4 Ways to Spark Your Creativity
This article was originally published by Entrepreneur.com on December 3, 2021
Creativity is part of human nature. We are all creative in that we possess some form of creative intuition — that inner voice that speaks to us from time to time and seems to spontaneously produce ideas. As a species, we have a conscious awareness of self and, as a result, see and experience the world through our own unique lens. It is our unique lens — our perspective — that gives way to our creative intuition and our ability to produce original ideas of value. Unfortunately, many of us lose touch without our creative intuition over time and either bury it deep down inside so that it is not heard or we simply choose to ignore it. The good news is that it is always there, and there are ways to channel it.
1. Learn to identify and prioritize your creative intuition.
Intuition is generally understood as instinctive knowledge — a gut feeling about something without knowing why. Your intuition can be used in a variety of ways. Most people seem to recognize their intuition when it comes to their own safety or benefit, such as whether or not to trust someone. Your creative intuition, however, is different because it is based on your perception of the outside world, not just whether or not something is for your benefit.
For example, knowing that a situation is dangerous is your survival intuition. Knowing how to get out of a dangerous situation, on the other hand, is your creative intuition. This distinction is important because, save for when we are creatively escaping danger, we are less likely to act immediately upon our creative intuition. After all, it seems less urgent at the time and so we do not prioritize it over other daily responsibilities. So, for example, we tend to ignore our creative intuition when an idea comes to mind while driving to work because we prioritize getting to work over entertaining the creative voice in our head that has decided to speak at such an inopportune time.
The problem is that these moments and ideas matter a great deal in terms of fulfilling your life purpose. If you cannot pull over and fully dive into the idea at that very moment, at least take a voice memo or send yourself an email or text note as a placeholder and reminder. Otherwise, you risk losing what could be a key clue to fulfilling your life purpose.
2. Designate creative time and space.
Life is hectic and filled with responsibilities and obligations, many of which feel anything but creative. To get in tune with your creative intuition, you need to carve out time in your day when you take a break from it all and sit with your thoughts and allow your mind to wander. If your schedule is that busy during the day, try waking up an hour earlier or using your lunch break for this creative time. In addition, create a space where you spend this time that mutes other distractions and inspires you. If it is a room in your house, fill it with things you love and feel deeply passionate about, like books, art, music, plants and pictures. If your time is during the workday, find a place where you can go outside of work and be in your own head. If nothing else, go for a walk.
3. Reflect on your life themes and truths.
One way of knowing how to connect with your creative intuition today is knowing how you have connected with it in the past. In helping individuals develop and expand their creativity, I always start with learning their life stories and focusing on what have been life-changing moments. The relevance of these moments tends to result in some knowledge or understanding gained through the experience, which I call a “truth.” When you pull back from all of these life events and truths, you start to recognize patterns or themes in someone’s life. These themes operate as subject matters that the individual is an authority on based on their relevant life experiences. If you find yourself in a moment where you feel like you have no creative ideas and want to channel your creative intuition, you can focus on your established life themes and start to ask yourself what you know to be true about one or more of these themes or topics. What will follow are your original ideas and thoughts on something you know very well because you have lived it.
4. Stop overthinking, and just start.
Finally, do not let your brain block your creative intuition. Once you carve out your creative time and space, you might feel silly just creating. Something in your brain might tell you, “this is dumb,” when all you have to write on the paper is “I have nothing to write.” Believe me, it does not matter. Just start and write down, scribble, draw, paint and play. It will probably feel terrible at first, but believe me — it does not matter. Trust the process. You have to rouse your creative intuition. Let your mind wander to wherever it goes. Very soon, the creative ideas will flow. I cannot tell you the number of songs that started by just fiddling around with my guitar. It might sound terrible in the beginning, but then suddenly, almost like magic, it happens — inspiration fills you and creativity begins to flow from consciousness.
