January 9, 2020
Creativity is one of those things that sounds romantically easy to do, but often leaves you scratching your head. Even the creative geniuses get stumped from time to time.
The key to getting your creative mojo going is practice. Consistent practice.
Since January is International Creativity Month, I wanted to give you some ideas about how you can add more creativity to your everyday life. Here are 77 ways to get started:
- Take the Creativity Test
- Doodle
- Read more books
- Drink alcohol
- Call a friend
- Listen to music
- Get rid of stuff
- Take a quick nap
- Keep a dream diary
- Put your phone away
- Take the 30 circles test
- Ask yourself questions to boost your curiosity
- Have a chat with older folks (they have a broader thinking style)
- Cook something different
- Stand on your head (blood to the brain does wonders)
- Drink coffee
- Do something with your hands
- Watch a movie genre you haven’t seen before
- Pick a muse
- Make mistakes on purpose
- Paint
- Try a different hobby
- Socialize
- Carry a notebook everywhere you go and write down things that catch your eye
- Study a language
- Get rejected
- Drink a glass of water (your brain needs hydration to work well)
- Go for a walk in nature
- Practice something
- Tidy up
- Create clutter
- Do something backwards. For example, eat dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner.
- Go somewhere new
- Mow the lawn (fresh-cut grass releases chemicals that make you happier and more relaxed)
- Play with your pet
- Sing
- Stretch
- Go down the rabbit hole on the internet
- Daydream
- Do a mental exercise like a crossword puzzle
- Hang out with other creative people
- Write down a fantasy
- Color outside the lines (literally, color a picture but refuse to stay in the lines)
- Get together with friends
- Stay up late
- Take a shower (it puts you in the “default mode network”)
- Have an open mind
- Dance
- Make a list of anything you can think of
- Watch an old cartoon
- Spend time alone
- Rearrange the furniture
- Look at a situation from someone else’s point of view
- Do some deep breathing
- Talk to a child
- Practice yoga
- Play a game
- Smile
- Start a swipe file
- Look at the stars
- Reset your goals
- Write a hand-written letter
- Listen more, talk less
- Set a deadline
- Write a story
- Light a scented candle
- Sleep on the other side of the bed
- Travel to someplace exotic
- Do something ridiculous
- Narrow what you focus on
- Wear your favorite clothes
- Laugh
- Start a gratitude journal
- Eat with your nondominant hand
- Look out the window
- Schedule creative time
- Have faith
What would you add to the list?
Photo credit: Skitterphoto on Pixabay
About Carla Johnson
Carla Johnson is a world-renowned storyteller, an entertaining speaker, and a prolific author.
Over the last two decades, Carla has helped architects and actuaries, executives and volunteers, innovators and visionaries leverage the art of storytelling to inspire action. Her work with Fortune 500 brands has served as the foundation for many of her books.
In her latest project, Fast Forward Files, she contributes to a larger collection of thoughts by some of the world’s greatest minds - Shazam co-founder Dhiraj Mukherjee, activist and entrepreneur Heather Mills and behavioral designer, technologist and mental-health champion Peter Trainor. Consistently named one of the top influencers in B2B, digital and content marketing, Carla regularly challenges conventional thinking.
Today, she travels the world teaching anyone (and everyone) how to cultivate idea-driven teams that breed unstoppable creativity and game-changing innovation.