10 ways to Spark your Creativity
Sat in front of your Mac staring at nothing in particular?
Twiddling a pencil idly over a blank sketch pad?
Finding inspiration is challenging at the best of times but sometimes it can feel as if you’re in a creative black hole.
It happens to the best of us.
Here’s our top ten ways to spark your creativity.
- Peel a potato
This might sound a bit strange, but humdrum and mundane activities such as hoovering, peeling spuds or washing dishes use only one half of the brain, whilst allowing the other half to wander and daydream creatively.
- Chillax
Stress reduces both productivity and creativity. Let inspiration come to you by clearing your mind of work-related stress. Meditate, do a bit of yoga or just go for a brisk walk in the sunshine.
- Have a laugh
Dance, walk, listen to music, eat cake: do whatever makes you enjoy life. Have you ever wondered why all the successful companies are creating fun offices with dogs, slides, pool tables and more? Having fun can increase not simply the creativity in the agency but also the productivity. Be a bit silly. Go on.
- Go to a cafe
Hemingway, Sartre and Picasso used to go to French cafes and bars to find inspiration. Get out of your usual gaff. Change your location. You’ll hear different sounds and see different sights as well as interacting with a bunch of new people.
- Interrogate yourself
Ask yourself questions. Think outside the box and challenge yourself. Imagine that it’s your friend who’s having a creative mental block. What would you ask them in order to get them thinking and to help shake off this funk?
- Jot it down
Remember the last time you woke up in the middle of the night with the BEST IDEA YOU’VE EVER HAD?? And then in the morning, after waking up from a restful sleep, you have absolutely no idea what your epiphany was. Make sure there’s a notebook on standby in every room. You can go back to them again and again.
- Get writing
The creative guru, Julia Cameron, introduced “morning pages” as a way to spark creativity; they are a worldwide phenomenon. This exercise consists of writing three pages every morning as soon as you wake up. According to Cameron, it doesn’t matter which topic you cover as long as you write three full pages. It allows reflection, without becoming self-involved, but being true to yourself.
- Join the dots
Mind map it out. The idea is to connect thoughts to see links and spark new concepts. Think about the problem you are trying to solve and come up with as many ideas as possible (ranging from the realistic to the downright ridiculous), then try and find out the connections, scrap whatever is not relevant and keep the best.
- Get away from it all
As our Claire already knows, getting some time off to pursue your dream destination can help you to open your mind and think outside the box. Clear out the cobwebs and create room for some big ideas.
- The more the merrier
Collaboration! Collaboration! Collaboration!
Find inspiration by speaking to people, explain your challenges to your team and gain a different point of view. You may find yourself looking at the creative from a completely different angle that you wouldn’t have approached in silo.
We hope this helps.
Is there anything you think we’ve missed off this list? Get in touch!
