CREATIVITY
Who doesn’t know that feeling: You need to come up with a great idea, solve a finicky problem or create an inspired design, but your creativity seems to have gone on vacation without you. Everyone faces this problem at some point, which is why we’ve put together a list of six simple ways to improve on your creativity, which should help you get unstuck in no time. Take a look!
1. Try working in a coffee shop or restaurant
A study from 2012 has proven that a moderate level of ambient noise, which can be found in a coffee shop, quiet bar or restaurant, enhances performance on creative tasks.
The researchers theorize that “a moderate (low) level of ambient noise is likely to induce processing fluency or processing difficulty, which activates abstract cognition and consequently enhances creative performance".
2. Give yourself time to daydream
A study conducted by a group of American and Canadian researchers in 2009 has shown that, letting your mind wander may evoke a unique mental state that allows your brain to come up with more creative ideas. Letting your mind wander is often not a conscious choice, it usually happens while you’re going through menial tasks such as weeding, showering or washing the dishes. The effect it has on your creativity seems to depend on your being unaware that you are in fact daydreaming.
3. Taking a walk (strolling)
A recent study at Stanford has shown that
walking is a great way to improve creativity . It’s not about the change of scenery though, so it doesn’t matter whether you walk on a sidewalk with a picturesque scenery or on a nice path through the forest. According to the study, “Walking opens up the free flow of ideas , and it provides a simple and robust solution to the goals of increasing creativity and increasing physical activity.”
4. Pretend to be someone else, somewhere else
Various studies have proven to a reasonable extent that we get better at creative problem solving when the problem is removed from us through something they call psychological distance . You can create a psychological distance by projecting the problem into the distant future, by imagining it to originate in a place far away, or by pretending that the person experiencing the problem isn’t you, but somebody else entirely.
5. Use a mind map to find new ideas by association
When it comes to developing creative ideas,
mind mapping is one of the most well-known techniques apllied today. Research has found mind maps to be helpful when it comes to curing writer’s block and creative problem-solving , as well as generating, visualizing and organizing ideas. It's radiant structure enables you to develop new ideas by association and placell them anywhere on the map. Additionally, they offer a visual overview of a topic that can help you see connections between ideas you might have missed otherwise.
6. Collaborate with friends or colleagues
In her book “Creative Collaboration” Dr. Vera John-Steiner finds that “humans come into being and mature in relation to others, new skills are acquired, participants develop previously unknown aspects of themselves, and they increase their repertory of cognitive and emotional expression.” She concludes that “social interactions are crucial ,” because “they provide a non-judgmental ear for emerging ideas .”
Next time you have a problem that requires a creative solution, grab a pen and paper, talk to a friend
and head to the nearest coffee shop. Project your problem into another, far-away time or place , then open up your mind map and start scribbling down ideas. If that doesn’t work, go for a walk or begin a menial task such as washing the dishes, and simply
let your mind wander .
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