At times of uncertainty, or stress, it can often feel as if our creativity has deserted us, but it hasn’t gone away, its power is still there waiting for the right moment to emerge again.
It can be particularly difficult if you rely on your creativity for your income, or if other people have expectations of you supplying them with creative ideas.
Sometimes we need to encourage it, by doing things that we know have worked in the past.
Find your creative source
Creativity is such a special thing, you remember the times when it flowed effortlessly, but now outside the bars of your environment it beckons but you can’t quite reach it.
Like a plant starved of nourishment it’s important to recognise the conditions you need for your creativity to thrive. We are all different, but if you take the time to identify what works for you, the results can be immense. It may be visiting a place, indulging your senses, or connecting with a person; but by immersing yourself in that sensation you will feel the lifeblood of your creativity tingling back to life.
Creativity takes so many forms; it is definitely not just a pursuit of artists, sculptors, or writers. We need creativity in every aspect of our lives and we also need to nurture it at every level in our education system and in organisations.
Sources of inspiration
Inspiration cannot easily be anchored down, it can be a sense, a feeling and a mood, something that lifts you above the ordinary and enables you to achieve something special. Being inspired transcends the normal day-to-day activities. When you are feeling inspired the ideas flow at speed, it can be exciting, exhilarating and these times need to be cherished and fully captured.
In my research for one of my books, I asked the question,
‘What are the best conditions that help you to be creative and innovative?’
The responses revealed a range of stimuli, from outside environments to organisational teams and the individuals’ own lifestyle and space. A number of respondents gave examples of when they are in ‘flow’. Freedom is often mentioned, as is feeling relaxed and, when discussing preferred working environments, a need to be stimulated through the senses. Connecting with other people was also important for some respondents, either as a sounding board, or just to talk to, socialise with, or to welcome them back from their thinking time.
Their sources of inspiration, were equally varied,
‘Anything new, a place I haven’t seen before, a picture on a card, or post card, a quote, lyrics in songs, videos, stories in books, or magazines, driving with nothing in my mind and suddenly a thought comes in that is everything I have been waiting for but didn’t know it.
‘Events, other people, but mostly ‘voices in my head!’
Books, pictures, images, songs, landscapes, memories, connections, others.
Thinking time, believing anything is possible.
Aesthetics, nature, music, people.
Inspirational moments in life. This may either be something in nature, music, something I’ve read, an actual event’
Often we rush around from one task to the next, barely stopping.
One way of stimulating your creativity is daily observation, or daily creative practice in something you really enjoy doing. A bit like building muscle memory, when a movement or task is repeated over and over again the brain creates a long-term muscle memory for the task, eventually allowing the task to be performed with little or no conscious effort. Anything that creates a routine, or a daily pattern can help.
Another way of applying this is to take a camera, or your phone and capture images, photographs with meaning, close-ups, unusual angles. Look at the textures in a wall, patterns, cloud formations, industrial landscapes, pastoral scenes, seascapes, sunsets, sunrises. Bend down low, look up high. Imagine you are entering a competition for the most unusual photograph. Photography can be absorbing and help you observe in a different way.
Go to an art gallery and go as close to a painting as a curator will let you, marvel at the difference in the brush strokes; now back away, what is different? Examine modern art and sculptures, try and get inside the artist’s mind. When people’s lives are busy, they sometimes forget what richness exists simply by observing, and consequently their creativity doesn’t flow because it cannot fight its way through the clutter.
Another way of stimulating your creativity is to practise being an artisan; in today’s society many people have a secret dream of living a more creative life. The making of things is another way to slow down and let your creativity flow and you may find the solution to a problem that has been bothering you for weeks.
It may even lead to a new and fulfilling career.
You may feel that you lack the skills to do anything creative, but most things can be taught. It’s never too late to learn a new skill.
Motivation
One of the hardest challenges for all of us is finding the energy and motivation to either get started, to continue with a project, or recover from a perceived failure, or disappointment.
There are incredible examples in the sporting, or performance worlds of people overcoming disappointment. Time and time again they publically put themselves on the line with their own personal challenges, and even when unsuccessful they find ways of resetting their personal compass to go again. Often they are supported by their team-mates or coaches, but inside they also have to engage with their own motivation.
These individuals are also immensely dedicated, they often have a routine and this is one of the ways to increase your own creativity. One of the earliest examples of the power of creating a creative routine is Julia Cameron, in The Artist’s Way she created a 12-week programme designed to encourage you to write three pages of longhand writing first thing in the morning, and in doing so unlock your creativity in whatever form. The main criteria is that these morning entries are written strictly off the top of your head, there is no set topic, but you may find that themes emerge.
