How to Boost Up Your Creativity to The Max - Our Stories

Photographed by Bruno Scramgnon

Coming from both nature and nurture, creativity is more than mere talent.

It's a conventional belief that creativity is more likely born than bred - either you're a creative person or you're not. Well, not completely. While some people may be slightly more predisposed to thinking creatively than others, creativity is a muscle that can be exercised and improved upon. Here are 5 ways to stimulate creative thinking.

Be highly curious.

The good news is; curiosity is available to you at all times. It’s accessible from anywhere. Whether that’s through observation, exploration, or asking questions, you need to have a child-like stubbornness to be able to tap into your curiosity every single day.

You have to be vigilant, and you have to be paying attention. You have to be optimistic that you’ll find something interesting or learn something new. You have to be fearless. You have to be persistent in going down new paths. Always take pictures, videos or notes of the things that inspire you. Train yourself to always wonder why and ask questions. Discover it, record it, and your curious mind will thank you for it.

Give way to openness.

Creative people are always on the lookout for possible solutions. You can do this by becoming more aware and practicing mindfulness, which involves intentionally noticing things and not pegging people you meet based on your expectations or the categories you have established in your minds. Instead, try to be open and curious and resist stereotyping people.

Consume content that's way outside your comfort zone.

We all love reading about stuff in our industry, but typically this doesn't boost creativity. If you're lucky, it might help with motivation or inspiration. If you want to get your creative juices flowing, start consuming content you wouldn't normally consume. Read blogs outside of your industry. Read books outside of your normal genre of choice. Oh wait, it works for music too!

Feed your senses. Take adventure.

If you are a visual artist, go to museums or attend openings at galleries. Build your knowledge of the visual solutions of other artists. If you want to write mysteries, read as many as you can and analyze how they develop their characters or how they build suspense. All fields will have some equivalent methods to develop your experience of the solutions of others in your field in a conscious manner.

Become an expert.

The secret to exceptional success doesn't lie in natural ability, but in deliberate practice. Though, it's not just about the 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at a subject. It should involve pushing yourself to master tasks just slightly beyond your capabilities.

You have to become an expert in an area before you can be creative in it. "Successful creators don't just like knowledge, they thirst for it. They can't stop asking questions, and they always go beyond what they've learned from teachers and books," Sawyer writes. There are a plethora of methods to do this.

Conclusion

The human mind thrives on creativity. When you have a higher openness to cognitive flexibility and the ability to entertain novel ideas, you have a natural capacity to overcome stress—a symptom of anxiety that if sustained can have consequences on your mental health. In other words, the traits of creativity have the potential to give you a healthier, more fulfilling life. Once you accept and acknowledge your commitment to maintaining a healthier creative mind, consistency with these habits can go a long way to keep the momentum going.

And finally, here are 31 tricks for those who hunger for more. Enjoy!

Created by Anna Vital

This article is inspired by Jason Zook, Christina DesMarais and Christian Miller.