Friday, January 14, 2011

15 Cool Ways To Boost Your Creativit


Feeling burnt out or lacking creative ideas?


Here are 15 ways to give your creativity a jump start:


Write Your Ideas Down. Get into the habit of writing your ideas down as soon as you get them. This way you train your brain to keep coming up with ideas, and as soon as you get them you write them down. When they are written down you don’t have to worry about remembering them and this allows more room for new ideas to form in your mind.

Relax. Good ideas and creativity usually do not appear under stress. When you are relaxed and rejuvenated, creative ideas usually come rather naturally. Take a walk on the beach, take a nap, go and play some sport or do whatever it is that relaxes you so that your brain can be more creative when you get back to work.

Have No Expectations. Similar to living with no stress, but specifically no stress from the outcome.
When you create with love and passion and no expectation of the outcome, the chances are much greater that you will create something remarkable!

Be Easy On Yourself. 
Stop criticizing yourself and stop being so harsh for yourself. Accept yourself the way you are and do things to the best of your ability. You are enough and you are creative. Don’t let self-limiting beliefs block out your creativity! Remove the barriers and the ideas will begin to flow.

Read. Reading stimulates the mind. The more you read, the more you open your mind up to new ways of thinking and thus the more creative you will become. I know that reading can be a bore, especially if you have to force yourself to do it. Just start small. Choose a book on a topic that you like (it can even be about your favorite sport or artist) and spend 30 minutes before you go to bed reading that book. This way you can read 1-2 new books every month without it being a lot of effort, and it will definitely contribute to you being more creative.

Listen to Mozart. 
Albert Einstein said he owes his creativity to listening to Mozart pieces. Certain songs and compositions allow the brain to be more creative and function better. Albert Einstein did not know why this was the case, but he found Mozart compositions to help his thinking. In the present age the concept of music enhancing your thinking has been scientifically researched and proven. Certain frequencies have a positive effect on increasing your brain’s performance and creativity. Today they are known as Binaural Beats and Isochronic Tones. Basically, scientists have engineered sound-files (I canít really call them songs) with researched frequencies that have proven to increase brain performance. Simply buy purchasing some of these tracks and listening to them with stereo headphones, you can already notice an effect on your thinking and creativity.

Meditate. There are certain techniques that allow your mind to find peace and that allow you to silence all the hundreds of thoughts that constantly run through your mind all day. When you achieve this inner calm, it has all sorts of benefits like being more creative and having better ideas.

Exercise. The effects of exercise and physical movement on the mind and creativity have been studied for centuries. There is no doubt that you feel much better after exercise. This is because after you exercise, endorphins (feel-good hormones) are released into your bloodstream.

Ask For Help. Don’t be scared to ask someone for help or for their opinion. The input from a friend or stranger could be enough to jump-start a whole series of ideas and new creativity.

Expand Your Horizons. 
Do something you have never ever done before in your life. Go sky-diving or bungee-jumping. Sign up for hip-hop classes. The experience of it may be enough to boost your creativity tenfold and give you many new ideas.

Eat Blueberries. 
Blueberries are said to be the richest in anti-oxidants and good for your brain an thinking abilities. Eat a handful a day, and even if you donít get extra creativity, enjoy the taste and the health benefits.

Stop Doing Drugs. 
I’m talking about sugars, processed foods, alcohol, caffeine and cigarettes.
(I shouldn’t have to tell you not to do hard drugs!) Not only will your health benefit, but you will feel much more energetic. The chances are huge that you will find all sorts of new inspiration that comes with your new energy levels once you start eating healthy and stop consuming junk.

Do Puzzles
Puzzles stimulate your brain to look at a problem from different angles. The easier you are able to open up your mind to new ideas and new approaches, the more likely it will be that you become more creative.

Make Music. 
I personally like playing piano. It is relaxing and it allows me to experiment with new tones, melodies and ideas. Often while playing an instrument and making music I get very creative ideas for my own projects. If you’ve never played an instrument, why not start with something simple like piano, guitar or the drums?

Practice. 
Practice makes perfect. Yeah it’s cliche, but it’s true. Do you want to be a great writer? Then write ever single day, even if it’s just about your dog. Do you want to be a good designer? Then design something new every day, even if it’s just a logo for your favorite food.

9 comments:

  1. thanks for the ideas

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  2. Doing puzzles is rather fun!

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  3. This is an awesome post. I write my ideas down on paper all the time. Music works real good too. Didn't know about the blueberries but I might try that someday.

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  4. Anonymous6:06 AM

    i was thinking you meant i lsd/canabis/etc.. are out too but i can life without caffeine for a while i guess.

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  5. nice tips..keep it up

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  6. yes , i like to be creative, thanks for the tips !

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  7. these are really good tips. saved them onto notepad.

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