How to Spark Your Creativity
Spark your creativity by exploring, observing and experimenting! Being creative has such a positive impact on your life, and will be so rewarding!
Creativity and being creative can help you in so many ways – including relieving stress and anxiety, and helping you feel more optimistic and positive.
Any form of creativity whatsoever can have a really positive impact on your own well-being, but you just need to get started!
What is Creativity?
Being creative is all about finding new things to do, new ways to do things, and new ways of solving problems.
Creativity isn’t just about art and design. Creativity is a part of everyday life. Every day somebody is being creative by inventing something, learning a new way of doing something and experimenting.
Every industry and every part of life features creativity – medicine, fashion, technology, cooking, music, art, science – everything!
Creativity is a multifaceted and complex cognitive process that involves the generation of novel and valuable ideas, solutions, or expressions. It is the ability to think, imagine, and produce something original, unique, or innovative.
The key aspects of creativity include:
- Originality: Creativity involves producing ideas or creations that are not simply repetitions of existing concepts or solutions. It’s about introducing something new or different.
- Novelty: Creative ideas often break away from conventional thinking and embrace novelty. They offer fresh perspectives or approaches to a problem or task.
- Value: Creativity goes beyond mere novelty; it also adds value. Creative ideas or creations are not only new but also meaningful, useful, or aesthetically pleasing.
- Imagination: Creative thinking often involves the use of imagination to envision possibilities and scenarios that do not yet exist.
- Problem-Solving: Creativity is a valuable tool for problem-solving. It allows individuals to come up with innovative solutions to complex issues.
- Expression: In artistic and expressive domains, creativity involves the ability to convey emotions, ideas, and concepts through various mediums like writing, painting, music, and more.
- Flexibility: Creative individuals often exhibit flexibility in their thinking. They can adapt to different perspectives, approaches, and contexts.
- Risk-Taking: Creativity may require taking risks and breaking with conventions or norms. Creative individuals are often willing to challenge the status quo.
- Combination of Ideas: Creativity can involve the synthesis or combination of existing ideas or elements in a new and unexpected way.
- Inspiration: Creative inspiration can come from a wide range of sources, including personal experiences, nature, culture, and interactions with others.
- Motivation: A strong internal or external motivation to create or innovate often drives creative individuals to explore new possibilities.
Creativity is not limited to a select few but can be nurtured and developed in individuals of all ages and backgrounds.
It is a valuable skill that contributes to innovation, artistic expression, problem-solving, and personal growth.
How to Start Being Creative (if you feel you aren’t!)
You may think that you are not creative in any way. But everyone is creative in soome way or another!
To be creative you need to let go. You need to be curious, and you need to experiment and explore. Let go of mental blocks that stop you from being creative and exploring.
You need to be prepared to play – yes play! Remember when you were a child how you did all those things – you learnt all kinds of things, you weren’t afraid to try something new. You didn’t care what others thought.
Being creative is being a child again, and being an explorer!
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have”
Maya Angelou
What are you Interested in?
The best way to start your creative journey is to ask yourself questions.
What makes you happy? What are you interested in? What do you wish you knew how to do?
When you really love something, or are really interested in something, you are more likely to do well in that thing.
Make Time For Creativity
You need to make time for play! Creativity is your play-time! If you want to learn a craft for instance, spend time researching that craft, sign up for a class, read a book all about it.
Take the time to practice doing that craft or thing you want to do. Set aside time for your creativity.
Remember – you are not always going to be good at something at first. Everybody had to start somewhere. Even famous artists didn’t just paint one day. Then had to learn and practice their art.
Your are more likely to have creative ideas if you are relaxed. Therefore spend time relaxing as much as possible, and really let your creative ideas and juices flow!
Make Space for Creativity
Having an area in your home where you can spend your time at creative pursuits is recommended. But that isn’t always possible. It doesn’t have to be a studio, or a workshop, or even a dedicated room.
Just find an area of your home where you can work, spread your things out, and have the time and space to work on something.
Learn and Visit
Make time to get ideas and inspiration. You can wander around galleries, art shops and more. You can take courses, read about artists and their work, and gather as much information about what you are interested in.
Embrace Curiosity
Cultivate a curious mindset by asking questions, exploring new topics, and seeking to understand the world around you. Curiosity can spark creativity.
Have Diverse Experiences
Engage in a variety of experiences and activities. Exposure to different cultures, hobbies, and perspectives can provide fresh insights and inspire creativity.
When you explore and have experiences you will find that your mind expands, and is more open to ideas and inspiration.
Keep a Journal
Maintain a journal or notebook where you jot down ideas, thoughts, and observations. This can serve as a creative repository and a source of inspiration. Our free 30 Day Start a New Craft Challenge comes with a beautiful digital journal!
Observe Nature
Spending time in nature and observing its patterns and beauty can inspire creativity. Nature is a rich source of inspiration for many artists and thinkers.
Creative Exercises
Engage in creativity-boosting exercises, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, or lateral thinking puzzles. These exercises can help you think outside the box.
Travel the World
Traveling to new places exposes you to different cultures, landscapes, and perspectives, which can inspire creative thinking.
Different cultures are full of inspiration – including food, clothing, colors, sights, sounds, and practices.
Learn from Your Mistakes
Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Creativity often involves taking risks and learning from failures.
Mistakes are what you learn from. You can’t expect to learn anything in life without making some mistakes along the way.
Remember that creativity is a personal journey, and what works for one person may not work for another.
It’s essential to find the strategies and techniques that resonate with you and align with your unique creative interests and goals.
Experiment with different approaches and be patient with yourself as you nurture and develop your creative abilities.