[creativitynoun: the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work]
Whether you feel burnt out or just want to explore your creative side, this is for you.
A lot of people think that creativity is some power that only highly artistic people have. While highly artistic people do have a lot of creativity, you don't have to be an artist to be creative. You are innately creative, and we are all born to be creative in different ways. Creativity is finding new solutions to problems, viewing things from different perspectives, and changing up the norm. Creativity is exploring yourself.
Here are a few activities to help improve your creativity:
1. Find Something You Love
A lot of times we do things because we have to and pretend to love it. Whether it be cooking, playing an instrument, painting, singing, or writing, explore your interests and passions. Find an activity that inspires you, one that you can do for hours on end. When you do this activity, you lose track of time because you are so immersed. This may mean trying something new in order to get that spark.
2. What if...
This is a fun game to get thinking outside the box. First, grab a sheet of paper and a writing utensil. Write down a list of everyday objects, actions, and cultural norms. Use your imagination and imagine these things in a different way. Start with "what if." What if the world was upside down and everyone walked on the ceiling instead of the floor? What if trees were pink instead of brown and green? Next to each item in the list, write your twists and changes.
3. Try Something New
Have you had the same schedule for a while? Do you feel like each passing day is bland and monotonous? Try something new! Go somewhere in your local area that you have never been before. Taste some food from another culture. Maybe take a different route home from work or listen to music of a different genre. Who knows, you might surprise yourself.
4. Practice Creative Flow
We do what is important to us, scheduling our time to increase our productivity and doing things we think we have to do. What about creativity? There is always time to improve if you put in the effort. Set aside some time each day to let your mind wander. It could be during your commute, lunch break, or even when you walk to class. Creative flow has no boundaries or restrictions, meaning that you shouldn't stop yourself. There are no bad ideas during creative flow. Start with a thought, idea, or memory and keep building upon it.
"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." - Maya Angelou
- M
