5 Ways To Be More Creative

Sometimes it is difficult to come up with new ideas, or to be imaginative and creative in your work, or in your life in general. Being creative and finding ways to express yourself creatively has been proven to have many benefits and can help you feel healthier and happier. Forcing yourself to be creative however is difficult as often the very act of trying can be counter-productive. Creativity is something we want to be natural, something that flows out of us, and if we have to put in loads of effort to try and do so, it sometimes has the very opposite effect.

Happily there are effective tips and techniques that you can use in order to become more creative. Here are 5 simple strategies that will help you find inspiration, develop your story ideas and keep writers block at bay.

1. Develop your ideas slowly

Often when we have even the slightest flicker of a great idea, we can’t wait to get going and write it all down. The trouble with this is that after the initial excitement, we run out of steam, can’t figure out how it will go anywhere, and can end up feeling disheartened and abandoning the idea altogether. To avoid this, next time you have a great idea, why not try and develop it first, see if you really have something, and understand how it could work before starting to write it out?

2. Beat Writers Block

Don’t let writers block stop you from being creative, there are ways to deal with it such as free writing (where you just write anything that is in your head without stopping), changing your scenery or brainstorming new ideas. Willpower and discipline are writers best friends, learn how to have great willpower and train yourself to be disciplined and you will soon find that writers block is a thing of the past.

3. Draw a mind map

If you feel that your creativity is dwindling take a break from writing and draw a mind map. Sometimes developing your ideas this way can help you see them more clearly. Use lots of colour, add keywords next to the images and simply get every idea down. Once you have done this then you can number them or rearrange them to create an outline, and then you can use this to structure your writing and keep the story flowing.

4. Play more

If you feel as though you are not being creative enough you can fall into a spiral of frustration and self-blame. Doing this will only further shut off your creative flow. Instead of being so hard on yourself simply get out there, go for a walk, play with your dog, bake a cake, listen to some inspiring music or read. Do something you enjoy that will take your mind off it, and help you relax. Then you should be able to come back to your writing feeling refreshed and with a clear head.

5. Be thankful

When we are creatively blocked this can unfortunately catalyse many other negative emotions which can leave us feeling depressed, irritated and as though the whole world is against us. Instead of wallowing in self pity why not instead write a list of everything you have to be thankful for? Doing this will put you in a positive mind frame, you will realise how lucky you are, and this will make you feel happy and relaxed, thus opening the creative mind once more.

Being creative doesn’t always come naturally. However understanding what to do when you are feeling creatively blocked means that you can quickly rectify this and get back to your usual creative, positive, brilliant self all the more quickly!

Bethany Cadman -contributor

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