Kickstart Your Creativity With These 29 Tips
We’re huge advocates of the idea that we’re all born creative, but once you grow up, it’s not unusual to fall into a slump. If you’re anything like us, you’re always on the lookout for tips on how to jumpstart your creative mind. From apps to books to the secrets of pro makers, we’ve gone down every road. But sometimes, it’s as simple as looking inward. This video infographic from TO-FU, a motion graphics studio in Japan, reminds us of all the resources we have at hand for triggering creative ideas. We snagged a few of our favorite tips.
Try Free Writing: Just start writing whatever is in your head, even if it doesn’t make sense or isn’t grammatically correct. You can unlock ideas and associations with a simple brain dump. Need more direction than that? Check out The Creativity Post for more in-depth direction.
Sing in the Shower: This is an easy way to get outside of your comfort zone, right in your own home. Experimenting with any kind of creative expression can help unlock creative barriers.
Drink Coffee: For a quick boost (and an excuse to walk away from your desk and open your mind), a cup of coffee can offer a bit of the focus you need to connect big ideas. At the very least, it’ll help with your productivity. If you want some science and facts to back this up, head over to Creative Something and read up!
Practice: Malcolm Gladwell says you have to practice anything at least 10,000 hours before you can become a professional. So, get crackin’.
Make Mistakes: Sometime you have to fail to stumble upon greatness. Don’t let those mistakes scare you away from trying something new. Also, if you’re not making mistakes, chances are you aren’t really exploring and you aren’t really learning. Mistakes are the bomb and part of your journey.
Read the Dictionary: If you’re a writer, spending some time with the dictionary is a great way to expand your vocabulary and learn something new. And get this: You don’t even have to be a writer to appreciate all the new thoughts a few random words might trigger.
Write Down Your Ideas: Simply jotting down the random ideas that pop into your head can help drive new ideas. Or, if your memory is terrible, it’ll help you hold onto the ideas you already have.
See all 29 tips by rolling the video.
How do you kickstart your creativity when you’re hitting a wall? Let us know in the comments!