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Teach Yourself To Be More Creative

Everyone is born creative. Sometimes it might just need a push.

People sometimes believe that imagination is something you're born with or you're not. Advertising agencies often mark their teams as such: project managers who interact with clients, while "creatives" are given the freedom to develop and guide campaigns. What people don't know is that creativity is not a set feature. Rather, like any other skill, creativity is something you can train yourself to cultivate with the right kind of practice. In fact, it's more of a science than an art.

Now, the approach includes practical strategies and concrete action plans, through a series of hands-on activities. Creating imagination requires patience and hours of practice. And reading all the way to the end of this blog post won't make you immediately more creative. But it will show you seven things you can start doing now, whether you're an accountant or an art student, to put more imagination into your life.

Customize your space

There are things to be done so that you can be inspired by your surroundings. Set up your personal space in a way that is conducive to your most artistic self, whether that means natural light, candles, your favorite art objects, or ensuring you still have access to notebooks and pens.

You should also take help of the internet to get better ideas. For example when you look for a gift for your long-distance girlfriend, you could give the first thing that comes to your mind and give her a pendant or a bracelet. But what you can also do is that look for unique gift ideas on the internet. And again, internet might also give you the ordinary ideas. But it is on you to go with platforms that provide with unique and creative ideas. Like take a look at this page - LDR Gift Ideas. It has many creative ideas that we couldn't even think of. So you need to get some good sources of ideas and take inspiration from such websites on the internet.

Go past what the world provided

Researchers describe the act of innovation as coming up with an innovative idea, something nobody else has thought of before. Our brains, however, are wired to focus on concepts we already know. But this pattern can be disrupted with provocations: quick, unpredictable prompts or word associations that force our brains to connect seemingly unrelated concepts.

Don't change ideas by yourself (especially at the beginning)

One of the greatest challenges to coming up with new ideas is our propensity to edit them along the way.

Any creative act, whether brainstorming or writing or solving a problem, will be more effective if you give yourself the freedom to go in all sorts of directions and then evaluate your ideas afterwards. First let your ideas flow freely, then look at them more critically. Give it some time. Researchers say time is one of the most important indicators of creativity.

People are usually really excited during the beginning of a brainstorming session. Being patient enough to stay inside the frustration of feeling like you've run out of creativity — realizing that it's only a matter of time until your brain starts producing breakthroughs again — can help you achieve new innovative edges.

Don't forget to take breaks

Our best ideas always happen during what scientists call the imaginative pause. The seemingly endless time allows your subconscious the space and freedom to make connections. Working on something innovative, taking a break to do an simple task as those ideas marinate, and then consciously going back to whatever you were working on is an incredibly successful technique.

Don't stay inside all the time

Studies have shown that spending time in nature can have a variety of beneficial psychological effects, from stress reduction to improvement in memory. This extends to creativity. Immersing yourself in the natural world, away from digital devices and the other distractions of a busy 21st-century existence, will give your mind the space it needs to be free and creative. Take a hike without your iPhone, go on a day trip to the ocean or lake, or simply sit under a tree with nothing but a journal. Consider it a routine. As mastering any skill, being more creative requires practice. It's important to engage in regular habits that both directly and indirectly allow you to cultivate creativity.

Activities that help prepare the brain for creative thought, such as meditation, yoga, reading literature and surrounding yourself with people who inspire you, are just as vital as creativity exercises themselves, be they prototyping or problem-solving.

Final Remarks

This Blog Post was highly inspired by Esteban Gast's book Building Your Creativity: Tools For Having Ideas And Bringing Them To Be which is now available at Amazon. You can also check publisher's site for more information.