…how to unlock your creative potential…
It is time for another “how to” post. This time to talk about how to unlock your creative potential.
Creativity, in business, but also in general life is one of the most fundamental resources we humans possess. It is worth tapping into this and employing it!
Why is it so important?
Because creativity creates progress…it allows us to move forward. Creativity means finding novel ways of doing things and shaking the foundations of what we already know.
This is why creativity is the needle mover in any business!
As Albert Einstein put it himself –
“Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought”
With creativity comes novelty! Especially in today’s world where there is plenty of copycats everywhere you look, finding your creative genius can help you stand out and be unforgettable.
And I am sure that no explanation is needed as to why this is important for any business success.
Is there a creative genius dormant within you?
ABSO-FREAKIN-LUTELY!
There is a creative genius within every single person! It just needs the right tools to wake it up and gear it up into action mode.
Creativity isn’t something you either have or you do not. It is something that you can learn with the right tools and tips. All will be covered in this post.
So by the end of this post if you put these tips into action you will be well on the way to unlocking your creative potential
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The benefits you can expect when you tap into your creative genius.
Here are the quick-fire benefits you can expect if you take these tips on board and learn how to unlock your creative genius.
- Allows you to express yourself.
- It promotes problem-solving.
- It stimulates out-of-the-box thinking.
- Allows you to enter a happy place and have fun.
- Gives you a sense of accomplishment and pride.
- Allows you to adapt to changes easily.
- Gives you a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
- Helps you to create value and lasting impact.
- Helps you stand out from the competition and give you a competitive advantage.
- It helps you to re-enforce your brand.
- It helps you continually expand and grow.
- Moves your business forwards.
These are just some of the most obvious benefits of engaging with your core creativity. The bottom line is that creativity is a needle mover for your business.
So, let’s finally dive into how you can wake up and engage that creative genius within you to drive your success!
14 tips on how to unlock your creative potential.
1. Find out what inspires you.
Feeling inspired is such a wonderful feeling. Everyone has experienced it at some point and you have too.
Maybe when you were in a new country, or saw an amazing performance or watched a film or looked at art. It could have been when you found someone new to follow on social media or stumbled upon a business idea that very much aligns with what you want to be doing. Maybe it was a talk by someone whose words made an impact on you.
Something about what you saw or heard made you feel energized, filled you with joy, moved you and stimulated you to want to take action. And you got goosebumps just thinking about it.
That’s an inspiration!
Think back to times when you experienced it. Whatever it was that triggered this feeling in you…do more of it!
Surround yourself with it in and make it a part of your life.
2. Get inspired but don’t copy.
“An original will always be worth more than a copy”
Finding inspiration is wonderful. However, there is a fine line between being inspired and outright copying the thing that inspired you.
For your long-term success, it is important to get that balance right.
Not only because the original will always be worth more than a copy, but to protect your business legally and to give you a chance to find your own success.
You want to give yourself the chance to make your own mark, to influence others, and to make an impact. You can only d that if you find your own unique voice, your unique idea, and your unique influence.
So make it a point to pick what you like from other people’s works and from your surroundings and learn from it. But put your own unique spin on it. Use your strengths and direct them into the new and unexplored space.
3. Always write down your ideas.
Ideas can come to us in the most unexpected moments.
You might have experienced it – sitting at a family dinner daydreaming while listening to your distant cousin telling you about the job. Suddenly an idea pops into your mind but you never wrote it down and a few days later you can’t even remember what it was.
Write your ideas down, even if they seem silly at the time, it is the process that matters. Even if the ideas need polishing afterward, at least you have started the creative thinking process. You never know where one simple idea could eventually lead you.
So, if anything pops into your mind make a note of it.
TOP TIP: I tend to keep either a notepad by my side or use my phone where I can note things down wherever I am.
4. Allow yourself to daydream.
To get into a creative flow, you really have to give yourself the mental space to do that.
In the busy life, most of us currently lead there is very little thinking space left in a week. Work keeps you busy, ruminating on the annoying work politics or colleagues keeps you occupied past working hours, not to mention the chores you have to do and the relationships you have to nurture.
It’s a lot and it leaves little room for you to just be present with yourself.
If this sound familiar, then know you are not alone. As Kevin O’Leary put it:
“A salary is a drug they give you when they want you to give up on your dream”
This means that today’s working life is designed to keep you so busy that you don’t even have time to dream about other ways of living. Because if you did, you might excel and move on. But if you know this – you can make it a priority to make room for daydreaming.
Daydreaming is often romanticized as something that just happens. But if you are leading a crazy busy life you may need to time block a chunk of time for it in the week. Find your own small routine – maybe it’s a one-hour walk in the park or grabbing a coffee in a local coffee shop. Make a habit out of daydreaming!
5. Figures out when you are at your best.
This is so individual but there is a time in a day, in a week, in a year when you just thrive far more than any other time. And what will help you in unlocking your creative potential is finding out when that is FOR YOU.
In a day.
Maybe it’s after spending time with a particular person, or on a Saturday morning as you sip on your morning coffee.
A particular season.
But it could also be seasonal. Maybe springtime as the world wakes but from winter you feel it is a good time to make some shifts. Or maybe it is those cozy autumn evenings by the window.
