10 Ways to Unleash your Creative self

Creativity is one of the key ingredients of innovation as mentioned in my previous post 10 secret ingredients of innovation. Some people are blessed with ounces of creativity , however some are not. But on the brighter side, creativity is a skill which can be inculcated as a habit or enhanced further. Below are some pointers for the same.

1 Patternize – This can be achieved by observing the environment around us, recognizing patterns , so that we can co-relate with what we learnt before. Patterns opens doors to new discoveries. For example, if you see the names Apple and Samsung, you instantly know that both are reputed phone manufacturers.

2 Combine concepts – This can be achieved by just putting little more effort into your thoughts. It has been observed that innovations happen at the convergence of concepts . For example, the first computer program in the world was written by Ada Lovelace , who combined her interests in poetry and math.

3 Disrupt Yourself – If you want to change the world with your product, you have to change yourself first. It always said that change comes from within. Find ways to do common things differently , change your viewpoints and upgrade your belief system. For example just because you couldn’t learn languages easily in school, does not mean you never can. There are always ways to improve it, especially in todays world of possibilities.

4 Habitize – First you make your habits , then your habits make you is a popular quote. It is important to be organized , define and monitor your goals on a regular basis. Practice your craft in order to perfect it. For example, every day write down 2 ideas which come to you regarding the problem. Over a week, you already have more than a dozen, which gives you many options to test.

5 Practice Gratitude – Gratitude spurs innovation Did you hear it right ? The more thankful you are , higher the productivity . Let go of all the negativity and insecurities within you and embrace positivity and gratefulness. For example list down the 5 things you are thankful for everyday.

6 Exercise – You might already be aware of this , yet I am reinforcing the fact that exercise leads to better health , which boosts your brain activity, lightens your mood and favors creative thinking. You can either follow an exercise regime or practice a sport which elevates creativity.

7 Be an artist – I am not asking you to take a white canvas and paint your heart out with colors. I am just saying art therapy once in a while can enhance your creativity. It could be music, dance, paint, handicrafts , travel, poetry , drama, photography, reading , writing etc . Try to take up DIY projects and work on them consistently.

8 Answer lies in the Questions – As children we always used to question everything around us. Somewhere along the way to adulthood we buried our inquisitiveness deeper and stopped feeding our curiosity. The moment you start to rethink and question existing and conventional practices, processes, ideas and try to answer them, the problem begins to be defined better, which leads to an apt solution.

9 Reinvent the wheel – Just because something was working this way for the past few years or decades, it does not mean its right. There is always a scope for a change . We tend to overthink , have vague assumptions and hold on to the past. Let got of all these empires of illusions and look at the problems with a fresh perspective.

10 Team-up – One of the best ways to come up with ideas is brainstorming in teams. We learn about other possibilities, which further inspires us to think more creatively and express ourselves better. Becoming part of creative forums or taking part in such workshops could also trigger your cells in the frontal cortex, which is the hub of creativity.

Lastly , I can assure you that if you could practice at least some of the above pointers, you will be able to see the results yourself and “CREATE” something worthwhile.

Advertisement