SIMPLE WAYS TO SPARK YOUR CREATIVITY

Only 1 in 4 people believe they are living up to the creative potential

8 in 10 feel that creativity is important (60% CEOs believe creativity is important leadership quality)

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. Picasso"


1. RECORD YOUR IDEAS
keep a notebook or video recorder with you for recording your ideas. Actively recording your ideas positively affirms the cognitive behavior of observation. It also helps you make association between remote ideas.

"Creativity is just connecting things. Steve Jobs"


2. FLIP THE PROBLEM
Consistently creative individuals tend to approach their challenges from a wide variety of angles. Doing so helps create 'psychological distance' from the problem encouraging abstract thinking. Flip the question over or ask yourself from multiple different perspectives.


3. SET A CONSTRAINT
Creating constraints around a problem can often times lead to greater creativity, Famously Dr. Seuss wrote Green eggs and ham after betting that he couldn't produce a story less than 50 words.


4. SLEEP ON IT
Research has confirmed what many creatives have said for years,.....that sleeping on a problem leads to greater creativity. scientists believe that the low levels of stress during sleep play a role in allowing people to access information from the subconscious and make new connections

"30% increase in creativity after sleep (Paul McCartney said 'Yesterday' came to him in a dream)".

5. GO FOR A WALK
For millennium, writers and artists have said that they develop their best ideas during a walk, The latest research studies have showned that walking can significantly improve new idea generation. The combination of increased blood flow to the brain and the freedom to allow the mind to wander is what makes walking so effective

"All truly great thoughts are concieved by walking-Niezsche"


6. PERSISTENCE
Studies of patent records have shown that overall productivity correlated with the radical breakthrough in science and technology. The greatest creative geniuses of all time have been shown to have created the largesr amount of output

• 50,000 number of Picasso works in his lifetime
• 3,000 number of different lighting designs Edison came up with
• 1,000 number of patents owned by Edison

7. EMBRACE ALL IDEAS
Many of the most famous ideas, inventions and slogans in the world have come from unlikely, spontaneous and sometimes accidential sources. There is no such thing as a bad idea. Combining ideas or repurposing for a new application are both good practices

• NIKE's Just do it (slogan inspired by last words of spree killer Garry Gilmore)
• POST-IT came from a discarded idea for an adhesive that didn't work

8. RELAX
When our minds are at ease we;re more likely to move our intention inward and make associations from a remote thoughts emanating in our subconscious. An ingredient that's very important for this dopamine; the more dopamine that is released, the more creative we are.

"72% of people have ideas in the shower"


9. SEEK INSPIRATION
Spontaneity, random association and good fortune are at the heart of creativity. To increase your chances of success, constantly expose yourself to new experiences, ideas and ways of thinking, to help create new perspective.

• "50% patent owners credited a serendipitous event for their invention"
• Apple falling from tree: Isaac Newton discovers gravity

Here are some of the key takeaways to consider
1) Creative Statistics.
Only one in four people believe they are living up to their full creative potential. However, an impressive eight in ten believe that creativity is important, as well. In addition to these statistics, you will want to keep in mind that an impressive sixty percent of CEOs believe creativity to be the most important quality from leadership. In terms of improving creativity, or at least realizing a greater degree of the potential that exists within all of us, there are a number of things that you are going to want to keep in mind.

2) Recording Ideas.
A great way to nurture a creative side is to keep materials around you that will allow you to get down ideas as needed. Notebooks and tape recorders (even a smartphone with a recording app) can prove to be extremely useful in this regard.

3) Set Constraints.
Don’t be afraid to change them. Establishing constraints can force you to think in creative ways. The same can be said for establishing a psychological distance from the problem, and looking at things from as many different angles as possible.

4) Self-Care.
Burning yourself out is not going to do any favors. Research strongly indicates that getting plenty of rest can prove to be useful towards strengthening your creative impulses. Ultimately, a well-rested mind is going to be a mind that is capable of embracing new ideas. By the same token, you can also recharge the creative batteries by simply treating yourself to a nice walk. In general, you should try to give yourself time to relax. You aren’t going to do your creative side any favors by failing to take care of yourself on a day to day basis.

5) A Persistent, Open Mind.
A mind that is persistent is a mind that tends to deal with creative obstacles, or abstract concepts that might take some time to appreciate and deconstruct. In addition to this, it is also vital to have an open mind. The best examples of creative people tend to have certain personality traits in common. One of those traits involves being a person who is up for just about anything. Looking for inspiration in places you know can be effective. However, also being able to look for inspiration in places that take you out of your comfort zone to a certain degree is a good trait to have.

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