Being creative is one of the most valuable characteristics that any human can have. Through creativity, we will be able to solve our most challenging problems even in the absence of some or all resources.
However, a person’s creative juices do not flow continuously. There are times when no matter how hard we try, ideas or insights just don’t come to us. It is at such times that we really need to do something to reignite the creative side of us.
But what things are we supposed to do? In this article, we present a few options.
Digital Illustration Process by tubik
Do some physical exercise
Doing some physical exercise such as working out in the gym, playing basketball, or even just walking around the block has been proven to have a significant and positive effect on cognition. Specifically, exercise has been found by numerous studies to have a role in improving convergent thinking, or the type of mental activity that allows people to solve problems using pre-existing, albeit innovated, knowledge. It has also been found to have a positive impact on divergent thinking, which is the mental process involved in coming up with new concepts and ideas.
Both types of thinking have been found to have a positive association with creativity not only in creating appealing visuals but also in addressing real-life practical problems. Because of this, it makes sense to say that doing some physical exercises when we feel we are least creative can help replenish our creative juices.
Take inspiration from the work of others
Many people toil so hard to make every aspect of their works original just so they can be called “creatives” in the strictest sense. While there is nothing wrong with doing this, creativity is far more than just coming up with things purely out of thin air. Creativity is also about reinterpreting what is already known in a novel way. It is also about finding meaningful connections between concepts that were once thought to be totally unrelated.
In order for us to be creative in this sense, we need to take a look at what others have already done. We study their justifications, and see if the flow of their logic can still be modified for the better. Now that we have the Internet, this shouldn’t be such a difficult task to do. The virtual world has given us easy and fast access to a lot of information.
But the Internet as we know it also has its limits. For one, there is content that has regional restrictions. This can hamper our creative process so we might have to use a VPN that will help us access restricted content with ease. There are a lot of great VPN products out there, and we can easily look up VPN reviews online to find the standout options.
Be busy with other things in the meantime, and return to work later
Forcing ideas is not going to help. Hence, if the creative juices stop flowing, it makes sense to just take step back and busy ourselves with something else. We can do the laundry, wash the dishes, do some more exercise, watch a crime documentary, and a number of other things. The point is just to occupy our mind with something else so that the brain becomes a little tired. It has been found that brain exhaustion is tied to being creative. A tired brain, as the researchers say, finds it hard to remember learned restrictions, allowing for more unrestrained explorations of concepts.
Creative work is a process that needs constant refueling. As long as we are willing to see the task to completion, occasional creative pauses should not worry us.
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