Many fail to appreciate the innate gift of creativity in them and they keep wondering why they are not as “gifted” as others. However, like any other skills, you have to be aware and develop further your creativity for you to appreciate it. Here are some tips on how to achieve this:
- Do not stop learning. The brain has the incredible capacity to absorb and store almost unlimited information. Although the urban legend that only about 10% of the brain was used had been proven untrue, Dr. Dade Lunsford, a distinguished professor at the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, says that the brain is still so incredible but that science understands only about 10 percent of how it operates. He states that the brain’s function and memory can be further enhanced by learning things such as a new language, different cultures, new artistic techniques, or simply new facts. Be aware of the opportunity to learn something new every day. It also helps to do mental exercises like crossword puzzles, seduko, etc. and physical exercises that stimulates and enhances the continuous replacement of neurons. These are brain cells responsible for transmitting information through electro-chemical signals.
- Change your concept of failures. Instead of being frustrated by them, take them as steps closer to your success. Whenever you falter and fall, accept them as part of being creative. Col. Sanders of KFC fame had his chicken recipe turned down countless of times before it was appreciated for its “Finger Lickin’ Taste”.
Indulge in daydreams. People may consider you a perpetual dreamer who lives in another world but it has been proven that a wandering mind is conducive to enhanced creativity. When your mind is not preoccupied in completing tasks or solving actual problems, you set it free to imagine and create new things. A Smithsonian psychological study reveals that daydreaming is a strong indicator of an active and well-equipped brain. It shows that daydreamers are better at remembering information in the face of distraction.
- Do not stop being curios. Although it has been said that “curiosity kills a cat”, it encourages you to learn, investigate, and continually seek out new things that spark the mind and trigger you to action. Wondering is the beginning of wisdom so keep asking. Do not be limited by what you only know. Try to know more. Asking drives the mind to be incredibly creative.
- Think beyond the “obvious”. Being too logical limits your mind. Have the guts to see beyond the accepted norm. Creative minds are not afraid to bring together different and seemingly unrelated things to come out with something new. As Steve Jobs said: “Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something.”
- Keep sharing. Two heads ate better than one applies to creativity as well. This has been proven by the success of famous collaborations not only in the Arts such as Rodgers & Hammerstein, Burt Bacharach & Hal David, Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe, John Lennon & Paul McCartney, Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice, but in business as well as proven by the tandems of Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak of APPLE Inc, Bill Hewlett & Dave Packard of HP, and Bill Gates & Paul Allen of MICROSOFT. Besides, by sharing your knowledge, you can achieve immortality.
Be aware and discerning of your environment. Keep an open mind because nothing is absolute in this life. Each one has its various facets. By carefully assessing what comes to your life, you develop the creative in you.
- Enjoy your break times. To avoid mental burnout, you need to relax your mind every once in a while to avoid it from being sapped of creativity. Do not look at vacations as waste of time because they are effective means to rejuvenate your mind and prepares it for long and deeper thinking when it matters most.
- Welcome changes. New experiences provide inspirations and expand your horizons which are key ingredients of creativity. It opens new ways of expressing yourself. This has been proven by the likes of multi-talented geniuses like Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Thomas Jefferson, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Isaac Newton, just to mention a few. They excelled in more than a couple of expertise such as in the fields of Arts and sciences.
- Be passionate. In whatever you do, strive to give your best. You should not settle for mediocrity, of things that “will do”. By aiming for the best, you let your creative juice flow. Your deep passion is one of the strong traits that can drive you to excel and create more.
These tips will ensure to wake up in you the innate gift of creativity that you may be ignoring and prevents you from living your life to the fullest.