Friday’s Culture Casserole: Get Your Creative Juices Flowing!

Contributed by Lloyd E.

Creativity is something we are all born with.  However, we often attribute creativity only to artists and musicians, forgetting all of the different ways we are creative every day.  We cook dinner, solve problems and figure out new ways to make do with what we have.

Now that you know that, here are some tricks you can use to increase your creativity at will:

Limit yourself. Sounds counterproductive but you won’t be limiting your ideas just the tools you use.  For example, if you limit your dinner budget you have to be creative with flavors. If you limit you clothing budget, you have to make do with what you have and create new combinations.  Limiting yourself helps train your brain to think of different solutions to any problem you come across.

Ignore the people around you. When an idea is new, it is often laughed at and put down.  New ideas that are outside the norm confuse people and make them nervous.  But look at all the ideas that were new and now are a hit.  No one thought Netflix, FedEx and Hulu would be a success but they all are.  Listen to your heart not the people who say ‘You can’t do that.’

Put some time aside for creativity. Set aside a time where you can do what you want without interruption.  Schedule time each day to write 500 words or paint; a Saturday evening to create a new meal.  Whatever your area of creativity, allow yourself the time to create.

You are not perfect. What stops us from being creative is the idea that we have to be good at it.  Wait, not just good, perfect. Monet’s first painting wasn’t a masterpiece and who wrote a best-selling novel the first time they picked up a pen.  Creativity takes practice.

Forget your past.  Forget your creative writing teacher who gave you a C+. Forget the people who put down your ceramics.  Forget your parents’ criticism.  If you cannot forget at the moment, turn it around.  Learn a new avenue for your creativity and start fresh.

Think of something creative that you have had on your bucket list. What would you need to do get going now?