10 Things You Should Do To Develop Your Creativity.

Doesn't it sometimes feel so overwhelming to find out that someone out there is just so creative than we are? He can do stuff, we can barely think of! He can paint the trees purple and the sky green, guilt free. He can click jaw-dropping pictures, effortlessly! And create fantastic stories in less than a minute! Shivers down your spine. Right? Well, there's a good news for you. Creativity is not alien to any of us. To put it simpler, those who have already developed their creativity might have UNCONSCIOUSLY done things that actually lead to an increase in creativity. Luckily, YOU can also develop your creativity by CONSCIOUSLY doing the same or similar things. It won't be long before you dance to your creative beats! But what are those things that you need to do?

Without much ado, let's get straight into it…

1. Develop your creativity through your confidence

The combination of thought and action defines creative confidence: the ability to come up with new ideas and the courage to try them out.

-Tom Kelley

Have you ever heard that a creative mind is an open mind? And that fear creates the biggest mental block. Simply put,to win over your fear is to gift yourself creativity. Even research says, fear leads to a substantial decrease in creativity. The best way thus, is to create, without fearing whether you are truly going to be creative. Confidence then, is not an icing on the cake but the cake itself. If Edison feared failure, we would have been in real trouble, I am afraid! If Jobs were afraid of criticisms, Apple would have only been a fruit. Think about it..

2. Developing Creativity Through Exercise

A research in the NIH proves that regular physical activity leads to an increase in cognitive ability! Thus, increase in creativity is directly related to physical activity. Now it's easy for you to figure out how your 'physically active' child is so incredibly creative? The reason for this could be anywhere from increased oxygen levels in the brain to an active blood flow or movement of dormant energy in our body. All that makes us dance is, it develops our creativity. So what are you waiting for? Brush the dust off your shoes and run!

3. Be Creative With Your What-if List

What if lions had wings? the sky could become a dangerous place! What if the trees could talk to us? they would have, first, abused us I'm sure. Or what if the sky appeared the color of one's mental state? for most, it would have been black, I'm afraid! Isn't it just amazing how when our imagination runs riot, creativity zooms. So why shackle ourselves to the limited reality of the world? Borrow a child's perspective and let your imagination and creativity run wild with your what-if list. Maybe there's magic that awaits you!

4. Creativity Through Music

It's proven that music is but a boon to creativity. It let's you connect to the third dimension where all the magic resides. Research found an increase in the creativity of those who worked while listening to happy music in comparison to those, who worked in silence. What's left? picking up your headphones and turning on the music, of course.

5. Increase Blue To Increase Creativity

Blue is the color of our throat chakra which stands for self-expression and communication. And what is creativity? self expression through various activities, unarguably. That's one reason why surrounding ourselves with blue color leads to a significant increase in our creativity levels. But for all those science lovers, let's look into the research that proves the same. A report from science says that blue color results in higher levels of creativity. Maybe that's the reason why blue pen is used for writing in school!

6. Sit Idle, Do Nothing

Walt Disney, when sitting idle, observed a mouse come and sip his tea over and over again and Mickey Mouse was born!

And you remember? Sir Isaac Newton was sitting idle too when he saw the apple fall and discovered the law of gravity. Research found that when you sit idle and are bored, you become creative. Don't you think, the word bored should be replaced with the word creative? well, I do. Now it's time to make time for some free time. Why not make it into one of the to-do tasks in your to-do list? and be creative and awesome!

7. Say The Problem In Variations

It's magical how you can see an immediate shift in perspective when you re-frame the same problem in different set of words. Instead of asking 'what's my problem?', try asking, 'what bothers me?' Now I honestly think, Wonders await you. That's why building your vocabulary is so crucial. It acquaints you with various ideas and thus, various solutions when needed. Try it for yourself and experience the magic!

8. Take Enough Breaks

I am not exactly promoting the Pomodoro technique here but somewhat, I am. Taking breaks helps you experience a shift in perspective. You look at the same situation or the problem through a different lens. Meaning? Creativity increased! What more on earth do we need than sitting idle and taking breaks for being creative? A cup of coffee I am sure. Sorted?

9. Brainstorm New Ideas

Creativity is a muscle that strengthens when exercised. You've heard this, right? But how to exercise it? Of course, by brainstorming new ideas. And how do you do that? By questioning all your already existing ideas. That is when you create space in your mind to welcome new solutions and alternatives. It's then that you truly and genuinely find some. The gist is, you ought not to put a period to your ideas, rather, a question mark. That's all that's required.

10. Be Creative With The Basics Of Everyday

After everything said, let's talk about the basics of our everyday. Have you ever observed, how you use the same vocabulary all the time? Or you get the same soap to bathe every time you visit the grocery store? Or how you cook a vegetable with the same ingredients every time? or don't you order the same 'cheese pizza' every once you visit the restaurant? And, I know, you take the same route when you drive to your office every morning. Well, all these things nail some fixed patterns in your brain. When creativity is all about newness, how can you ever expect it to develop when you haven't ever introduced newness to your life. Makes sense, right? Be mindful of what sameness you create in everyday and change it. Easy.

With all these tips, you can now develop your creativity and then? creativity will develop you! Happy journey.

Thanks a lot for reading.