Did you know that everyone can be creative – even the most logical of thinkers? Some people are naturally more creative than others, but we are all capable of developing our creativity from whatever level it is currently at.

Creativity is a mental process involving the discovery of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the existing ideas or concepts, fueled by the process of either conscious or unconscious insight. Dr Edward De Bono says, ‘There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.’

There are thousands of books and articles about creativity.  It’s a diverse subject and creativity can mean different things to different people. The perspective of a painter on the nature of creativity is likely to be very different to that of a business person looking to solve a particular problem; certainly the output of their thinking would be different! However, if creativity is essentially about making new connections there are some things we can do to maximise our chances of making such connections.

Ideas for building your creativity ‘muscle’:

1. Express your creative energies - dance, cook, draw, sing, write, design, invent, speak. By venting your creativity in other areas you are also likely to transfer this ‘mindset’ to your work.
2. Wander and wonder - take the time to look at the things around you (preferably in new environments) and ‘wonder’ about them. Try to imagine things different to how they are, wonder about the origins of the things – make up your own history for them. Take the time to think and ask yourself questions that give you the greatest insights.
3. Ask questions:
   - who?
   - what?
   - why? – Especially powerful. Ask four or five levels of why questions and look for patterns in the answers.
   - when?
   - how?
   - where?
4. Practice making new connections – choose two random objects and look for:
   - ways in which they are similar.
   - ways in which they are different.
   - ways in which they can be combined.
   You could always choose from the following list at random to get you started; dog, brush, horse, laptop, pot plant, hamster, desk.
5. Relax – take time out! The brain works most efficiently when it is relaxed. It often said that the conscious mind is like the tip of an ice berg and that the subconscious and unconscious mind is the much larger submerged part. This is undoubtedly true. So, it is important to allow the conscious mind time off. However you relax - do it regularly and often. Build relaxation and fun into your work/life schedule.
6. Stay or get fit - regular exercise has two clear benefits:
   - the brain is usually around 2% of the body’s weight, but uses 20% of its oxygen. The fitter you are, the more efficient the body is at getting oxygen to the brain. The more oxygen in the brain, the better it works.
   - relax (again!). If you are exercising you are giving your brain an opportunity to relax!
7. Listen to your intuition - don’t just reject an idea because it appears to come from the ether with no apparent logical basis. If you stay open to stumuli from all around you and make use of your subconscious mind, ideas are likely to appear as if from nowhere. The trick is to capture the ideas. There will inevitably be a time for analysis and refinement or expansion of ideas; perhaps even rejection of them. However, firstly accept them as being of value, even if you can’t work out where they have come from.
8. Use music - there has been a great deal of research in recent years about the effect of music on thinking and learning. Slow frequency music by seventeenth and eighteenth century composers such as Bach, Pachelbel and Vivaldi is excellent for learning and remembering. Above all it is important to realise that the more you practice being creative, the easier it becomes. We are all creative and can all take steps to unleash that creativity. Higher frequency music is great for revitalising the mind and body. Experiment with music and see what impact it has on you and your creativity.

Above all it is important to realise that the more you practice being creative, the easier it becomes. We are all creative and can all take steps to unleash that creativity.

We run a number of one and two day courses that help organisations enhance creativity for individuals or teams. Find out more at www.illumine.co.uk/innovate

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Tags: creative problem Solving, creative thinking techniques, creativity and innovation, free Your creativity, Personal Creativity

This entry was posted on Monday, August 16th, 2010 at 9:06 am and is filed under 3. Creative Thinking & Innovation, Creativity and Innovation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.