Creativity is difficult to understand because the idea is subjective. Most of the research you find about innovation and creativity is qualitative. As a data analyst this makes me wary, but as a content marketer this makes me infinitely more interested because qualitative research is essentially stories. These narratives are about people’s experiences with creativity, and they can teach us a lot.
There is no one way to overcome a creative block. If you struggle to develop innovative ideas, it isn’t because you are horrible, and it isn’t because everyone is better than you. In fact, there isn’t really a good reason for it at all, because you have everything you already need.
You are unique. You are interesting. You are creative.
And the way to challenge your creative block is to take action. That means you’re going to need to grab a notebook, a piece of paper, a word doc, or anything else you can use to start creating. Then follow these exercises to unlock the power that you always had.
List Out 3-5 Reasons Why
Remember that movie where the girl meets the boy, and they fall in love. Only to have their relationship tested by the boy’s promotion at work. A promotion that requires him to move across the country, so they break up only to reunite at the airport, where she sacrifices everything for him anyways?
Even though it’s a cliché, love really is the answer in this case. As far as creativity is concerned, you not only need to love your craft, but you need to love the creative pursuit.
One of the base ingredients for creativity, passion and curiosity fuel your drive to discover original solutions. If you’ve lost touch with that love, you’re unlikely to spend the extra effort finding creative answers.
So, clarifying your why can help you develop more passion and give a bit of perspective. Which might be a good enough reason to fall in love with your craft all over again.
Explore Your Bias with a Journal Entry
In addition to understanding what will work, you need to understand what won’t, and introspection can help you uncover what’s holding you back.
One of the main causes of creative blocks are the bad ideas that get stuck in our heads. This fixation effect can frustrate and deceive you into believing you do not have any quality ideas. Even when this couldn’t be further from the truth.
We must accept it: Our minds work against us, not only by fixating on the wrong idea but also by jumping to conclusions. Heuristics or rules of thumb can help us make decisions quickly, but these biases are very counterproductive when pursuing creativity.
Avoiding these instinctual reactions can sometimes be challenging but being aware of the problem itself is powerful. Then chronicling those experiences or observations can help you unlock your inner creative spirit.
Write Down Ten Ideas That Won’t Work
You always have to start somewhere. Sitting in front of a blank canvas for twelve hours, while you’d probably discover every reason not to start, isn’t productive.
Ten ideas that won’t work like…
- Soggy Cookie Factory
- Baby Sketch Comedy
- Happy Hippos
- Hippie Hippos
- Etc…
It might not necessarily have to be a bad idea though. These ideas can be really anything. The point is to generate free-flowing unique thoughts. There is a term for this sort of exercise, and it’s called divergent thinking. It’s a cool concept involving the free-flowing development of alternative ideas. There are no wrong answers. In fact, wrong is right.
The more you implement divergent thinking, the easier it will become. It is like most things in life. They say you’re perfect if you practice. Or wait, that’s mixed up. Practice makes perfect, and creativity is no different.
The free-flowing nature of the activity happens to be the part of the exercise that you need to pay attention to. By not putting too much pressure on yourself to have brilliant ideas, you can start creating.
Then once you’ve begun creating, one of those ideas is bound to be good. It’s a lot harder than you think to write ten terrible ideas. Although I think we should continue trying…
- Spicy Lemonade
- Beach Monsters
- A Centuries Worth of Gum
- Candy Party Supplies
- Sophisticated Lizards
It can really be ten ideas of any kind.
Hopefully, this activity also gets you having fun because energy can help you become more creative. If you are having fun with the work, it is going to work out better.
Redesign Your Workspace
When you break it down, two types of influences can affect your desire to solve a problem.
External Factors:
· Your boss offers you a raise for solving a problem.
Internal Factors:
· You are interested in a particular issue you are exploring.
Although you can’t control everything, you can still make some changes to adapt your environment to encourage productivity. Even something as simple as changing the atmosphere with a poster can improve someone’s creativity.
It also helps to add positive affirmations around your desk or even incorporate more Fung Shei elements into your office. Let those creative vibes out and splatter them on the wall. Taking some time to change things around might be worth it.
Roleplay a Different Perspective.
One study conducted by the University of Wroclaw discovered that roleplay could actually help boost creativity.
Even though it’s our natural instinct to remain rigid because it protects our worldview from changing, we need to train our minds to adapt if we want to maximize our creative output. This could take a lot of different paths. In the Wroclaw study, they were inspired by RPGs and enrolled the participants in a Role Play Training in Creativity course.
You could also try some creative writing and character development, or maybe even filming a goofy video. Time to dust off that wig from last Halloween.
Mind-Map Ideas
This concept is simple but effective when it comes to teaching yourself new topics. It involves taking a blank canvas and drawing all your ideas onto it. Mind-mapping helps you break a concept down into all its individual parts. I’ve included an example below that I created for this article.
If you’re having trouble getting started, I use random idea generators to start with one idea and work from there.
Try Something New
Brand new experiences are another way you can stimulate creativity. By pushing yourself into new experiences or teaching yourself new concepts, you can discover parts of yourself you might not have known existed.
Switching up your environment can also have a positive effect on creativity by giving you a fresh perspective.
Most importantly, it exposes you to new information, and therefore original inspirations. The same old same old is death to creativity. So, make sure you are switching up the routine often.
Take a Dance Break
Okay, it does not have to be a dance break. Some of us might drop it like it’s hot and never get back up. I don’t want to encourage any reckless dance moves near any expensive appliances either.
Take a walk around your neighborhood or work on your hand-knitted jalapeno hat. Honestly, I don’t know; just break away from your project, especially if you feel yourself getting stuck.
Breaking away from the project can help your mind restart and help you discover what you were missing. It’s funny how sometimes challenges that seem insurmountable become simple after a brief refresh.
Practice Paperclipping
A perfect exercise to demonstrate divergent thinking is paperclipping. This is a poetic exercise where the artist creates metaphors that sound deep but mean nothing.
This is a perfect example because the very nature of the activity encourages you to seek originality. Because it doesn’t need to make sense, the only requirement is that the proceeding idea is different from the last.
Creativity may rise and fall like the tide. The gravitational pull of your momentary feelings or the demands of your environment leaving you awash with fresh ideas or beached in the heat.
I realize that didn’t make complete sense, but that’s fine. The fundamental idea behind this approach encourages you to explore new ideas, even if they might not be practical at the end of the day.
Prepare to Fail
Freedom is one common denominator between creativity and innovation. At an individual level, we need to be allowed to explore ideas on our own terms. This is one of the reasons micromanaging is ineffective; employees need autonomy.
Even when pursuing your own creative endeavors, it’s important to remind yourself that there are no wrong answers. Aversion to risk plays a role in dissipating creativity.
So, remembering the power of trial and error is essential.
I understand that we are all under massive pressure, but we need to take this idea seriously. Especially considering it’s the only way we can learn anything new. If you want to innovate or be more creative, you must take risks.
Creativity starts when you are ready to fail.
The Well-Known Truth About Creativity
Innovation seems the be the key to success, but the hard truth about innovation is it’s rare.
And it requires a few prerequisite ingredients.
Creativity is about simply exploring topics that you are familiar with and applying unfamiliar frameworks and ideas. It is a story involving internal and external factors that is very simple at the end of the day.
Creativity is about practicing divergent thinking, having passion, and staying open to risks and new experiences.
What it really takes to be creative depends on you, though. For everyone, it’s going to be different, so if you have any personal experiences or thoughts on this topic, please share them in the comments. Thanks for reading!