I believe everyone is creative. Some think creativity only applies to art, music, and writing. I think creativity is a part of every task or endeavor in life. As human beings, we are inherently creative. We literally must ‘create’ for our species to survive. These tips can apply to many creative tasks but I will focus on art and writing. Specifically, creating written and visual content for web sites and blogs.
I sometimes have trouble coming up with ideas for new content. The internet, social media, blogs etc. change fast and put a lot of stress on a person's creativity. I get frustrated when my ideas seem stale. I feel like I’m just reusing ideas, and this makes me feel like I’m in a rut. So, how do I get out of this rut and freshen things up? I have four specific techniques that I use to help reinvigorate my creative muscles and recapture that exciting feeling when something special is created.
But first, I want to talk about the brain. The brain is an amazing machine! It loves efficiency. It loves routine. It loves repetitive tasks that it can narrow down into the smallest amount of steps to get the job done. It takes a lot of stress off of the brain when it can rely on previously built efficiencies. Breaking out of those routines and efficiencies requires more work, more brain power, more fuel, and more time. This can take away from other jobs the brain is busy doing like regulating our bodies. Our creation ‘routines’ are no different. The brain loves to put our creativity in well known and well worn pathways. These tips are all about thinking ‘outside the caja’ or outside our own well worn pathways. By forcing our brain or mind out of the routine we open ourselves up to new pathways and new ideas.
1. Localización localización localización
Put yourself in a different environment. Literally. If you do most of your thinking at a desk behind a screen like I do, this tip is for you! It’s all about changing things up. Get out from behind your screen and move somewhere else. Go for a walk, get your body moving and some blood flowing. Put yourself in a place where you don’t normally think or ponder. Being in a different place can force your brain out of it’s routine and open up new pathways for thinking.
This can be done whether you work at home or in an office building. If you work at home, go for a walk in a park that you have never been to before. Go to a Starbucks you don’t usually frequent. Get the idea? If you’re in an office building you could go and sit in the lobby. Or, even the lobby in the building next door. It may seem a little odd but it would be ‘different’ and that is what we are going for here. If you’re at home you can even sit in a different spot in your family room than you usually do. A change in perspective even in the same room can force your brain into using different pathways for thinking.
2. Escribe tus pensamientos y déjalos reposar
Brainstorming is a great way to come up with ideas. The twist is to write down all of your thoughts and put them away. Like a good stew, time in the pot can add rich flavor that wasn’t there initially. Come back to those notes in at least 2 days and if you can, wait even longer. Your brain will have moved on to work on other tasks. Those notes will gradually be moved from your short term memory into a more long term type of memory. The action of coming back to your thoughts after a period of time can loosen up some of those pathways in your brain that might be in a rut. This also helps to clarify your thoughts. Ideas that may have held some promise during a brainstorming session may not seem so brilliant after a few days. Those ideas that still resonate are worth continuing with.
3. Deja que tus sueños te guíen
I’m sure you have heard about this idea before. Keep a dream journal. The twist here is that you aren’t necessarily trying to understand what your dreams mean. You are looking for new ideas that weren’t available to your conscious mind. If you are a sound sleeper and don’t wake up during the night this probably isn’t for you. However, a lot of people will wake occasionally and have their dreams fresh in their mind for just a few short minutes. Keep a notepad by your bed, sit up and jot down a few quick notes. The next morning you may not have any idea what those notes mean, but you may find some new ideas among the nonsense.
4. ¿El bolígrafo es más poderoso que el teclado?
In our age of touchscreens and keyboards we have literally lost touch with writing things out by hand. Taking notes with a keyboard and inputting our thoughts directly into a note taking app or word processor is surely more efficient than writing things out longhand. However, many studies have shown that the action of writing with pen and paper helps your brain synthesize the data and remember it better. The touch and feel of writing can create pathways in our brains in a way typing on a keyboard does not. So, in the spirit of ‘changing things up,’ put the keyboard down grab a notepad and start writing. You may have to take a little time later to transpose your thoughts for digital storage but the benefit to your creativity may be worth it.
Éstas son sólo cuatro formas de revitalizar tu proceso de pensamiento. Hay muchísimas más. Además, dedicar unos minutos a investigar lo que funciona para otras personas puede despertar tu interés por probar más formas de mejorar tu creatividad. Y ahora, ¡a crear!
ES 
EN 
FR 
DE 
PT 
Algunas buenas ideas para acceder a la creatividad, pero no estoy de acuerdo con la 4. Es sólo la nostalgia de un viejo por el lápiz y el papel. Sé creativo con las aplicaciones y el hardware adecuados. El iPad es brillante para alguien con una mente creativa. Tiene tantas opciones.
Aunque ciertamente se trata de una elección personal, existen demasiados vínculos entre la función motora y la estimulación/optimización cerebral como para ignorar la posible relación entre la creatividad y la escritura a mano. Además, imagino que para algunos, la permanencia de escribir algo a mano, perdiendo así la capacidad de borrar fácilmente un pensamiento, puede ser beneficiosa para el proceso creativo.
Gracias David. Gran comentario.
Has hecho buenos comentarios, pero me habría gustado que te hubieras explayado más. Puede que a los jóvenes les resulte difícil comprender el valor de escribir con papel y bolígrafo (nada que ver con la nostalgia), ya que quizá nunca lo hayan utilizado, lo cual es lamentable. Estoy de acuerdo contigo en llevar un diario; y sugiero escribir durante diez minutos cada mañana, justo después de despertarse y antes de entrar en las rutinas habituales. Si es necesario, pon el despertador diez minutos antes para asegurarte de hacerlo.