How to Nurture Your Creativity

“It’s not just what you do but how; whether it’s starting a new business or writing a novel”

Sometimes it feels as if real creativity doesn’t belong to us. Of all the parts that make us who we are, it’s our creativity that we sometimes neglect the most. For some, embracing creativity feels like a different way of life. Like something that’s only meant for poets or artists. But, it does belong to us and can be employed to just about anything. From painting, writing, fixing things to setting up a new business! So all of a sudden it becomes less of what you do, but how you do it.

Take a Fresh Look at Who You Are

A lot of us look at ourselves through a narrow hallway. We only see one side to us. This alone means that we are in desperate need of expanding our creativity. Spend at least 5 minutes writing a description of who you think you are. Include hobbies, hopes and dreams, how you feel about yourself, and how you think others see you. STOP. It’s time to start all over again. Except this time do it in 3 minutes, without using anything from the first description. STOP. Again, except in 2 minutes this time.

By doing this you’ll finally get down to the real you. The one without all those titles, awards and achievements. This will help you set different and more authentic goals.

Open Your Mind

For the next week try and do something different every day from the list below:

· Cook a meal without using a recipe

· Start up a conversation with a stranger

· Set Stumbleupon.com as your homepage

· Go somewhere you’ve never been before

· Write a letter to someone who inspired who

· Draw all the things that are in your bag right now

· Take a different route to work

· Say yes to something spontaneous

· Fill three pages in your notebook of unedited thoughts

Everyday Creativity: The Morning Pages

We are always fresher, more alert and open minded first thing in the morning. Things will surface our thoughts that won’t necessarily come out later during the day. It’s a lot harder to raise above our minds after having a full day of mental chatter behind us.

· Set your alarm to wake you up half an hour before your usual time

· Get up and write three long pages of anything that takes your hearts desire

Don’t worry if it sounds like nonsense! If you don’t know what to write about, stare at the wall and write about what you see or what you’ll be doing later. Don’t read them over, just put these thoughts in an envelope in the bottom of a drawer. Do this daily.

Creativity Happens When You Act On Curiosity

Curiosity has helped people survive right from the start. It got us where we are today. Hunter gathers had to be creative on a daily basis to survive. If the Wright brothers weren’t curios we would never have had the first manned engine aeroplane. We all have it built into us naturally. But if we live in a world where everything we do is prescribed we lose touch with our creative side.

Just because we’re not involved in art and music doesn’t mean that we need to leave them free to create as they please while we keep drudging on. Creativity doesn’t need to be a special attribute given only to the lucky ones.