Guide: Become in tune with your most creative self
Creativity is, inarguably, at the root of every successful business, personal brand, or professional endeavor. It’s what can separate an idea from the seemingly endless competition. It also leads to the followers, consumers, and revenue that takes things to the next level. Entrepreneurs are constantly searching for tips to boost creativity and get ideas flowing.
But sometimes creativity can feel downright impossible, suppressed by responsibilities and demands. It’s difficult to tap into your brain when bogged down by a job that requires the bulk of its power. And when you get a moment’s rest, more thinking is probably the last thing on your free-time agenda.
But, don’t beat yourself up! Becoming most in tune with your creative self can seem less like a chore and more like a welcomed departure. A few quick additions to your daily routine can make all the difference. Here are five easy, actionable creativity tips to get started.
Five creativity tips to boost your business
1. Surround yourself with inspirational people who will hold you accountable
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but learning from the people you admire will charge up the creativity engines even more. If you develop an understanding of their accomplishments and failures, then you can apply them to your own endeavors. You might end up introducing something new and innovative, which is the key to entrepreneurial success.
It’s critical that you surround yourself with those who motivate you so you can be the best version of yourself. This will encourage you to be on your creative toes without forcing it. Aim to be around those who challenge you to learn and become receptive to new ideas. Have them hold you accountable and call you out when they sense even the slightest bit of stagnancy. Then, rely on them to influence you into making change. It’s a positive cycle and one that will ensure you don’t retreat to periods of extended passivity. Follow this creativity tip and see how it drives you to follow through and make them proud.
2. Plan frequent brainstorming sessions
There’s only so much you can do by yourself. It’s essential to gather the most brilliant minds you know to take any and all ideas beyond their beginning stages. For an effective brainstorming session, you’ll definitely want to consult our comprehensive brainstorming guide. The ultimate goal is to have these trusted voices with different backgrounds, life experiences, and skill sets build upon your ideas, add new ones, and eventually flag the areas where you can go wrong.
Sometimes there’s only so much your brain can handle when it comes to fleshing out the next big thing. Cast a wide net and rely on the people you respect and admire to help you expand your scope, while also fine-tuning what will resonate and make your creative plan worth pursuing.
3. Establish a creative environment, but also change things up
It’s no surprise that your surroundings can completely dictate how much your mind opens up. If going out of your way to create a private brainstorming session, your environment should be welcoming and free from stress and anxiety. Some basic activities that also encourage creative thinking are listening to relaxing music, working out, and taking a shower. Creativity tip: You want to open your mind and allow all of your thoughts to roam freely and without distraction or judgment.
While a comfortable setting is great, it’s equally as important to completely change up your environment. Typically, many people find inspiration from exploring a place that is new or unknown. Travel, take day trips, go outside, make any effort to send your senses and brain into overdrive. This will inevitably lead to thoughts or ideas that you wouldn’t have unearthed in your most natural and common habitats.
We know growing a business can be stressful, so let’s work through it together. We have a free “course creator’s checklist” so you don’t miss a beat.
4. Always write things down
Genius can strike any time or place and you don’t want to find yourself scrambling to remember the intricacies of an idea. Whether it’s the Notes app on your phone or an old-school journal, you should always be in a position to write down a thought, joke, memory, or stream of consciousness, no matter how insignificant it may feel as you’re doing it.
Remind yourself there’s a reason why you feel compelled to put pen to paper while doing something as random as grocery shopping. This tiny desire to archive may be the foundation of a ginormous idea. Writing down thoughts will also become a bit of a habit, thus allowing you to draw inspiration from nearly everything you do in a day. You’ll be surprised to see what can come from performing the most trivial of tasks. Creativity tip: A formal “creative setting” is never mandatory.
5. Take part in activities outside of your scope of work
It’s easy to get consumed by routine and the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Be sure to pursue activities and interests that encourage creativity but have nothing to do with your work.
By opening up creativity in other aspects of your life, you’re keeping your mind open to all possibilities. You may even be able to make connections between two entirely different fields to create something great. Activities like these can also calm the brain and are fantastic distractions from the stress and anxiety that cloud and stifle creativity in the first place.
Whether you’re going out of your way to adopt creativity tips that allow for creation to happen spontaneously, one thing’s for certain: You owe it to yourself to make these changes. Creativity is what drives us to achieve what we never thought possible and will be the one thing to take you or a career beyond the status quo. You have what it takes to come up with the next big idea.