Boosting creativity is very simple: you just have to push all of the gunk of life aside to let the big ideas float to the top. You can boost your creativity right now in just 15 minutes. Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
1. Doing something you love.
The thing with creativity is that unearth the gold nuggets you have to listen to your truest self. The things you love, whether its the comic book series that you adored as a kid or knitting a fuzzy wool hat or playing soccer – regularly participating in these activities is what activates our souls and allows the big ideas to come forward.
2. Go for a walk.
In even just a brisk 15 minute walk, we walk out of our problems and into solutions. Getting the blood pumping and the heart rate up will clean your slate so you’ll come back feeling like a new person.
3. Do nothing.
American novelist Nancy Hale said “To do anything, one must first learn how to do nothing”. Doing nothing erases tension, stress and drama from your psyche and allows the big ideas to find their seat at the table.
4. Clean out your sock drawer.
The fruits of this exercise is two-fold. First any mundane task pushes the gunk out of your brain and then brilliant ideas come to surface. I’ve unearthed big brand strategies while ironing my dress. I’ve tapped into abstract and high-level ideas for my next painting series while scrubbing my floors. The second way this exercise keeps on giving is that living in a tidy environment ushers in more ideas. There is an undeniable sense of peace that comes with being able to find the right dress socks for the right outfit and not have to waste 15 painful and frustrating minutes looking for just the right pair.
5. Buy yourself something special.
Treating yourself well is at the heart of living a creative life. When you treat yourself well, you’re accepting and loving yourself for who you are. Therefore you’re allowing your true self to come forward. So go ahead and get that pedicure that you’ve needed for a month, splurge on your favorite flowers or take yourself to your favorite record shop.
6. Notice the world around you for 15 minutes.
This is what my favorite creativity guru and author of The Artist’s Way dubs “Going sane”. When things in life are crazy and chaotic and the boat is rocking- look at the way the daffodil peels over from the morning dew. Notice how the soft round white mound of snow perfectly reflects the dusty pink sunset. See how the flaking paint reveals the other-worldly oxidizing rusty steel underneath that creates raw and abstract shapes. Just sit and take in all the great sights of the every day from where you are sitting – right now.
7. Dance in your living room.
Dancing is a great mental escape and break from the thinking too much and not playing enough trap that we all fall into. It is a completely right-brained playful respite that clears away the gunk and let’s the ideas flow.
Linda is an artist and creativity teacher who believes everyone is creative. She shows others how to unblock their creativity, connect with their true self and unlock the big ideas. Sign up for her free weekly newsletter with creativity tips here.