Are you one of those people who think they were absent the day they were handing out creativity? If so, we need to talk. I want to tell you that I used to think the same, but with time I’ve come to realize that I was wrong; anybody and everybody can develop their creative thinking.
Creative thinking is much more useful than it may seem. And it’s not just for people who work in artistic fields.
3 tips for developing your creative thinking
1. Break your daily routine a bit
It’s a good idea to do things a little differently from time to time; like at least twice a week. This tip may be tricky at first because our routines are convenient and comfortable and make us feel safe. But it’s also true that routines limit us; if you never do anything new, it’ll be very hard for you to have new ideas. Flexibility helps you to see things from different angles, which is one of the key elements of creative thinking.
2. Make a daily date with your creative side
We might all feel short on time, but try to dedicate some, even 20 minutes a day, to stimulating your creativity.
It’s important to be aware that you won’t achieve anything major in those 20 minutes. But even so, don’t think you’re wasting time! The benefit lies in just spending the time, and precisely in letting yourself do nothing. In order for inspiration to flow, you need to leave aside any expectations of producing anything and give yourself permission to ‘waste time’ as such.
Something that works very well is creating a little creative routine.
For example, light some incense, have a cookie, or use a special pen. Whatever it is that you choose, use it only for your creative moment and for nothing else. Why? Because that little routine will help you enter into the situation, and unlock your creativity. As the days pass, you’ll develop the creative habit and notice that it gets easier each time.
3. Try some ‘think outside the box’ tactics
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, try this: any time you have a problem or everyday kind of setback, try to think of absurd solutions. Give yourself the freedom to think of things that make no sense for a while.
For example, the sole of one of your boots is coming off. The obvious solution would be to take the boots to a shoemaker to get them fixed, right? Well, forget it. Sit down with a pencil and paper and start writing down possible solutions.
Practice freewriting; writing without thinking and without stopping to check spelling or punctuation, just letting ideas flow freely. Write down the first thing that comes to your mind, no matter how absurd. You might write that you’re going to swap out the broken sole for a leaf of lettuce. Whatever! The key is to disregard any attempt at criticizing yourself at any moment.
It may be that in this case you don’t come up with any valid solutions, but you’ll be practicing creative thinking. The more you practice, the easier it’ll get to apply it, and soon enough you’ll actually be coming up with viable solutions to your daily problems.