A specific time in a month.
An even more important consideration for us women is our monthly cycle.
In essence, each week of your menstrual cycle is unique and there are downsides as well as upsides to each one. Tracking your monthly cycle and knowing what to expect can help you utilize your time in the best possible way. There are two weeks that can be a great time to bring on your creative genius.
Week 2: i.e., 7-14 days after the start of your period. You will be at your happiest, most confident self and it is a great time to get your creative cap on and put ideas into action.
Week 3: More importantly the second half of week 3 i.e., days 19-21. The first half of week 3 might be a bit of a roller coaster. The sudden drop in hormones post ovulation will feel like a blow, but by the second half your hormones will level out and you will feel a sense of calm and wellbeing. You will become more introspective and that is also a great time to tap into your creativity and follow your intuition about what you want.
A great app to use if you want to track your monthly cycle and understand your mood is Moody.
6. Try new things.
New experiences can help to enrich our lives in many ways. It can give you a new perspective that you would never have had otherwise. It can spark something in you! It can provide you with those aha moments where something, an idea, just clicks into place.
Trying new things could hold the answer to unlocking a certain idea which could be the driver behind your success. Nothing will change if you stay in the same place, but new experiences can provide new opportunities.
7. Lose the attachment to the outcome.
Sometimes we get so focused on the outcome we have set out that we become blindsided by the other opportunities or ideas that present themselves.
Keeping an open mind and viewing things from a wider perspective, rather than simply having a laser focus, can help with creativity.
Creativity is in large part about exploring new ways of doing things. With a laser focus, you typically only focus on one path to get to where you want to be.
But broadening the outlook can help you notice other and possibly even better ways of doing something. Exploring the alternatives can help to unlock creativity.
By keeping a broader outlook, you allow yourself the possibility to think creatively and freely and avoid missing out on amazing ideas.
8. Act before you feel ready.
If you have spent days pondering and your creativity is still running dry then this tip is for you.
It may be that in this case, the best way to unlock creativity in you is to just start! By starting and doing something rather than nothing at all, you might just end up stumbling onto a great idea. The idea helps everything else unfold.
So, if you are struggling with getting your creative cap on – take the first step in any direction and take it from there.
9. Do more of what feels good.
When you are in your happy place you will feel your best and when you feel your best new ideas start infiltrating your mind.
Make it your priority to invest in your happiness and well-being. It will help you find clarity of mind, reduce any overwhelm, stress or anxiety, and help you feel fulfilled and content in life.
When you find ways to switch off from the hassle of everyday life by doing what makes you happy, you will make room in your busy mind to actually think and get creative.
10. Think on paper.
At times it might not be enough to simply think introspectively. Sometimes your best bet might be to start to write your thought and ideas down.
Think back to a time you had to write an essay…some of the best ideas you had you didn’t think of when you were making the original essay plan. They came to you as you were writing things down.
Writing can be an amazing exercise to help you clarify your ideas, make new connections and take your mind where it would not have gone otherwise.
11. Follow where your heart leads you.
A lot of creativity comes from passion and purpose.
The reason being is that when you feel excited and passionate about something, you will spend far more time pondering it. It will become an everyday part of your life.
You will also consciously be more committed to that thing and make the effort to move things forward.
So follow where your heart leads you. Find the thing that excites you the most and having to put your creative cap on will be simple by-product rather than the thing you have to do!
12. Free flow.
Don’t put any limits on your thinking or writing. Just let your mind flow and see where it takes you. Try not to put any constraints on your mind and yourself and just allow the thoughts and ideas to flow.
Amazing things can happen if you stop putting pressure on your thoughts. Putting pressure on yourself can be counterproductive. Your mind does not perform at its best under pressure. Finding peace of mind and allowing your mind the liberty to just be will help to inspire the best ideas.
13. Stay in stimulating environments.
Spend time in places that stimulate you. Your environment can cause shifts in your mind and in your thinking. The best ideas come from the most unexpected places but typically there is something that flips the light switch on and makes everything fall into place.
The more opportunities you have to spend in creative environments the more opportunities you allow yourself to think of novel ideas.
Stimulating environments can also mean YOUR HOME.
Creating a home environment where you feel good is also vital. In many cases, you will spend a lot of your free time at home. Make your home space a source of inspiration for you.
14. Improve your tolerance of failure.
One thing about creativity is the need to try out new ways of doing things. The key word is – TRY!
When you try out something new or if you attempt to do something in a new way there is always the looming possibility that it might not work, that it will fail. That is scary and can create resistance to wanting to try things a new way.
Becoming more tolerant to the idea of not always getting things perfectly, of failing, will help you in unlocking your creativity.
It will put you at ease when you try new things and be brave enough to go at them without any hesitation.
On a Final Note.
Here is a quickfire list of all the tips on how to unlock your creative potential:
- Find out what inspires you.
- Get inspired but don’t copy.
- Always write down your ideas.
- Allow yourself to daydream.
- Figures out when you are at your best.
- Try new things.
- Lose the attachment to the outcome.
- Act before you feel ready.
- Do more of what feels good.
- Think on paper.
- Follow where your heart leads you.
- Free flow.
- Stay in stimulating environments.
- Improve your tolerance of failure.