Whether you are creative or not, there is some belief that creativity can be exercised and improved on. If you find yourself in a creative block, or you just want to exercise your creativity, try some of the methods from this article to stimulate your creative thinking:
Consume content you wouldn’t normally consume
Reading articles and blogs in our own industries spike our interests, but they don’t help much with sparking creativity. That is why reading blogs, articles, and books in a completely different industry can help spike creative thinking. Just choose an industry you are interested, or moderately interested, in so that you don’t lose interest on the activity with something you find boring.
Write a 500 word article with no topic
This is a fun exercise as it gives you the opportunity to freely write. Don’t choose a topic, don’t make a title, and don’t edit what you’ve written. Just write whatever comes to your head, you’ll end up with a crazy article in the end that is sure to have you feeling creative.
Go to a Movie
It’s always fun going to a movie, but who knew it could stimulate creative thinking? Movies will pop questions and theories into our heads to predict what will come up in the next scene or even the next movie.
Talk with someone you don’t know
It can be a visit or a phone call with someone you don’t know. Have a stranger tell you their story; it could really be an eye-opening and mind-expanding experience. They may teach you things you never knew, or even give you a different perspective.
There are studies that say our diets affect the way we think. If you want to start thinking differently then try eating different and healthier.
Do a “No Bad Ideas Brainstorm”
Get at least one other person to join you in a 45-60 minute brainstorm session with no technology and no criticism. Come up with a topic and write down every idea you have whether it is good or not. Odds are, out of all of the ideas you came up with, at least a few will be good. The more you do this, the better you become at it.