You may want to go back to some of the basic disciplines of practising drawing, sketching, painting, writing, reading the work of other writers, looking at the work of other artists, revisiting some of your own early work.
Practise being still
Whatever role we have in life, there are so many expectations placed on us, finding time to escape from this can be difficult to achieve; partly because of our own sense of responsibility, but also because of the needs of others.
This is why it’s really important to try and take as many opportunities to hit the pause button, if only for a few moments.
Being really present for even just one moment can be surprisingly difficult, our minds are so often full of other things, plus there are so many noisy interruptions; slowing down enough to even start to be present can take some practice.
But, when you do have those moments, treasure them, whether first thing in the morning, last thing at night, or even moments during the day, take time to be silent. Take time to learn how to control your breathing and you may want to find places where you can practice meditation, yoga, or other thoughtful practices. You may find holding a stone, or crystal can help with this process.
Cherish this time, try to find these moments; however fleeting, to escape from day-to-day chores and work tasks to just enjoy being ‘in the moment.’
If you can, allow yourself some extra time at the start of a day just to try and start the day positively, getting prepared the night before can mean that you don’t start the day already feeling stressed.
Sleep
There is so much research about the importance of sleep;
Tiredness can also impact on our ability to be motivated to do anything different. It’s so easy to get into the habit of the wrong sleep patterns, particularly if we are continually waking up in the middle of a sleep cycle. Often we don’t realise that this is the reason why we can’t function properly.
As a first step try and regulate your sleeping patterns. Do everything you can to try and get the right amount of sleep, create bedtime routines to help you sleep, and wake naturally.
An ideal average seems to be that most adults need 6-7 hours sleep per night, but you will read about many people who have famously survived on much less, but every person has different needs, experiment until you find what really works for you and then try and stick to it.
There is a body of evidence that suggests having a regular pattern of sleep is really important and that those who miss sleep during the week and have a long lie-in at the weekend are potentially making themselves feel worse on a Monday morning. It is better to try and set a pattern and stick to it even at the weekends.
Having a routine of relaxation before bed can help, but also getting up at the same time in the morning, means that it may be easier to sleep at night.
Take a break
Like the importance of getting enough sleep, recognising when you need to take a break can be equally important.
When you are struggling to find a solution to a problem, or even trying to stimulate your creativity, sometimes you need to just walk away and take a break, which can be hard when you are working against a deadline, or feel that if you just keep going a solution may come.
It can be as simple as doing something else, but if you feel really exhausted, taking a proper break may be needed to really recharge your batteries.
Idea generation
In reality there are a number of sources and triggers and the more you open up your mind to learning and using different approaches and techniques the easier you will find it to identify new ideas.
If you want to stimulate your mind to come up with ideas the secret is to relax and let your subconscious do the work. Ideas often occur when we are least expecting them and when we are doing other things. Many people who have been searching for a solution to a problem find the solution occurs once they go and do something else. This can often happen when you are doing something mundane.
However, what is equally important is that when the ideas do start flowing you make the most of this special time. If your ideas are running freely try and capture them because they may come at a speed that will surprise you.
Some people find it easy to generate ideas, but most find it a challenge, therefore you need to use a variety of methods to help you stimulate your mind.
When you find your creativity being stifled, take a break and do something completely different. Use others for support and to bounce ideas with. Build on initial fleeting thoughts to anchor more tangible concepts. Unlearn lessons, say, ’I can’ instead of ‘I can’t”
Because of the random way that our ideas occur to us, try and always have something nearby to capture these fleeting thoughts, a notebook, your phone, or you can create display boards for shared ideas.
Understanding how your body works, can also help stimulate your creativity, some people work better at night, or early in the morning, using your senses, identifying pieces of music, can all help stimulate your creativity.
Who do I know that inspires me?
Having a coach, mentor, or identifying one or two special people who always inspire you, working with like-minded people can help you explore and take your ideas further.
When two or more people have similar thoughts it is often described as synchronicity, particularly if the people did not know each other previously. The more you explore your creativity the more you open up and share your thoughts with others, the more likely it is that these synchronous events will occur.
Creativity in teams
We all have preferences in how we generate ideas, some of us prefer to be the person who generates the idea in the first place. What can really help in a team, is to have someone else who can build on these ideas and take them to the next level, followed by someone who can help evaluate what is realistic and achievable.
Once an idea has been tested then it can be helpful to have support from people who are able to help you either plan or implement the idea. Once it is being implemented then it is important to measure the effectiveness of the idea and where appropriate share best practice with others. In this way a whole team of people with different preferences can work together in the implementation of an idea and play to their strengths.
