If you want to be more creative, but struggle to get started, there are a few tricks to try. Here are our 5 favourite ways to get out of a funk and start creating!
1 Be Mindful
New research has found that meditating and practising mindfulness activates attention and promotes divergent thinking. This is the type of thinking that expands your mind, so fresh ideas can flow. Mindfulness has also been found to alleviate ‘cognitive rigidity’, which is that little logical voice we all want to silence when creating.
So sit in a quiet spot, focus on an object or your breathing, and be mindful. It could just be the trick to unleashing your creative side.
2 Minimise Distractions
It’s hard to focus on painting, scrapbooking, composing music or writing a poem when your laptop it open with a dozen tabs, your phone is beeping with messages and there’s dinner on the stove.
Take time out to be creative, and block it out in your calendar. Treat it as an important appointment that you simply cannot break. Switch off all digital devices, close the door and tell your family you’re going into ‘creative mode’ for a certain amount of time and can’t be disturbed.
3 Have a Strict Routine
Some of the world’s most famous creatives found freedom around a strict schedule. That means set meal times, a regular morning ritual and pre-determined times to do creative tasks. This frees you up to be creative, because you know everything else will happen when it needs to.
4 Start Small
Try not to paint a masterpiece today, or write a 10,000 word thought piece. Start small. Perhaps sketch a picture, write a few pages of your new book or sit in silence and dream to get the creative juices flowing. When you’re not under pressure to perform, your creative output is likely to be enhanced – and your work will be less contrived.
5 Silence Your Inner Critic
The beauty of creative pursuits is that there is no right option, no correct path to take. Just create and see what happens. Unfortunately, because there are no rules, we can get stuck thinking our work isn’t good enough. Turn the tables by starting a creative project without censorship. Just start and see where it leads.
Originally published on Feb 16, 2015
