Exploring Your Creative Side: How to Spark Innovation

Creativity is a powerful tool. It has the ability to enhance your problem solving skills, bring joy and fun into your life, and adapt to whatever life has to throw at you.

As such a multi-faceted skill, it’s clear to see how it would fit into your business and personal life. In the hustle and bustle of life, it can be all too easy to let creative pursuits fade into the background. Between this and the nature of creativity, it’s a very intentional process and practice to incorporate more of it into your life (and work).

There are a number of ways you can practice creativity, but, just as important, there are also several ways to make your environment more creatively stimulating, empowering you to lean even more into your creative side. Today we’re breaking down some of the ways you can infuse your life with more creativity and unlock innovation!

Grab a drink (I think tea is perfect for this time of year), get comfy, and get ready to start creating!

Pursuing creativity - ways to get actively involved in the process

While it’s important to create routines and habits that empower you to be more creative in your day-to-day practice, it can also be tricky to know where to start. A big part of this is due to how easy it is to feel like creativity can only be expressed in certain ways (like art, for example) or that you have to be ‘good at it’ in order to really enjoy the creative process (like a seasoned, skilled painter).

There are a number of ways to actually participate in creative pursuits, here are some of my favorites.

Writing Daily Pages

This is a practice that is all about letting your imagination flow! Your goal is to take a few minutes every day to just spontaneously free-write about anything you want. You can do this for as long as you want, but doing around three pages a day is a great way to get those creative juices flowing! All you have to do is let yourself go and write without holding yourself back.

Always Be Learning

Learning boosts creativity in such an incredible way. As you learn more, you grow as a person and can explore more creative possibilities. There are several things you could learn (a new skill, an instrument, a language, even more about the world in general, etc.) that all work different parts of your brain.

Don’t forget about all of the ways you can learn either. Of course, you can read about and research things, but you can also watch documentaries, attend classes, or even visit museums.

Experiment with Art

By this, I mean any and all art. This can be painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, music, dance, photography, DIY, writing-–I really do mean any and all art. These are some of the more ‘traditional’ things you think about when you think about doing creative work, but there are so many art forms that can get forgotten. There’s also the occasional limiting belief that in order to do art, you have to be good at it.

Spoiler alert: You don’t have to be good at it to still find joy in the arts.

That’s where experimenting comes into play. Just start playing with things with no fear about how it’ll go. An especially fun place to start with this is painting. You don’t have to paint a perfect pet portrait; you can play with abstract colors and concepts and make something that’s just fun!

Read

Reading expands and stretches your mind, introducing you to new ideas and helping you learn & explore other places in the world without having to leave your room. The visualization and imaginative work that goes into reading is creative work! And you don’t just have to read fiction in order to get these benefits. Reading non-fiction can help you learn AND exercise your imagination by visualizing these other times and places.

Take Field Trips

This one is so much fun. Getting out in the world and exploring other things the world has to offer is so mentally and creatively stimulating. Go out and explore museums and art galleries, or see if there are any virtual tours or viewings you can do. See a play! Travel to a new place! Even just going outside can get those creative juices flowing. The world around you has so much to offer!

It Starts with You

When it comes to creativity, your mindset matters. There are a few things we can do to shift ourselves to a place where we want to create (and where it doesn’t feel like yet another thing you need to add to your to-do list).

Build a Creative Routine

When it comes to creativity, sometimes you need to intentionally build time around (and for) it. Create a schedule and routine for how and when you can intentionally engage with creative activities. An example of this could be setting aside an hour to read every night before bed, or listening to music or a podcast while you do the dishes. This can help you maintain a balanced schedule while empowering yourself to get inspired!

You can also play with creating a ritual to help you get into a creative thinking space. This could be something as simple as lighting some candles, making yourself a yummy drink, and focusing into the work, or more elaborate. Whatever the case, this shift might make it more enjoyable (and easier) to do creative work.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness practices can open you up to more creativity by sort of cleaning out your mental state and putting it into balance. Sometimes, it can be hard to be creative when you’re stressed and overwhelmed. Meditating, journaling, and practicing gratitude are all little ways to help with your overwhelm and make you feel lighter and more at peace.

Put Yourself in a Creative Space

Sometimes it really does come down to the space you’re in. If your creative space distracts you from creative work, then go ahead and clean it up and breathe a little life into it. Add splashes of color, cozy elements, vision boards, and anything else that will help you feel free enough to immerse yourself in your creative work.

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As you can see, there are so many ways to engage in creativity, both in your day-to-day or when treating yourself to something fun and exciting.

Before we part ways, I want to remind you of something. Creative work doesn't have to be a massive act. You can also engage in creativity by just playing some music, exploring new genres, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, journaling, creating a vision board, etc. The sky really is the limit here.

Creative work can be anytime you do something that stimulates and expands your mind, or anything where you’re creating something. Don’t overthink it, just be open to play, experimentation, failure (because failing, especially while pursuing creativity, is the way you learn and keep progressing), and fun!