Take the opportunity to share your ideas with others; use ‘displayed thinking’ where ideas are incubated by a continuous process of brainstorming, when the originators of the ideas allow others to add their input.
Make sure that ideas are not prematurely shut down. When ideas do not work out as planned, take the opportunity to review the reasons for the lack of success. Make a habit of asking ‘How would I do it differently next time?’ Invite and listen to ideas that may challenge the status quo. Do not always give up on an idea if it hasn’t worked first time. Good ideas often fail to be adopted initially. With careful planning and analysis it is possible to re-present an idea more successfully on a second occasion.
Be prepared to champion an idea that you passionately believe in. Work to maintain sponsorship throughout the life cycle of the idea.
Identify colleagues with a different viewpoint whose opinion you trust to review your idea and to give you critical feedback. Identify people in your network who would be an effective mentor, or sponsor of your ideas. Regularly meet with them to update them on progress and to use them as sounding boards,
Who do you know who thinks differently from you? What could you learn from them? How open is your mind? How often do you say, “Why don’t we try this?” rather than “We’ve tried this before, it won’t work”?
You may also need support with handling objections from gatekeepers; people who can help you negotiate your way and nurture your idea through either an organisation, or other external routes before your creativity can reach the right audience. This is one of the reasons why so many people take to social media to connect with their audiences. Many creative people are misunderstood and having someone in your corner supporting you can be of immense vale.
How to make the most of your creativity
· Take time to identify what really inspires you. Where do you go to stimulate your creativity? How often do you take time out just to think? What opportunities do you take outside of your work, or home to see, or take part in, creative activities? Try to visit art galleries, museums, theatres and concerts.
· The more you practise, the better you get. Experiment with different ideas and media. Some ideas will work, others won’t. Don’t be afraid to give up on an idea, or creation, do the best you can and move on, but also archive your ideas to revisit later.
· When did you last do something creative? Take opportunities to be creative, write, draw and take up creative hobbies. Explore the whole range of creative actions. What would you really like to do that is different?
· Being creative in one field does not necessarily make you creative in all fields. Some people just have great ideas, but that also has huge potential.
· Go with the ‘flow’ When you are having your best ideas, try to capture them as fast as you can. Just make quick notes, mind-maps and use any material, napkins, menus, scraps of paper, notebooks, the notes function in your phone, even record them. Archived together they can chart your whole creative journey.
· If you are trying too hard to be creative, it probably won’t work. When you are in ‘flow’ allow yourself time to exhaust the moment, but don’t be afraid to walk away and return later, the brilliance may have dulled, but recognise what you have achieved. Go and do something else and the thoughts are more likely to pop into your head.
· Don’t overwork it, every artist will tell you stories of how they have added additional brushstrokes, or continued with something when they should have stopped.
· Try to help other people understand that you will need time on your own. Being creative is often a solitary occupation. If you prepare colleagues, family and friends, they are more likely to be there when you need them!
· Take time to indulge your senses, visit centres of culture, look at other artists at work, embrace your creativity and network with others in your preferred area of interest.
· Recognise that you may often be your worst critic. Share your efforts with trusted people first, and recognise that not everyone will share your passion for your ideas,
· Creativity rarely comes in a neat package, it can be chaotic and disorderly. It also has no sense of timing, it arrives when you least expect it.
· Being creative can be exhausting. In many ways you never finish, just when you think you have, another thought or another way of doing things occurs to you. Eventually you have to stop. This is why artists, filmmakers, musicians and writers create sequels.
· If you believe you have created something unique, or have a unique idea, protect it, but recognise that the path to commercial success may be a long and hard one.
· Importantly, celebrate every little step towards success, and remember that for every person who says ‘No’ there is someone else just waiting to say ’Yes!’
· Enjoy it! Recognise that creativity can be found by doing almost anything. You don’t have to be a great artist, writer or musician. It’s about idea generation, putting things together in combinations that no one has seen before and being original.
We all experience times when we lose that creative energy, that spark of inspiration that drives us to create, but eventually one day, often completely unbidden, your creativity will return, no one can predict when it will happen, those magical moments when your senses start to zing and you know you want to connect brush to canvas, or pen to paper when the rush of creativity starts to pour out of you. It often arrives unexpectedly, but the joy of its return makes your heart sing.
A little personal message …….
We are currently facing some of the most challenging times, but if you are a parent, an educator, a manager, or a leader, please make time to seek out those individuals who still have a light in their eyes, who get excited about trying new ways of doing things, who make suggestions that are outside the norm, nurture them, and encourage them, as they are the lifeblood of our future.
Thank you.
If you work in education, you might be interested in the following book: