1. Learn to observe
To be creative, one of the most important things is to observe your environment and to consciously be aware of the things and events that take place around you. Use your senses and creative faculties to observe the events and actions of the people around you.
The key is to be aware of the things in and around you, to observe carefully and to be able to learn and get inspired from everything that’s happening. By focusing more on your surroundings, you will be able to notice subtle cues and inspirations that you may’ve otherwise missed out on. This will help you to think of new and innovative ideas, think of new processes and come up with creative solutions.
More importantly, while you observe, choose to go off the beaten track and focus on things that aren’t much discussed or aren’t much in the spotlight. This will open up your creative pipelines and help you to come up with creative solutions that weren’t available to you before. Pick up all of the subtle details and understand the interplay between the various elements.
These elements could even help you to think of creative ideas and never seen before designs and patterns. Learning to observe also works great when you need to solve complex problems.
Taking an observational standpoint will help to identify the underlying problems and underlying patterns that are causing those problems. Subsequently, it will also help you to identify new ideas and solutions for those underlying problems.
2. Learn to ask challenging questions
Asking more challenging and difficult questions is also a great way to be creative. When facing a complex problem situation, ask more challenging questions and questions that relate to the underlying elements of the situation.
It is key to ask more provocative and open-ended questions that can potentially open up more channels for thinking. By doing this regularly, you will eventually start to ask more disturbing and transformative questions that ultimately will lead to creative insights and ideas. A great way to think of challenging questions is to try to challenge the norms and perceived beliefs.
For example, question the process or model by which a task is done in the current system and ask whether there could be a better alternative or a more feasible process that could be used instead. By doing this, you will inevitably open up to inspiring ideas and creative solutions. You may even start to question the beliefs that have been shielded in the process and come up with creative solutions.
In addition, also ask questions that have no predefined answer. Questions like “what if?
” often serve as potent drivers for creative thought and can help to unleash hidden voices of creativity. Additionally, also document your ideas and questions. This will help you to track your own thought process, the questions that you are asking and the possible solutions that you can get out of them.
3. Learn to silence distractions
Another important way to be creative is to learn to silence the environment’s distractions. While creativity could spark from being inspired from the environment, it could also diminish with too much noise, activity and chaos surrounding you.
Thus, it is important to silence the distractions. The key is to pick a location or a place where you can focus and think without being bogged down by environmental or mental noise. A place where you have no one to bother you, no phone to distract you and no emails to stress you out.
Try to find a place of solace and peace that you can be in. You can try different activities to silence distractions.
You can go to a park and take long walks, you can go to a café and listen to soothing music, you can try trekking or camping or you can go to a library and read books or try painting. As you try out different activities, you will eventually find the one that best helps you to silence the environment’s distractions and helps you to be more creative.
4. Allow yourself to dream
Dreaming is a great way to be more creative and to open up more channels for thinking. It allows you to let go of all boundaries and to think of unlimited possibilities.
When allowing yourself to dream, try to think of larger scales, bigger dreams and unlimited possibilities. Dream of things that may otherwise seem impossible and tap into potential that may have been hidden away in your mind. Also, have no shame in dreaming.
Don’t judge if your dreams seem ridiculous or strange. Have faith in yourself and your imagination and try to express whatever you come up with. Allowing yourself to dream frequently will help you to overcome the boundaries of reality.
Finally, also learn to let go and be in the present moment. Be conscious of your thoughts and try to let go of all judgements.
This will help you to be more creative, to see things in different dimensions and ultimately to think of creative solutions.
5. Play with your ideas
Playing with your ideas is also a great way to be creative. Playing with your ideas and randomizing them is a great way to come up with new ideas and thought processes.
As you think of ideas, try to jot down your thoughts and then randomly associate the words and phrases that you’ve jotted down. You can also try to draw a random doodle and play with the ideas that you think of while you quickly draw the doodle. To play with your ideas, you could even pick up an object and observe it deeply and then come up with creative ideas associated with it.
Also, try to combine two totally different ideas and give them a twist. This could open up more possibilities for additional combos and may even help to unleash your creative potential.
In addition, also look around you and observe the objects that are present and then try to think of new ways to use them in unique situations. In this way, you’ll be able to tap into more potential that your environment has to offer.
6. Analyze from different angles
Analyzing from multiple angles is also important for the creative thought process. Try to consciously think about problems from multiple different angles and try to express things from the point of views of different stakeholders of the situation.
Ask yourself questions like, “what if the situation was different?” or “what if the problem was in another form?” or “what if another element was changed?
“. Doing this will help you to think of new angles and associated scenarios that may otherwise have not been thought of.
Additionally, ask yourself questions like “what do I hate the most in this situation?” or “what is the worst that could happen?”.
This could help you to think of innovative solutions that minimize the impact of the situation and turn it into a positive.
7. Take a break
Another great way to be more creative is to take a break from your work or task. Taking a break from your particular activity will help you to clear your mind and eventually lead to better decision-making. A break also helps to gain perspective and to think of the problem from a different point of view.
You can take a break by going for a walk, listening to some music, watching a movie, reading a book or even meditating. As you do this, your mind and body can relax and eventually you’ll gain a new perspective on the particular activity or task at hand.
You’ll be able to see the problem from a different angle and come up with creative solutions. Taking a break also helps to rid of any mental blocks that may have been inhibiting creativity. With the added perspective and clarity, your creative juices will start to flow in and help you to come up with better ideas.
8. Stay inspired
People who are creative need to constantly stay inspired. Find inspiration in different areas of life—from nature to art, from music to TV shows and from books to conversations with strangers.
Also, stay connected to the people in your network and learn from others who are also involved in creative activities. Do not hesitate to try out new things—from exploring new places to learning a new skill. Also take up a new hobby and attend more lectures, talks and seminars related to your field.
In this way, you’ll be able to constantly stay inspired and get your creative juices flowing.
9.Explore more
Exploring more and the willingness to go beyond one’s comfort zone is also important for the creative thought process. As you explore more ideas and concepts, you’ll be able to gain more experience and be able to think of deeper and more creative solutions.
As you explore, also try to venture outside your domain, even if it is something alien to you. Doing this will push your creative boundaries and help you to think of more creative solutions. Thus, any time you encounter a problem situation, it is important to explore new possibilities and new paths that previously may have not been explored.
10. Learn to trust yourself
Finally, trust yourself and have faith in your creative abilities. Stop worrying if your creative solutions seem ridiculous or strange.
Creative solutions come in all forms and shapes and thus it is important to trust yourself and express your ideas without any fear. Always remember that true creativity lies in being able to think out of the box and be able to trust your intuition. As you trust your intuition more and more, you will also start to think of innovative solutions to complex problems.
Therefore, learn to trust yourself and don’t allow fear or doubt to inhibit your creative process.
Conclusion
In conclusion, creativity requires more than just ideas and the ability to think different. It requires constant practice, observation and exploration of different perspectives.
By trying out the abovementioned 10 ways to be creative, one can learn to unleash the hidden creativity in themselves and come up with creative solutions to complex problems.