For any business owner or effective collaborator, creativity and problem solving are important ingredients to a successful outcome. However, getting into a creative mindset and fostering those “aha!” moments of connection can be challenging. 

When it comes to generating new and fresh ideas, your environment and surroundings can play an important role. In 2021 distractions are inevitable. We have our phones, laptops, iPads, Apple Watches, and so on, keeping us distracted. These things can hold us back when trying to generate some creative juices. 

Because this constant input from digital devices will likely persist in years and decades to come, it is important to develop skills to help you think more creatively. Learn to tune out distractions, or even choose to become hyper-aware of your surroundings so you can identify disruptions, remove them, or even move to a quiet space so you can focus and open the door to new thoughts. 

Creativity is something we all have whether we self-identify as “a creative.” We each have our own individual life experiences, and we are exposed to different people and places at different times in our lives. These experiences come into play when making connections. Connections ultimately help you become more creative. Often it is the unexpected connections that are generated from your own unique knowledge and experiences that are perceived by others as the most creative solutions. This is also why building a diverse team is so crucial to success -- the synthesis of all those unique and diverse experiences, perspectives, skills, and approaches make your organization more creative and more adaptive to change.  

But back to you and generating your creative spark. Try some exercises that are not exactly the project you’re working on. Like any muscle, a little warm up can be helpful. 

For example, if you’ve visited someplace different from your home or culture, whether that was around the world or across town, you may want to do some writing about it to articulate your own perspective gathered about that distinct culture and experience. Considering spaces, light, sounds, rituals, foods, words that are very different from your everyday can help you think outside your usual modes of perception, thinking, and problem solving. Memory and imagination are often closely linked, so by activating one you can jumpstart the other. You can weave these unusual experiences and memories into your typical habits; the combination can be a catalyst for creativity. 

Creativity is a habit, a muscle, something that requires attention and nurturing, but you can do it! When you take a moment to think by yourself, without the distractions of technology, noise, and stressors of daily life, you will be able to think more clearly and focus. Make sure to put yourself in situations where you are able to learn, grow, and be exposed to different ways of thinking, even if you are a little uncomfortable. This exposure will be beneficial for you in the future, and ultimately make your creativity flow. 

Check out some other resources on creativity below: 

Books

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown

Flow: The Psychology Of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Websites 

Understanding the Psychology of Creativity

Creativity: How to Unlock Your Hidden Creative Genius

By: Kathryn Kanuszewski, Internet Marketing Assistant at More Canvas Consulting