One’s ability to recognize and remove emotional, perceptual, and cultural blocks is a major step towards greater creativity along with breaking out-of-the-box. Once you start removing these obstacles you begin to establish a frame of mind that is more conducive to letting your creative thinking flow. This does not mean that you can simply flip a mental switch and suddenly become creative. Like so many things written in What Box? it takes practice.
The blocks that hold you back have been created over a lifetime. Like you, I continue to be challenged by my own blocks and obstacles holding me back which, in all likelihood, will be there for the rest of my life.
Unfortunately there is no silver bullet or magic formula that will help you to think and be more creative. Instead, you have to constantly practice putting yourself in environments that enable creative impulses and thinking to grow. Here are some effective tools I have found that when used and practiced on a regular basis have helped me to be more creative. I believe they will be helpful to you as well.
Keep a Positive Attitude
To reinforce a creative attitude within you, begin by stating out loud this simple statement, “I am a creative person!” It is that simple. Say it over and over again. For the rest of this week make this one of the first things you say when you wake up in the morning and one of the last things you say before you go to bed. By affirming your own creative talents you will minimize your negative self-doubts and build a more positive mind-set. Research and experiments have proven that the mere suggestion that a person is an original thinker improves his or her creative abilities. Begin to think of yourself as more creative. Begin thinking of yourself as a creative person. If you think you are creative you are.
“Make your optimism come true.” Author Unknown
Take Time to Relax
This is not always an easy one to achieve in our hectic lives. Here is the thing. When you take the time to relax you are working within your own natural flow of creativity. A relaxed mind is an essential characteristic of a creative mind. Being physically tense or mentally uptight has a crippling effect on our natural creative talents. If you are trying to hard to solve a problem, in all reality you are moving farther away from identifying a solution. Creative ideas must be allowed to emerge naturally. They cannot be forced. Removing rigidness and moving into a mind-set of greater flexibility is an important piece to being more creative. To be more creative stay loose and let go of human based time constraints.
“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” Carl Sandberg
Suspend Judgment . . . at Least for a While
Ideas and creative thinking are very delicate. Just one criticism or negative thought can inhibit creative thinking. When you hear yourself say to someone, “That’s a good idea, but . . .” you are inhibiting his or her creativity and worse yet, your own. When you say to yourself or others, “That is no good or that will never work . . .” you are guilty of judging too soon. Try this instead. Give your imagination the “Green Light” and let the ideas flow. Later there will be plenty of time to judge and evaluate the ideas that have been created.
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality.” Albert Einstein
Open Your Doors of Perception
A creative attitude is a questioning and searching state of mind. Questioning is one of our great gifts and a basic foundation in the creative process. To be creative it is important to be sensitive to problems and their implications. While your judgment may be temporarily suspended, your analytical abilities are not. Creativity requires the ability to analyze problems and break them down into manageable components.
To achieve a stronger creative attitude, open up all of your senses. Strive for a state of heightened awareness which is more in tune with your natural abilities. This kind of fluid state of mind increases your perceptions making you sharper and more responsive. Plug into your senses and you will be able to maximize your creative powers.
“Originality is simply a fresh pair of eyes.” Woodrow Wilson
Let me know what you think.
Until next week, remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create yourself.
