The laundry has to be done, you have a deadline for work and school, you’ve been nursing a headache all day and are reviewing your list of to-dos wondering how you’ll get everything done. For most of us, this is a typical day. So how do we find ways to be innovative and problem- solve creatively in order to achieve all of our goals? Below are nine creativity-sparking tips to get you inspired when your to-do list feels out of control:
1. Make the time to work on your craft – No matter what it is, don’t say “I don’t have time” or “I should be doing XX instead”, make time for creativity whether it is making music, painting, etc. Make time for your craft whenever you can.
2. Hang a sign - Make it one that can easily see that remind you of the importance of creating space for creativity. As Hugh McLeod says, “Create or die!”.
3. Prepare a space - Creativity needs a home. That being said, go to a craft store or office supply store and purchase bins for your creativity by having homes for each such as bins for paints, shelves for books, etc.
4. Get moving - Creativity has been linked to physical movement, so get up and move around, shake out that creative energy!
5. Loosen up - Often when we have a craft of some kind, it is easy to want the end product to be perfect and for that inner critical voice to rear its ugly head and get in the way. When negative thoughts about the craft lead to procrastination, one strategy is reducing the perfectionism of your craft. Finding ways to see the imperfect and embrace that leads to more opportunity to participate.
6. Take notes – Walt Whitman collected ideas to stimulate his creativity through jotting things down on slips of paper, putting them into different envelopes with titles pertaining to the overall subject matter. When Whitman needed to spark a new idea, he’d search through an envelope, grab several of them and work to integrate them all together.
7. Use you talents - Many of us do not use our talents for fear of what others might think or fear of failing. When worried about what others will think, consider what you have not tried or explored by allow this fear stop you from sharing your talents and working on them.
8. Check out some creativity prompts – Several sites, magazines and others have creativity prompts for getting your wheels churning.
9. Stop trying to be original – Rather than coming up with something so out there, so unheard of, trust in yourself and your talents to lead you on the right path. Now let those creative juices flow!