On Creativity

Personally, whenever I try to bring a project to life after having contemplated it for a long while because of my tendency to perfect things, I get a feeling that if I put it out in a form that is not to my ultimate satisfaction, that I ended up burning that card and put to waste what could have been an amazing chance at a creative idea. But over time I learned that there is no such thing as "running out of creativity". The more you come up with creative ideas, the chances are those ideas will breed many more other creative ideas. Creativity breeds more creativity. It just does.

The act of coming up with a new creative idea encourages the process of creative thinking and that involves making new connections between different ideas, which is accomplished by cultivating divergent thinking skills and deliberately exposing yourself to new experiences and to learning.

When trying to cultivate a mindset of creative thinking, the best thing to start by is encompassing a receptivity to new ideas and experiences. Psychological research shows that people who are low in openness prefer routines and familiarity, while those who are high in openness revel in novelty, whether that is meeting new people, processing different emotions, or traveling to exotic destinations. Accumulating these experiences and perspectives can help the brain to come up with creative new connections.

Every once in a while, some of us may feel we have very limited creative ability (and in some cases even none) even the ones who work in creative fields are not excluded from feeling that way. And it is true that certain individuals are more creative than others but fortunately, for those who might seem like they don't fit into that category, if they put in the work then creativity can be acquired at any age or experience level.

Research shows the personality trait most tied to creativity is openness to experience whether that be intellectual, aesthetic, or emotional. So by adopting a mindset of openness and playfulness, being willing to go deep, spending some time in solitude, feeling emotions and sensations deeply, and not being afraid to self-reflect every once in a while, it is inevitable that you will get your creative juices pumping more than ever.

It can be difficult to innovate if you become trapped within the confinements of your own brain, and by adopting or hiring outside perspectives your brain will more likely generate more creative ideas. And more often than not, if you are motivated to solve a problem then exercising, sleeping on it, or in some cases productively procrastinating can lead to divergent thinking and more possibilities.

And after all the work you have done to hone in your creativity, remember to capture your ideas by recording your thoughts as they arise so they are not forgotten.