How Can I be More Creative
What is creativity?
How can I be more creative, what is creativity and I am sure there are many more questions about creativity. Let’s start with defining what is creativity first. Creativity is the ability to generate or recognise ideas or other possibilities that may be useful in communication with others, solving a problem or creating something valuable and meaningful.
Can we learn creativity or is it natural?
We are born creative but then taught to be uncreative as we grow older. (The educational model that we use today originated in the Industrial Revolution. The purpose of schooling during this time was to produce good workers who followed instructions). Rules and regulations create non-creative behaviour.
Kids are incredibly creative geniuses and their use of imagination is not restricted at all. Their brains are not, yet, bombarded by the do’s and don’ts of human lives, their brains are not full of the constant feed of negative information – their brains are genuinely free to imagine their world the way they want.
But the good news is we can learn to be more creative. There are many studies and other methods to practice in order to improve creativity.
Unlocking Creative Potential
Creativity is a skill that can be developed and a process that can be learned. It has to begin with a foundation of knowledge, learning a discipline and mastering a positive constructive way of thinking. You can learn to be creative by exploring, questioning assumptions, experimenting and using a lot of imagination. Like any other learning, creativity needs regular frequent practice to develop and it also needs a supportive environment in which to flourish.
One particular major influence that I firmly believe in using to improve creativity is Mother Nature. We are part of her and we belong to her. Mother Nature has a fantastic ability to evoke a creative way of thinking by making us more curious about her beauty, harmony and perfect balance. Here are some of the most beautiful images of creativity in nature.
We live a very fast moving, busy and constantly changing life. Our brains are so very busy trying to keep up, process and analyse the vast amounts of information we are constantly bombarded with daily, almost every second – thanks to mobile phones and social media. We actually do not have time to think creatively – mental fatigue.
One of the best ways to combat this pattern is to actually remove yourself from your own everyday routine even for short periods of time.
Spending time in nature inspires a sense of awe. The feeling that the world is so much bigger than you can comprehend leads to expansive thinking. This allows us to consider different perspectives and can lead to innovative ideas.
- Nature can relieve stress
- Nature can relieve mental fatigue
- Nature can restore attention and boost positive emotions
- Nature can help overcoming creative blocks
- Best of all, Nature can make you feel happier and more alive
Deep observation (or slow look) and open mind can help enhancing our creativity while spending time in nature.
Slow looking is a museum-originated practice, but it also has great importance in learning and educational environments, which can be applied not only to visual arts but also literature, science and everyday life.
I have written a blog post including further information about “slow looking”. Please have a look at How Can I Learn To Actually See Abstract Art.
It is a well known fact that nature provides us with an awakened desire to explore, it frees the imagination and does not force thoughts in a specific direction. There seems to be a link between being in nature and walking. People, going out in natural environment, tend to walk which, in a way, stimulates the generation of ideas and increases the mood.
You do not need to go too far to find inspiration and new ideas. Just a short walk to the park observing and admiring the simple magic of nature can boost your creativity.
There is no doubt that all types of art provide us a great opportunity to train our minds to become more creative. Abstract art and non-representational art allow further potential to let our imagination loose and then judge the result. Creativity does not like restrictions and that is exactly the beauty of non-representational art.
I hope this article has added some answers to the questions of how can I be more creative and what is creativity.
