What Is Creativity?
Creativity is not passive, however.
Begin by actively seeking out ideas, people, and things that inspire you.
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Then, try these 10 ideas that can help you toward your full creative potential.
However, research has also found that creativityincreaseswhen rewards are offered explicitly for producing creative works.
Just dont overdo it, or you risk decreasing your motivation.
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Surround Yourself With Inspiration
Positive psychologistMihaly Csikszentmihalyisuggests that surroundings play an important role in the creative process.
Stimulating environments can facilitate creativity, so surrounding yourself with things that you find inspiring and motivating can help.
Create an office space that helps you feel inspired and energized.
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Seek out stimulating experiences and parameters that can help trigger inventiveness.
When trying to solve a problem, try narrowing the scope of things you could use.
You might find yourself coming up with new and innovative ideas that you might not have considered otherwise.
Daydream
In today’s high-tech, connected world, distraction is just an arm’s length away.
Reconceptualize the Problem
Creative peopletypically re-conceptualize problems more often than less creative people do.
This means taking a step back to see it from a different angle.
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Revisit the problem from the very beginning.
Is there a different way to think about it?
Starting over with a fresh point of view can foster creative thinking and lead to novel solutions.
Gone With the Family
Make the most of negative emotions by working on something productive instead of ruminating.
Surround Yourself With Blue
Color psychologysuggests that colors affect moods, emotions, and behaviors.
Meditate
Some types of meditation are linked to an increase in creative thinking.
Look for ways to incorporate meditation techniques into your daily life.
Simply focusing on your thoughts and experiences might help foster creative thinking.
2019;14(7):e0219298.
Young woman doing yoga,hand close-up.RunPhoto/Getty Images
Csikszentmihalyi M, Getzels JW.
Csikszentmihalyi M.Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention.
New York: Harper Collins.
Eisenberger R, Armeli S, Pretz J.
Can the Promise of a Reward Increase Creativity?Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
1998;74(3), 704-714.
Gasper K, Middlewood BL.
2014;52, 50-57.
