Ways to boost your creativity
CREATIVITY is something many of us admire. It might be that you want to think out of the box like your favourite business mogul, politician or general or you may want to create something like paint, draw, design or write. In fact, there are a lot of ways to be creative: just think of what it takes to prepare a meal, do your hair and present an essay. Creativeness is all around us.
If you had art, music and literature classes at school, you’ll have had an opportunity to study some classic works and have a go at seeing what you can do. However, learning creativity isn’t that simple.
Much of the time, we’re taught techniques such as how to outline a plot, balance flavours or how to create perspective in a drawing, and then we’re left to our imaginations. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Researchers point out that part of the problem is that we have a hard time defining what it is. Sometimes we can’t even recognise it when we see it: just think of the films, novels and works of art that weren’t valued when they were first made public.
In one classic study, psychologist R. Gough got together 1,701 people considered to be creative by experts in their field and rated their personality traits.
Out of 300 adjectives, he found 18 that were linked to creativity: capable, clever, confident, egotistical, humorous, individualistic, informal, insightful, intelligent, interests wide, inventive, original, reflective, resourceful, self-confident, sexy, snobbish and unconventional.
Several other studies believe great creativity lies in a great command over a particular field coupled with the loss of a significant person at an early age.
Others point out that creativity is nothing without intelligence, motivation and a certain amount of critical thinking.
In short, creativity is a bit of a puzzler. However, there are a few things you can do to give yourself a chance to explore your imagination.
1. Do it differently. If you always write your impressions in words, try and express yourself in paint. By taking a different tack, you may unleash something new in yourself.
2. Do your thing better. Suppose you sing but haven’t really put that much effort into it. How much better could you be? By taking classes from a professional, you may discover wider horizons and you won’t waste your time re-inventing the wheel.
3. Don’t give up. Yes, it’s possible that what you do isn’t terrific or new. That’s okay because it’s your own work. Just keep plugging away. By exploring your passions you will always learn something new. That’s worth the effort.