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“Empowering your right-side brain” — Increasing Creativity

ByJayshree Mathur
June 9th . 5 min read
“Empowering your right-side brain” — Increasing Creativity

Ever experienced a situation wherein you are trying to come up with something, but your mind turns out all blank?

You somehow wish that you’d be struck with a great idea or an innovative solution to something, but then that never really turns real. And eventually, you end up naming it the “creative block”.

Creativity in the literal sense is the ability to come up with or recognize ideas to solve problems, communicate with others or entertain.

It is all about finding new ways of solving something that isn’t restricted to worldly solutions only. It is a useful skill, but it is not necessary that you can find this in every person you come across, or you know of.

Top 10 Tips to Increase Creativity

Well, there’s never really a straight line wherein we can put creative thinking.

You can be creative without belonging to the creative professional world, but this might happen that even after belonging to that area you are less creative or not creative.

To get that creative flow again, here are the top 10 ways for taking on your creative thinking power to the next level-

1. Journal to the rescue!

It is a very common yet established method of being a creative head. It is simple, therapeutic and can be done completely in private.

Not only does it help in improving your levels of concentration, but also channelizes your creativity level like nothing else.

Research shows that the physical act of writing, which requires you to carry out sequential strokes by hand, actively engages your brain, which can improve your levels of concentration and creativity.

It fuels your brain to function optimally and think from outside the box. It sounds so simple, and yet in this era of information overload and highly charged urban life, this important element is often missing from our everyday lives.

2. Ignite mind-body connection!

Focus on things that give you new perspectives, and new horizons to think about. Brainstorm on refining your ideas and eradicating roadblocks.

Creativity isn’t just about thinking outside the box; make the most of that mind-body connection and throw the whole box away.

Do not process everything at once, make small chunks, do something different, challenge your brain to do something that you’ve never done, and then see the results.

Always understand, that giving an open out to things will always give you results. Try giving new windows to your thoughts and then see the exceptional creative flow it would bring along.

3. Say GOODBYE to your comfort zone!

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While staying in your comfort zone might seem the safest option, it doesn’t always is the best decision.

Sometimes it is the only thing that discourages you from developing or growing, or exploring new ways of thinking.

You would have heard of the line “best views come from hardest climbs”, and it is true that you need to allow yourself to let your thoughts flow freely outside the vision you usually have.

Remember that no one else is judging your thoughts, and you shouldn’t either.

4. Create psychological distance!

Studies prove that whenever we step away from something that is blocking us and comes back to solve it later, we often find solutions straight away.

This phenomenon in psychological concepts is known as “Psychological distance”. Our brain tends to rephrase that particular problem in different aspects just to handle it in another form.

It gives our brain to have some time to think about it from different perspectives and also from so many other scenarios, which will result in more creative ways to look after that particular problem.

All in all, this is a concept that gives you some more ideas to deal with the creative block and increase it in a manner that gives you the results that you are looking for.

5. Break your routine!

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Living a monotonous life casts a spell on you, which in turn results in the same routine that your mind follows.

Giving it a break from the routine can help to snap out of the trance and think out of the box. Engage your brain in your surroundings, draw inspiration from your neighborhood, and increase your capacity for creative thinking try to break that spell of your established routine of yours.

Do something different that gives you a new outlook on things, take new routes, and go to different places that are unusual for you not just because it’ll be a new experience but also because it will give you a new perception of things around you.

6. The formula of three “Ifs”!

Creative thinking doesn’t ask you to invent something extremely new, it just wants you to twist and tweak the existing concept and make it new.

Before dwelling on the concept of increasing your creative thinking power, we need to understand that there are no universal recipes for innovation, you need to develop your understanding and approach regarding how and when you are most creative.

For help, you can build an understanding of creative thinking around these three “ifs”:

  • What would happen if I change it (the object/ system/ social relationship)?
  • If I wanted to use it in 10 years, what would I change or improve about this object ?
  • What would I do if I had a one-million-dollar investment to improve it? These questions can become powerful tools that can help you to think differently. It is important to exercise these skills by repeatedly using the “three ifs” formula about all sorts of things.

7. Try the Six Hats Technique!

The “Six Hat Technique” involves looking at a problem from six different perspectives.

By doing this, you can produce more ideas than you might have had if you only looked at the situation from one or two points of view. See here-

  • Black Hat : Use a negative perspective. Which elements of the solution won’t work?
  • Blue Hat : Think broadly. What is the best overall solution? Blue hat, in general, signifies the sky and that is not the limit. That’s why it tells you to think more broadly than your limits.
  • Green Hat : It signifies you think creatively. What are some alternative ideas?
  • Red Hat : Look at the situation emotionally. What do your feelings tell you?
  • White Hat : Look at the situation objectively. What are the facts?
  • Yellow Hat : use a positive perspective. Which elements of the solution will work?

In addition to challenging yourself, you also need to create opportunities for creativity.

8. Try the “Snowball Technique”!

Ever noticed how one great idea often leads to another?

This, in a psychological sense, is known as the “snowball technique” which states that whenever you are thinking, don’t ever discard any idea.

If you think that any idea is not appropriate for your current work, set it aside to work on later or implement it in any other situation. Do not waste your ideas, keep them in close thought and tweak it to your interests.

9. Music-enhanced thinking!

Research has proven the idea of music-enhanced thinking. By engineering sound files with researched frequencies, scientists have proven increased brain performance.

According to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, a “moderate level of ambient noise increases creativity”.

The reason for this is that a moderate level of noise causes the right level of disruption in our thought processes to inspire abstract thinking, without disrupting us completely. Listening to music, at any volume, also helps you to relax and allows your mind to wander and wonder.

This will help your mind to be relaxed and give more creative solutions and ideas. The brain functions better and is more creative when listening to certain songs and compositions.

10. Reward your curiosity!

One common roadblock to developing creativity in the sense that curiosity is an indulgence.

Rather than chastising yourself for being a curious person, reward yourself when you are curious about something. Give yourself the opportunity and the time to explore new topics.

It is important because it develops an intrinsic motivation, which is the first step of the creative process. Although your efforts may not lead to success every time they will still be boosting your creative spirit which will help you in building creative talent and skills that serve us well in the future.

Wrap Up

Always remember, that creativity is not a destination or a result, rather it is always about a process and flow that you maintain every day. It’s an art form, and art doesn’t have any specific destination.

Hope you liked the blog! If so, let us hear your claps. ✌

Happy Reading! 😊

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