In our changing world, there’s an ever-growing need for creative solutions. Not just for the artists – creativity is valuable in all walks of life. Here are some top tips to help you think more creatively.

 Mow the Lawn / Wash the Dishes

Non-demanding tasks encourage divergent thinking. Taking a walk, having a shower, washing the dishes, all allow the mind to wander – moreso than doing nothing. Mindless tasks temporarily reduce activity in the frontal lobes, allowing subconscious thoughts to filter through into our consciousness.

Break the Norm

Disrupting routine forces your thought patterns to become more flexible, neural pathways to become less rigid, and new connections to be formed. Take a different route to work, disrupt the order of your morning routine, approach your craft in a different way. Try a change of perspective – move rooms, set up shop in the shed, work at a friend’s house, take a walk to the coffee shop. Doing things differently encourages the creation of new and original ideas.

Allow Yourself to Fail

Willingness to take risks is essential in the creative process. New and original ideas can only come about if one allows oneself to fail. The great thing is, if an avenue of thought doesn’t lead anywhere in particular, it has still been covered, and might trigger new lines of thought. Failure is neccessary. Embrace the little failures, because they are stepping stones towards greater success.

Stop, Collaborate

While it might not provide all the answers, collaboration provides a different perspective, fights stagnation, and can help generate new ideas. Spending time with like-minded creative people is encouraging and confidence boosting. While solitude is good for contemplation, company can expose new ways of thinking that might otherwise have been overlooked.

Question and Observe

Curiousity and exploration can lead to wonderful creative insights. Taking the time to understand the world around us helps to inform us in the creative process. Fragments of information can be linked to create new and original connections. This process is at the heart of creativity.

Limit Yourself

Yep. Contrary to what you might assume, limitations can really encourage creativity. Artists wishing to produce a body of work will often choose a very simple subject to focus on. Imposing limitations can lead to limitless creative ideas. Challenging yourself can be a great motivational tool – restrict yourself and see how many original ideas you can come up with.

 Walk Away

Good ideas take time to incubate. Walk away from the task in the knowledge that you’ll be coming back to it later. You’ve planted the seed, now give it time to grow.

 Tattoo these on your pupils, print them out, come back to them when you need refreshing. Good luck, and let the good ideas flow!