HOW TO SWITCH UP YOUR THINKING

Being creative is a lifestyle choice, not a genetic gift. Absolutely everyone can be brilliantly creative, yet most people struggle to unlock their own ideas. In my experience, the most quantifiable thing you can do to be more creative is increase your empathy. This comes down to changing the way you live your life;

I call it “cultural immersion”. Force yourself to live like others (the more different from yourself the better).

You need to make it your practice and do it daily. Extreme versions like travelling to India and living in a slum or riding shotgun with a brain surgeon in an operating theatre may not be on the cards, but a more accessible approach could be to take a different mode of transport to work for a week and watch closely how different groups of people behave. In Sydney, for example, I guarantee you that people who catch the ferry to work act completely differently to people who catch the bus. Observe, learn and empathise. Being able to draw on multiple experiences and points of view will always keep you firing creatively. The more you do it, the more creative you’ll become.