helpful to you as they are for me.

1. Collect your ideas

Always keep a notebook or something else with you to write down any ideas that you have. Take a notebook with you wherever you go.

Sometimes creativity strikes at impossible times, like on a train platform waiting for someone, and you should write your ideas down right away. To get inspired and boost your creativity, just look at your idea book the next time around that you find it more difficult to “be creative.”

2. Listen to music

Create your own playlist and listen to music to set the right mood for your inspiration. Switch it up and look for new songs on Spotify, Pandora or in stores and collect the ideas that you have while listening to them. Or just let the music surround you while you are working. Music works wonders! Just try it…

3. Go for a walk and connect with nature

There is something about walking outside that really helps to clear your mind.

4. Read

Read books and articles in magazines or online. Overall, just learn new things. If you broaden your horizon by educating yourself further, you will gain a new perspective and feed your brain with new ideas for your own work.

I think it goes without saying really, that you should get inspired but also be careful not to plagiarize. Do not copy other people’s work. You have your own head. Use it!

5. Look at art

Go to a museum or look at art work online or in books. It is hard not to get creative when you appreciate all the beauty around you and study the works of famous or not so famous artists you like.

I love looking at photographs and learning about new travel destinations to get inspired.

6. Do not judge your ideas

This may sound like a repetition to my previous points, but you should brainstorm and collect ideas and write them down without judging them yet. Do not decide whether to work on an idea or not right away and avoid analyzing ideas right away when you bring them down on paper. That might actually kill your creative thought process instead of inspiring you.

7. Keep an inspiration/creativity folder

Collect what inspires you: Notes, cut outs from magazines or articles, pictures, quote or whatever it is that gets you to be creative. Collect those ideas and notes and refer to them whenever you feel that you need more inspiration.

8. Write!

Get creative by writing. Maybe you do not enjoy writing itself and that is not your chosen creative outlet. But you can still write things down. Make some lists of ideas. Or you draw something, or doodle, paint. Choose something where you get creative on physical paper. There is something really inspiring about that.

9. Find out what inspires you personally

Everyone is different. So what works for increasing my creativity might not work for you. But you should try new things and get inspired by the way other people connect with their creative side. A lot of artists share what inspires them or boosts their creativity. Take note of those ideas and maybe you find something that you want to try or that fits into your life great.

10. Make creativity a part of your routine

Whatever fuels your creativity, think about implementing it in your work routine. If you find what creativity prompts inspire you, make them your habit. Sometimes we get caught up so much in our to-do list that we forget to make time for inspiration.

Also be aware of your internal clock. Some people find that there are certain times during the day where they have a real creativity boost.

11. Let your mind wander

The more you force creativity, the more it seems to avoid you. So relax and allow your mind to wander. Sometimes you will find inspiration when you do not expect it at all and let yourself get distracted from the subject matter. So maybe do something unrelated to the task at hand and see where it leads you.

12. Get pumped

Motivate yourself and think positively. Get excited about your work and do not pressure yourself so much. Your attitude has a huge impact on your own creativity.

13. Work with your ideas

These are quite old strategies but brainstorming ideas and the usage of mind maps work for many people. If you categorize your ideas and you are more aware of the connections between them, you might find a whole new input to a problem.

14. Change something

Try something different. Change your angle or perspective on an idea to come up with something new. Also try new working methods.

Try a different medium, like switching from writing on your laptop to paper form or from writing down ideas to recording them as audios on your phone. Switch your position in the room, start walking around your desk or write something while you are standing. It seems silly but changing your physical perspective on things can jump start your brain and refresh your ideas at times.

15. Interact with others

Conversations with your partner or friend can help you see things in a different light. You may also notice while you explain something to them, that there is something missing from your approach. Interactions with other people fuel your creativity and are a great source of new inspiration.

At the end of the day, inspiration is all around you and creativity lies in all of us. You just need to trust your instincts and find out more about your own creativity to cultivate it for yourself. The more you work with your ideas, the more new ideas will find you and you will become even more creative than you are already.

What inspires your creativity? I would love to hear from you!

Photography by © HebiFot / Pixabay

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